| Course | MKT-3100 Principles of Sales |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Module 1 written assignment: personal selling and marketing |
| Length | About 463 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MKT 3100 Module 1
More Than an Order Taker: Personal Selling at a Restaurant Equipment Distributor
Student Name
Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies, Thomas Edison State University
MKT-3100: Principles of Sales
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
More Than an Order Taker: Personal Selling at a Restaurant Equipment Distributor
My Job
I represent a composite distributor of commercial kitchen equipment in northern New Jersey. My customers are about 140 independent restaurants, three school districts and two hospital kitchens. A typical sale ranges from a $300 order of pans to a $90,000 kitchen renovation with refrigeration, cooking lines and ventilation.
From Transactions to Partnerships
Manning et al. (2018) describe the evolution of selling through eras: from a focus on persuading buyers to complete transactions, through consultative selling, in which salespeople diagnose needs, and strategic selling, to partnering, in which salespeople build long-term relationships that create value for both sides. My job moves across these eras by account. For a restaurant that calls to reorder pans, I process an order. For a restaurant planning a renovation, I act as a consultant: I measure the kitchen, ask about the menu and volume and recommend equipment that fits. With the school districts, I am close to a partner, planning equipment replacement years ahead with their food service directors.
Personal Selling in the Marketing Mix
Personal selling is one element of promotion, alongside advertising, sales promotion and public relations. For our distributor, it carries most of the promotional load, because our products are complex and expensive, buyers need advice and every kitchen is different. A catalog cannot tell an owner whether a combination oven will fit his menu or his electrical service. Advertising builds our name; salespeople close the sales.
How I Create Value
Manning et al. (2018) describe value as created through the salesperson's knowledge, the solution's fit and the relationship. I create value by preventing costly mistakes, such as a walk-in cooler too small for a restaurant's deliveries, by finding rebates from the state's energy efficiency program for qualifying equipment and by coordinating installation with contractors. Saxe and Weitz (1982) developed a measure of customer orientation, the degree to which salespeople help customers make purchase decisions that satisfy their needs, as opposed to selling hard for the immediate sale. Franke and Park (2006) found in a meta-analysis that customer orientation was related to salespeople's own performance as rated by managers and to customers' satisfaction.
A Career in Selling
The textbook describes the qualities that make salespeople successful, including empathy, product knowledge and self-discipline. In my job, product knowledge is essential but not enough; the best representatives are those whom chefs trust to tell them when they do not need the more expensive model.
Conclusion
My job shows the range of modern personal selling, from transactions to partnerships. In a business where products are complex and every customer is different, personal selling is the heart of the firm's marketing, and the value I create comes from knowledge, fit and trust rather than from pressure.
References
Franke, G. R., & Park, J.-E. (2006). Salesperson adaptive selling behavior and customer orientation: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marketing Research, 43(4), 693-702. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.43.4.693
Manning, G. L., Ahearne, M., & Reece, B. L. (2018). Selling today: Partnering to create value (14th ed.). Pearson.
Saxe, R., & Weitz, B. A. (1982). The SOCO scale: A measure of the customer orientation of salespeople. Journal of Marketing Research, 19(3), 343-351. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378201900307
Reading the MKT 3100 Module 1 assignment instructions
MKT-3100 sets six written assignments that carry 40 percent of the grade between them, plus five forums, a proctored midterm on the first three modules and a final project. The first assignment covers personal selling and marketing: the evolution of selling, its role in the marketing mix, value creation and careers in sales. Apply the concepts to a sales job you hold or know well, or to a realistic one you research, and support your answers with the textbook and research on selling. If you have never worked in sales, interview a salesperson in a business-to-business field and build the paper on that person's job, with permission. Describe the customers, the products and the range of sales the person handles, since those details determine which era of selling the job reflects. Keep the textbook's terms precise throughout.
How this MKT 3100 Module 1 example is built
The paper introduces the writer's job and customers. A section places the job in the eras of selling, showing how the role differs by account. A section explains why personal selling carries most of the firm's promotion. A section describes how the writer creates value, supported by research on customer orientation. It finishes with a short section on sales careers and a conclusion about value. Each section moves from a textbook concept to a specific example from the territory, such as the walk-in cooler that would have been too small. That pattern keeps the paper grounded in practice. The research on customer orientation supports the central argument rather than appearing as an add-on.
Where the marks sit in the MKT 3100 Module 1 rubric
Written work is marked on accurate use of selling concepts, specific application, support from the textbook and research and clear writing with APA citations. Papers that show the range of selling within one job, from transactions to partnerships, demonstrate understanding of the evolution of selling. Specific examples of value creation earn more than general claims. Research on customer orientation strengthens the argument that value, not pressure, drives sales success. Mentors also value accurate description of the eras of selling and a clear explanation of why personal selling suits some products and customers more than others. Clean organization with headings helps the reader find each answer.
MKT 3100 Module 1 help from the desk
Students lose points by describing selling eras without applying them, by defining value creation in general terms or by treating personal selling as separate from marketing. Others rely on stereotypes of pushy salespeople. Use a specific sales job. Show where it fits in the eras. Give concrete examples of value you or the salesperson create. Connect selling to the rest of the marketing mix. Avoid describing selling as persuasion alone; the course emphasizes partnership and value. Give at least two concrete examples of how a salesperson creates value in your chosen job. A free first sample on your own MKT-3100 Module 1 assignment is available on request.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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MKT 3100 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MKT 3100 Module 1 sample paper?
A restaurant equipment representative's account of personal selling and value creation is the assignment above.
What is partnership selling?
A form of selling focused on long-term relationships that create value for both buyer and seller.
What is customer orientation in selling?
The degree to which salespeople help customers make decisions that satisfy their needs rather than pushing for the immediate sale.
Why do some firms rely on personal selling?
Because complex, expensive or customized products require advice that advertising cannot provide.
What textbook does MKT-3100 use?
Manning, Ahearne and Reece's Selling Today: Partnering to Create Value, fourteenth edition, from Pearson.