Selling Today : Building Quality Partnerships

Dr. Barry L. Reece, Professor Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Dr Reece has devoted more than three decades to teaching, research, consulting, and the development of training programs in the areas of sales, supervision, human relations, and management. He has conducted over 600 seminars and workshops for public- and private-sector organizations. He has written several textbooks and articles in the areas of sales, supervision, communications, and management. Dr. Reece was named "Trainer of the Year" by the Valleys of Virginia Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development, and was awarded the "Excellence in Teaching Award" by the College of Human Resources and Education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Dr. Reece has contributed to numerous journals and is author or co-author of twenty-five books, including Business, Human Relations - Principles and Practices, Supervision and Leadership in Action, and Effective Human Relations in Organizations. He has served as a consultant to numerous profit and not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Gerald L. Manning, Chair Marketing/Management Department, Des Moines Area Community College Mr. Manning has served as a chair of the Marketing/Management department for more than 30 years. In addition to his administrative duties, he has served as lead instructor in sales and sales management. The classroom has provided him with an opportunity to study the merits of various experiential learning approaches such as role-plays, simulations, games, and interactive demonstrations. Partnership Selling: A Role/Simulation for Selling Today, included in this text, was developed and tested in the classroom by Mr. Manning. He has also applied numerous personal selling principles and practices in the real world as owner of a real estate development and management company. Mr. Manning has served as a sales and marketing consultant to senior management and owners of over 500 businesses, including several national companies. He appears regularly as a speaker at national conferences. Mr. Manning has received the "Outstanding Instructor of the Year" award given annually by his college. Dr. H.F. (Herb) MacKenzie, Associate Professor Memorial University of Newfoundland Dr. MacKenzie has taught in the undergraduate and graduate programs at several Canadian universities, and has been consulting to both private- and public-sector businesses since 1985. He has over 15 years of industrial sales and sales management experience, and has published many cases, conference proceedings, and articles in the areas of sales management, buyer-seller relationships and distribution channel management. Dr. MacKenzie has conducted professional selling and sales management seminars with the Centre for Management Development at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and with a number of private organizations. KEEPING CURRENT IN A CHANGING WORLD Throughout the past decade, professors Manning, Reece, and MacKenzie have relied on three strategies to keep current in the dynamic field of personal selling. They are actively involved in sales training and consulting. Frequent interaction with salespeople and sales managers provides valuable insights regarding contemporary issues and developments in the field of personal selling. A second major strategy involves extensive research and development activities. The major focus of these activities has been factors that contribute to high-performance salespeople. The third major strategy involves completion of training and development programs offered by many respected sales training companies. Among them, professors Manning, Reece, and MacKenzie have completed seminars and workshops offered by Learning International , Wilson Learning Corporation, Forum Corporation, Fr