| Course | MKT-3100 Principles of Sales |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Module 3 written assignment: buying behavior and prospecting |
| Length | About 454 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 3
Who Really Buys the Walk-In? Buying Centers, Social Styles and a Prospecting Plan
Student Name
Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies, Thomas Edison State University
MKT-3100: Principles of Sales
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Who Really Buys the Walk-In? Buying Centers, Social Styles and a Prospecting Plan
The Buyer's Decision Process
Manning et al. (2018) describe buying as a process: need awareness, evaluation of solutions, resolution of problems and purchase, followed by post-purchase evaluation. For a hospital kitchen replacing a failing walk-in cooler, the need is clear, but the evaluation of solutions involves many people. Each person in the hospital evaluates the solution against different criteria, and the sale depends on satisfying all of them.
The Buying Center
Missing any member of the buying center can lose the sale. Last year a competitor lost a similar hospital order because the facilities engineer was never consulted and rejected the refrigerant at the last stage.
| Role | Person at the hospital | What matters to them |
|---|---|---|
| User | Executive chef | Capacity, shelving layout, reliability |
| Influencer | Infection control nurse | Cleanable surfaces, temperature logging |
| Influencer | Facilities engineer | Refrigerant type, electrical load, installation |
| Buyer | Purchasing manager | Price, terms, compliance with purchasing rules |
| Decider | Director of food and nutrition | Budget, patient safety, timeline |
| Gatekeeper | Purchasing assistant | Controls access to the purchasing manager |
Social Styles
The textbook presents a social style model, based on the work of Merrill and Reid (1981), that classifies communication by dominance and sociability into four styles: driver, expressive, amiable and analytical. The executive chef is an expressive: animated, ideas-oriented and impatient with detail. The facilities engineer is an analytical: precise and data-driven, wanting specifications in writing. The director is a driver: decisive and focused on results. I will adapt: a visual layout and a short conversation for the chef, a specification packet for the engineer and a one-page summary of cost and timeline for the director.
Prospecting
My territory loses about 15 percent of its restaurant customers a year to closures, so I need new prospects. Manning et al. (2018) describe prospecting sources including referrals, networking, directories and customer relationship management systems, and stress qualifying prospects by need, authority and ability to pay. My plan uses three sources. First, municipal permit filings for new food establishments in my towns, which I check weekly. Second, referrals from installers and electricians who learn of new projects early. Third, our CRM records of customers whose equipment is more than twelve years old, who are likely to replace soon. Palmatier et al. (2006) found in a meta-analysis that relationship investments, especially through expertise and communication, are associated with customer loyalty and performance, which supports building relationships with referral sources as well as customers.
Conclusion
Complex purchases involve many people with different concerns, and each communicates in a different style. Mapping the buying center and adapting to each buyer, while prospecting steadily through permits, referrals and CRM data, gives me a plan for both current and future sales.
References
Manning, G. L., Ahearne, M., & Reece, B. L. (2018). Selling today: Partnering to create value (14th ed.). Pearson.
Merrill, D. W., & Reid, R. H. (1981). Personal styles and effective performance. Chilton Book Company.
Palmatier, R. W., Dant, R. P., Grewal, D., & Evans, K. R. (2006). Factors influencing the effectiveness of relationship marketing: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marketing, 70(4), 136-153. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.70.4.136
What the MKT 3100 Module 3 instructions ask for
The third written assignment covers buying behavior and prospecting, and its material also appears on the proctored midterm. Expect questions on the buyer's decision process, social or communication styles, the buying center in organizational purchases and sources and methods of prospecting. Apply the concepts to specific buyers and to a realistic prospecting plan. A table of buying center roles is an efficient way to show who influences a purchase. Back each answer with Selling Today and at least one research article. Choose an organizational purchase with several people involved, and identify each buying center role with a real or realistic person and a concern. For prospecting, name sources you could actually use every week and explain how you would qualify the leads they produce.
Inside the MKT 3100 Module 3 example
The paper opens with the buyer's decision process. A table maps six buying center roles for a hospital purchase, and the text explains the cost of missing one. A section reads three buyers' social styles and plans an adapted approach for each. A prospecting section sets out three sources with research support. The conclusion ties the analysis to current and future sales. The buying center table shows every role at once, and the example of a competitor losing an order makes the stakes clear. The social styles section turns classification into action, with a different presentation for each buyer. The prospecting plan uses three sources tied to the territory.
MKT 3100 Module 3 rubric: what earns full marks
For buying behavior and prospecting, mentors want the concepts used correctly, specific application and clear writing with citations. Papers that map every buying center role for a realistic purchase, and that adapt to each member's style, show applied understanding. A prospecting plan with specific, repeatable sources demonstrates practical skill. Research on relationship marketing adds depth beyond the textbook and supports the emphasis on referral sources. Mentors also credit plans that include qualification criteria, since prospects without need, authority or ability to pay waste a salesperson's time. Clear tables and accurate citations support the analysis. Mentors also credit plans that name how leads will be recorded and tracked in the CRM.
Common MKT 3100 Module 3 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Students lose points by naming buying center roles without people or concerns, by classifying social styles without adapting to them or by describing prospecting sources without a plan. Others forget to qualify prospects. Assign each role to a real or realistic person. Say how you will adapt to each style. Choose prospecting sources you can use every week. Explain how you will qualify leads. Be careful not to stereotype buyers by style; styles describe tendencies in communication, not fixed personalities. Say how you would confirm your reading of each buyer's style during the call. A free first sample on your own MKT-3100 Module 3 assignment is available on request.
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MKT 3100 Module 3 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MKT 3100 Module 3 sample paper?
A hospital kitchen's buying center, three buyers' social styles and a prospecting plan are set out in the assignment above.
What is a buying center?
The group of people who influence an organizational purchase: users, influencers, buyers, deciders and gatekeepers.
What are the four social styles?
Driver, expressive, amiable and analytical, classified by dominance and sociability.
What is prospecting?
Finding and qualifying potential customers who have a need, the authority to buy and the ability to pay.
How can CRM data help prospecting?
By identifying customers likely to buy again, such as those with aging equipment.