LAP Modules

A unique selling proposition shows a company’s special niche in the marketplace. Teach your students about USPs—what they are, why they’re important, and how to create them. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about unique selling propositions, a (So What?) discussion of why it's important to learn, and a short (Gray Zone) case...

When a customer has to choose between two companies, which one will win out? Often, it’s the one with the best customer service! This LAP explains how focusing on customers, offering great internal customer service, and studying the competition can help create a successful business. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that...

Promotion consists of all the communication activities that inform potential customers about goods, services, images, or ideas. Advertising, personal selling, publicity, and sales promotion make up the elements of an organization’s promotional mix. But what exactly are these elements? How do businesses choose which promotional mix will lead them to success? This LAP will engage your students in a thorough understanding of the promotional mix, the factors that affect the choice of a promotional...

How do businesses let customers know about new products? How do special interest groups communicate their ideas? How do companies maintain or improve their images? The answer is promotion. This LAP explains who uses promotion, what makes it effective, and its many benefits. It also details the three most common objectives of promotion. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. Each LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT!...

Advertisements are all around us—on television, on the Internet, on billboards, and more. This LAP explains how businesses use newspapers, radio, broadcast media, the Web, direct mail, and other types of advertising to inform people about their products. It also details the trends and technology that are changing the advertising world. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. Each LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT!...

We’re surrounded by promotional messages every day—but how many people can identify the types of promotion? This LAP explains the difference between product and institutional promotion, highlights the uses of institutional promotions, and details the three types of institutional promotion. It also describes the advantages and disadvantages of promotional activities. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. Each LAP includes...

Show your students how sport/event businesses use PR and publicity to influence public perceptions. The images created by events, sports, and the athletes and entertainers who appear at them have a tremendous impact on fans. Play to the Fans (Building Fan Support) will teach your students the strategies sport/event businesses use to create and maintain a positive image, build goodwill, and manage unpredictable publicity through effective PR efforts. Videos, activities, and more reveal...

Events of all types depend on sponsors for support. However, sponsors benefit too! Scoring Customers Through Sponsorships (Sport/Event Sponsorships) explains the many benefits that sponsors receive. This LAP also explains the risks sponsors face and how they carefully select and pursue beneficial sport/event sponsorships. Activities, videos, and much more teach students how sponsorships can be a win-win—providing benefits for sponsors and for sport/event organizations. LAPs are comprehensive...

"Out-of-the-box” sales promotions catch people's attention, create excitement for the game or event, and stand out from the crowd of competitors. Teach your students how to identify great ideas for these one-of-a-kind opportunities. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about "out of the box" sales promotions for sports/events, a (So...

Quality management is an integral practice of every successful business – from the smallest startups to the largest corporations. In this LAP, students will study the characteristics of high-quality goods and services and discover the three main components of quality management: quality control, quality assurance, and quality improvement. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with...

Ethics and risk management are two increasingly important topics in business. They need each other to be successful. But what exactly is the relationship between them, and how do they interact with one another? This LAP discusses the relationship between ethics and risk management, as well as ethical issues risk managers face and ways to promote ethics in risk management. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP...

Prospecting for customers is a vital component of successful selling. In this LAP, students will learn why prospecting is so important and how they can demonstrate this necessary skill. In the activities, students will practice prospecting by identifying potential customers for a product they are selling. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT!...

Your students might not think selling has much to do with their lives. But good sales skills can help them at home, at school, and on the job, even if they don't work in sales! Help your students learn the traits of successful salespeople with Sell Away. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about the...

The selling process is a complex procedure that varies across industries, products, and customers. In this LAP, students will gain valuable insight into the selling process that will help them in their current or future roles as salespeople. They’ll learn what steps are involved, how those steps are implemented differently across situations, and why the sales process matters to salespeople, companies, and customers. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a...

It's not over until it's over! Follow-up is an important part of selling. With your students, explore topics like why follow-up is important, what follow-up looks like, and how successful salespeople determine which follow-up strategies to use. By delving into the ‘who, what, when, where, why, and how’ of follow-up, your students can add this beneficial skill to their selling toolboxes in no time! LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all...

To be successful, salespeople must be well-prepared. They must know as much as possible about the products they sell – but salespeople have some important questions to answer first. Why is knowing product information so important? What types of information are customers looking for? Where can salespeople find this information? Learn the answers to these questions and more with your students as you all get informed! LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that...

Quality customer service is a lot more than just a department. In this informative LAP, students will learn what salespeople can do to go above and beyond while serving customers—increasing their sales and benefitting their business along the way! In the Gray Zone, students will examine the ethicality of a common sales practice—making false promises to a customer to close a sale. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a...

Your students don't want to break the law when it comes to selling—but how do they know what's right and what's wrong? Help them learn about legal and ethical considerations in selling with Keep It Real—In Sales! LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about legal and ethical considerations in selling, a (So...

Customers have lots of choices in today's competitive market, so how can your students make their products stand out? With this LAP, your students can learn to use feature-benefit selling to translate their product features into benefits. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about feature-benefit selling,...

Part of being a salesperson involves recommending specific products to customers based on their needs and wants. Sounds easy – but it can be more complicated than it seems! In this LAP, students will learn how to recommend products in various tricky situations, such as when the product that a customer requests is out of stock, or doesn’t suit his/her unique needs. In the Gray Zone, students will examine the ethicality of “trading up,” or recommending a product that is more expensive than...

Sponsorships provide a wealth of benefits to both sponsors and sport/event organizations. Make the Match (Selling Sponsorships) explains the profitable nature of sponsorship agreements and teaches students the step-by-step method for selling sponsorships successfully. This LAP includes examples, activities, video links, and more—all focused on the dynamics of selling sponsorships in sport/event marketing. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a...

When it comes to convincing customers of their need for products, “seeing is believing.” In this LAP, students will gain hands-on experience planning and executing a product demonstration. They will learn how to select the right product to demonstrate, how to choose the appropriate product features to highlight, and how to handle interruptions during the demonstration. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP...

Make sure you know your customers! Successful salespeople know that in order to sell, they need to identify customer personality types and use appropriate sales techniques. Teach your students how to develop this important selling skill by exploring how to identify and handle different customer personality types. Together, master the power of personality! LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan....

A successful salesperson assists customers with all the "mini” decisions that add up to the final purchase decision. Teach your students how they can help their customers make them. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. Each LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about helping customers make buying decisions, a (So What?) discussion of why it's important to learn, and a short...

Finding customers can be hard, but keeping them is even harder! Use this LAP to show your students why businesses and salespeople need to do more than just attract customers—they must turn them into a loyal clientele. Keep Them Loyal will show your students the many ways that building a clientele can benefit businesses and salespeople. In the Gray Zone, students will consider the ethicality of several unfair tactics used to gain customers’ business. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are...

One of a salesperson’s most important responsibilities is addressing customer objections. In this LAP students will learn common types of customer objections, how to distinguish between a real objection and an excuse, and how to convert customer objections into valid selling points. In The Gray Zone, students will examine a situation in which a salesperson stretches the truth in order to convert a customer objection into a selling point. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that...

It’s one thing to make a sale – but satisfying a customer’s needs and earning his/her trust can turn a normal sale into a win for everyone involved. In this LAP, students will discover the skill of suggestion selling and how it benefits customers, businesses, and salespeople. They will learn how to successfully suggest products based on customer needs and wants, as well as how to suggest products respectfully. In the accompanying activities, students will role-play different suggestion selling...

Buying motives affect us every day – whether we know it or not. From a trip to our favorite grocery store to that new pair of shoes we just had to have, every purchase we make is driven by underlying motives. In this LAP your students will gain an in-depth understanding of buying motives – what they are, why they’re so important to salespeople, and how to effectively identify them. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan....

Just as your students would never write a text message without hitting “send,” a salesperson should never interact with a customer without attempting to close the sale. In this LAP students will discover the importance (and benefits) of closing sales effectively – and will learn how to prepare for any sales situation by mastering several different closing techniques. In the Gray Zone, students will consider the ethics of closing a sale when the salesperson isn’t quite “sold” on the product...

A company’s selling policies are essential components of its sales practice. In this LAP, students will discover the importance of selling guidelines as well as the various kinds of policies that businesses use to help salespeople succeed. Students will also learn about federal regulations that shape company selling policies such as the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Sherman Act. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson...

This LAP walks students through the basics of management—what managers do, what skills they need, and what types of resources they manage—as well as what levels of management most companies have. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about management, a (So What?) discussion of why it's important to learn,...

Do your students know how crucial business plans are for business success? This LAP helps teach them what goes into the different components of a business plan and how a well-written business plan can put investors and business owners on the path to success. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. Each LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about the nature of business plans, a...

A good business plan is a company’s blueprint for success. Unfortunately, many new business owners don’t know how to effectively write one. Don’t let your students become a part of this crowd! This LAP teaches your students about common business plan components and helps them understand what it takes to craft a well-written, effective business plan. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. Each LAP includes a student handout...

Managers of all types of businesses must spend a portion of their time organizing. But what exactly do managers do when they are organizing? To teach your students about managerial organizing, check out our latest LAP, Put It All Together (Managerial Considerations in Organizing). This LAP discusses the importance of organizing as a management function, as well as the process managers use to organize their businesses. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a...

Staffing is one of the five functions of management that are essential for organizational success. This LAP explores the staffing process and takes a deeper look at how managers develop human resources management strategies. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about staffing, a (So What?) discussion of...

Directing is considered the “heart” of management. When managers are directing, they are guiding workers to achieve goals. This LAP explains what directing is, the importance of directing, and activities included in this management function. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about managerial...

All business is risky. But smart businesses manage their risk. Help your students understand how businesses use risk management to avoid loss, create strategy, and increase profits. Prepare for the Worst; Expect the Best explains how risk management is used to identify, monitor, and evaluate past and future risks. Cyber security, drones, computer animation, and space exploration are used to explore some cutting-edge technologies businesses use to manage risk today. LAPs are comprehensive...

Managerial control is essential for organizational success. In this LAP, students will discover what managerial control is and how managers utilize control in real life. They will learn the various types of controls that can be put in place as well as the characteristics of effective controls. In the Gray Zone, students will examine a situation in which managerial control is taken too far. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements...