Blue Onion: Obtaining Commitment

Case Study 11.2 Obtaining commitment is important for both the buyer and seller. The seller needs to understand what direction they need to take next. When commitments are made it helps provide direction, and prevents wasted time. The seller needs commitment, so they know what to expect and how to plan for the future of their business. This planning can involve budget allocations, shipping information, and timelines just to name a few.

Assess Mary Kate’s style. Is her style something Sean should emulate? In this scenario, Mary Kate, the salesperson for Blue Onion, is meeting with a perspective client and has a new salesman, Sean, coming along to watch her technique and approach. Mary Kate exhibits some positive and negative style techniques

It was good that Mary Kate gave him time to think about what she said, but she let the silence become too awkward. It would have been better if she had asked him if there were any other questions that he wanted answered. That way when it was silent, she knew that he was thinking and had the information about her company that he desired. I also observed that Shirley was the person who made the closing move to get the contract signed. While it worked, it would have been better for Mary Kate to offer a statement to close. Overall, she exhibited good confidence and seemed to have done a good job in reaching this meeting. I do think that she could have done a better job in selling the CEO, but her success in selling Shirley was clearly shown when Shirley spoke favorably of the contract and initiated its signing. Had Shirley not intervened Mary Kate could have used the closing benefit summary technique (Castleberry & Tanner, 2014). This would have helped showcase the benefits. This is beneficial because it helps remind the buyer of what the contract offers

What could Mary Kate have done to avoid the situation? Assume this meeting was called by Shirley. How could Mary Kate have handled it differently? Jack had expressed an objection to having Blue Onion work with the company. However, he was not the decision maker. Mary Kate should have taken some time to follow up with him after the meeting to see if she could help answer any questions he had. This meeting could have also helped in building trust between him and Blue Onion. Additionally, it seems like he is the main point of contact for the actual work being performed. It would have made sense for Mary Kate to find out who he was before the meeting. This would have allowed her he opportunity to reassure him of the benefits of working with Blue Onion. The follow up technique that she could have used is, reviewed actions to be taken (Castleberry & Tanner, 2014). This would have set the standard for jack and his team, and would have helped outline the details of what needed to happen in the