| Course | BUSI 431 Sales Management and Professional Selling (BUSI431) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 3 |
| Assignment | Sales Plan Project Draft 2 |
| Paper type | Group sales plan draft |
| Length | about 521 words, 2 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: a group draft in Microsoft Word with college-level writing and scholarly research, following the textbook topic sequence, in current APA format, with a completed Activity Table |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| Points | 50 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 3 in Liberty's published BUSI 431 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 431 Week 3
Sales Plan for Summit Air Solutions, Draft 2: Adaptive Selling Approach and Prospecting Plan
[Student Name]
School of Business, Liberty University
BUSI 431: Sales Management and Professional Selling
Sales Plan Project: Draft 2 with Activity Table
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Summit Air Solutions, its products, its market and the group members are composites standing in for the project instructions; the textbook and the research cited are real.
Sales Plan for Summit Air Solutions, Draft 2: Adaptive Selling Approach and Prospecting Plan
Changes Since Draft 1
In response to feedback on Draft 1, the group narrowed Summit Air Solutions' target market from all commercial buildings to three segments where filtration matters most: hospitals and outpatient clinics, schools and colleges, and offices of more than 100,000 square feet. The buyer behavior section now names the buying center roles in each segment. This draft adds the adaptive selling approach and the prospecting plan.
Adaptive Selling Approach
Adaptive selling, in Castleberry and Tanner's (2019) account, means a salesperson changing course within a meeting or between meetings as the customer and situation reveal themselves. Spiro and Weitz (1990) defined and measured adaptive selling in these terms and argued that salespeople who recognize differences among customers and adjust their approach should perform better. Later research supports that view. Franke and Park's (2006) meta-analysis linked adaptive selling to stronger results, a link that was clearest in salespeople's own ratings and smaller, though still present, in managers' ratings. Adapting is not a personality trait reserved for natural salespeople; it is a skill that comes from preparation and attention to each buyer.
The textbook's social style framework, which classifies people by their assertiveness and responsiveness into drivers, expressives, amiables and analyticals, gives Summit's representatives a practical way to adapt. The table below summarizes the buyers the team expects to meet most often.
| Buyer | Likely social style | What matters to this buyer | How Summit adapts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital facilities director | Driver | Compliance, uptime, cost control | Short, direct meetings; lead with results and a clear proposal |
| Infection-control nurse | Analytical | Evidence that filtration supports patient safety | Bring data on filter ratings and maintenance logs; allow time for questions |
| School district maintenance supervisor | Amiable | Reliability, relationships, avoiding disruption | Build rapport; show how service avoids disrupting classes; follow up personally |
| Office property manager | Expressive | Tenant satisfaction, building image | Tell stories of tenant comfort and green building credentials; share the big picture |
These labels are starting points, not boxes. A representative who meets an analytical facilities director will notice the questions about filter efficiency ratings and shift toward data, even though the table suggests a driver. The plan trains representatives to watch for cues such as pace of speech, interest in details and comfort with small talk, and to adjust within the first minutes of a meeting.
Prospecting Plan
Prospecting is the search for potential customers. Summit will draw leads from five sources: current customers' referrals to peers in other facilities, membership in the regional chapters of facility management and health care engineering associations, public bid notices from school districts and hospitals, the company's website and building-performance webinars, and a list of large office buildings compiled from commercial real estate listings.
The textbook stresses that a lead becomes a prospect only after qualification. Summit's representatives will qualify each lead with five questions: Does the facility have a filtration need Summit can meet, such as many air handlers or strict indoor air requirements? Can it pay, judging by its size and budget cycle? Who has authority to buy or recommend, and can the representative reach that person? Is the facility under contract with a competitor, and when does the contract end? Is the potential annual value above $15,000? Leads that meet at least four criteria become prospects.
Each representative will follow a weekly prospecting routine: four hours on Monday mornings for research and calls, a goal of ten new qualified prospects per week, and at least two first appointments. Leads will be logged in the customer relationship management system with their source, so the team can see which sources produce the most qualified prospects and shift time toward them. Representatives will also ask every satisfied customer for one referral each quarter, since referrals from facility managers carry credibility with their peers.
Activity Table
| Member | Contribution to Draft 2 |
|---|---|
| Member A | Researched adaptive selling studies; drafted the adaptive selling section and table |
| Member B | Drafted the prospecting plan; compiled lead sources |
| Member C | Revised the target market and buyer behavior sections from Draft 1 based on feedback |
| Member D | Edited the full draft for consistency; formatted APA citations and references |
References
Castleberry, S. B., & Tanner, J. F., Jr. (2019). Selling: Building partnerships (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Franke, G. R., & Park, J. (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
Spiro, R. L., & Weitz, B. A. (1990). Adaptive selling: Conceptualization, measurement, and nomological validity. Journal of Marketing Research, 27(1), 61-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224379002700106
What the BUSI 431 Week 3 instructions ask
Week 3 assigns chapters 6 and 7 of Castleberry and Tanner, on adaptive selling for relationship building and on prospecting, with two presentations, the Forum 2 thread, the second Sales Plan Project draft and Quiz 3. Groups of three or four classmates build the Sales Plan Project collaboratively in four drafts that follow the textbook's topic sequence and the project instructions. Each draft must show college-level writing, include scholarly research, follow current APA format and be written in Microsoft Word. Every draft comes with an Activity Table listing each member's participation, and the guide states that each student must contribute content to a draft to receive any credit for it.
How this BUSI 431 Week 3 example is built
The draft is written as a section of a working business document, picking up where Draft 1 ended. A short note at the start states what changed since the first draft in response to feedback. The adaptive selling section identifies the main types of buyers the team will call on, describes each in social style terms and gives concrete adjustments, supported by research defining adaptive selling and measuring its link to performance. The prospecting section lists lead sources, defines a qualified prospect with clear criteria, and sets a weekly routine with numbers. The Activity Table closes the draft, showing who researched, wrote and edited each part, as the guide requires.
BUSI 431 Week 3 grading rubric: where the points go
Sales Plan Project drafts are graded on whether they follow the textbook topic sequence and the project instructions, the quality and specificity of the plan, the use of scholarly research, college-level writing in current APA format, and a complete Activity Table showing every member's contribution. For the adaptive selling and prospecting draft, instructors look for accurate use of the chapter's concepts, such as social styles, adaptive selling and prospect qualification criteria, applied to the group's actual company and customers. Concrete targets and routines show the plan could be used. Responding to feedback on Draft 1 demonstrates the iterative improvement the four-draft structure is designed to encourage.
BUSI 431 Week 3 help: mistakes that cost points
Meet as a group early in the week and divide the two sections, then assign one member to edit for a single voice. Apply the chapter concepts to your company's real buyers rather than describing social styles in general. Find at least one scholarly source for each section; research on adaptive selling and sales performance is plentiful. Give the prospecting plan numbers, such as how many new prospects each week and how they will be qualified. Fill in the Activity Table honestly, since a member with no contribution receives no credit. Address the instructor's feedback on Draft 1 before adding new material, and save time for the Forum 2 thread and Quiz 3. Keep a shared document where members log their work as they go, which makes the Activity Table accurate.
Related BUSI 431 sample papers
Other BUSI 431 weeks
- BUSI 431 Week 1: Forum 1 Thread
- BUSI 431 Week 2: Essay 1: Ethics and Buying Centers
- BUSI 431 Week 4: Essay 2: Planning the Sales Call
- BUSI 431 Week 5: Sales Plan Project Draft 3
- BUSI 431 Week 6: Essay 3: Long-Term Partnerships
- BUSI 431 Week 7: Sales Plan Project Final Draft
- BUSI 431 Week 8: Sales Plan Project Analysis
More BS in Business Administration sample papers
- BUSI 423 Week 3: Forum 2 Thread
- BUSI 424 Week 3: Faith and Learning Paper
- BUSI 427 Week 3: Forum 2 Thread
- BUSI 430 Week 3: Essay 2: Managing Advertising
BUSI 431 Week 3 questions, answered
What is BUSI 431 Sales Plan Project Draft 2?
The second of four group drafts of the BUSI 431 Sales Plan Project, worth 50 points in Module/Week 3, written in Word with research, APA format and an Activity Table of each member's work.
Where can I find a free BUSI 431 Week 3 sample paper?
A complete BUSI 431 Week 3 sales plan draft is on this page, with an adaptive selling approach for a filter distributor's buyers, a prospecting plan and an Activity Table.
What is adaptive selling?
Adjusting what you say and how you say it as you learn about a particular buyer, instead of delivering the same canned pitch to everyone.
What is a qualified prospect?
A potential customer who has a need the seller's product can meet, the ability to pay, the authority to buy or influence the purchase, and can be approached, as the textbook's qualification criteria describe.
What else is due in BUSI 431 Module/Week 3?
The Forum 2 thread of at least 350 words with an APA reference, and Quiz 3, after chapters 6 and 7 of Castleberry and Tanner and two presentations.
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