Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study

Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study

Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study

Trina Casto

Strayer University

BUS 520

Dr. Russell

Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study

1. Discuss why Joe's employees need to understand the importance of how people form perceptions and make attributions.

Understanding of how individuals form their perceptions and make attributions can be the difference between making a sale and losing a sale for Joe's employees. When a sales professional understands how others form their perceptions and make attributions, they can utilize that information to control how a potential customer perceives not only them but also the product in which they are attempting to sell. Forming a perception with the customer that the sales professional is competent and trustworthy will heighted the possibility of making a sale to that customer. This is considered impression management (Hellriegel and Slocum. 2011. pp.117). Aiding the customer in perceiving that the deal being offered is a great value, that the customer needs the product, and that the product is worth the money spent is also important in the sales process and is a form of impression management. Perception is said to be the "process by which the individual selects, organizes, interprets, and responds to information" (pp.104). Attribution is how individuals understand and explain causes of behavior and events including the behavior of themselves and of others (pp. 119). To be successful at sales one needs to create perception that they are an authority in their line of work and can be trusted to provide their customers with accurate information on the product. It is when they gain this benefit of perception that they become successful. Furthermore, they need to be able to overcome any "excuses" that the customer may present or previous perceptions and attributions that the customer may have already developed. By understanding how these perceptions and attributions are form, they can more efficiently overcome or modify these perceptions and attributions in the minds of their customers.

2. Evaluate which learning theory (either operant conditioning, social learning theory, or the learning theory you researched in Week 3) would be most appropriate for Joe to apply in this situation and explain why.

Operant Conditioning is explained as a "process by which individuals learn voluntary behavior" or behaviors voluntarily learned based on the consequences of such behaviors (pp. 134). Social learning is the "knowledge acquisition through the mental processing of information by observation and imitating others" (pp. 149). Constructivism is a learning process, which allows an individual to learn first-hand by actual doing that in which they are learning (Unknown. 2012). In the case presented, Joe would receive the most optimal results by blending all of the above learning theories into one training process. Sales professionals coming into the organization would be able to sit with an experienced professional to see what that professional does that makes them so successful in their position therefore allowing for social learning. They would also be in a position to see the results or consequences of such behaviors exhibited by that professional (or others around them in the organization) and gain insight as to which behaviors produce the best results. This would provide them with the operant conditioning need to reinforce behaviors that produce the most optimal consequences or results. By actually preforming the requirements of the position, one is learning "by doing". Failing or succeeding teaches them what behaviors or techniques to continue