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Agricultural Sales
Career Program Area


Registration

Individual Pre-registrations are due to the National PAS Executive Director on or before February 11th. Any changes to individuals must be brought to the Agricultural Sales orientation session prior to the start of the competition. The specific time for the orientation session will be set in the conference program program.

Goals

The Agricultural Sales Career Program Area is designed to:
  • encourage the development of specialist opportunities in Ag Sales.
  • provide incentives to develop and improve curricular and instructional techniques.
  • evaluate participant and program efficiency.
  • recognize individual accomplishments and educational curriculum in the Ag Sales industry.
  • encourage cooperation between education and industry.
  • strengthen the PAS organization by encouraging active participation.

Procedures

The objective of the Agricultural Sales Career Program Area is to evaluate and develop the skills necessary for students to be successful in sales. Proficiencies will be tested in the following areas:
  • Written Examination consisting of questions about sales procedures, processes, theory, etc.
  • Sales Presentation and ability to display the following skills: Verbal Communication Written Communication, Physical Communication, Proper appearance, Body Language
  • Interactive Communication Ability to listen and question in order to gather information
  • Product Knowledge Features and benefits of a product
  • Identifying potential customer objections
  • Knowledge of the proper use of a product
  • Sales Process Identifying target demographic through marketing and historical data i.e. cold calling, advertising, internet applications
  • Develop sales presentation that determines and addresses the customer needs and objections.
  • Attempt trial to close the sale and accurately take the order.

General Rules

Participants will only be eligible to compete in one Specialist Area at the national level per year. No participant shall be allowed to compete in more than one specialist area.

*Any participant who achieves 1st Place as an individual in the Agricultural Sales program area will not be eligible to participate in this program area in the coming years.

All career program areas requiring tests will be written by a non-affiliated representative or certification representative and if they are available will also
administer the test. Power to select representatives will be under the direction of the National PAS executive director.

** Five points will be added to each individual’s score for attendance at one of the Career Program area workshops or seminars in the afternoon of the same day! IT WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARTICIPANT TO CLEARLY AND LEGIBLY WRITE THEIR NAME AND IDENTIFY WHICH CAREER PROGRAM AREA THEY ARE IN.

*Though not required, each individual is highly encouraged to write a general unsealed thank you letter to the career program area sponsor of the Agricultural Sales event area. Thank you letters should be submitted to the Agricultural Sales coordinators at the beginning of the competition. If possible, write thank you letters on local or state PAS stationary. Therefore, participants will be responsible for their own thank you stationery and their own writing utensils.

Agricultural Sales Specific Rules

Career Program time schedule will be based on the following:
  • Written Examination: 30-45 minutes
  • Sales Presentation: 5 minutes for set up, 15 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for question and answer session

  1. Each state or region may enter only the state winner. One active member substitute must be registered at the Agricultural Sales orientation meeting, if the state winner can not participate.
  2. Participants may bring to the sales presentation some type of media containing information on the product that is being sold. This may include the product itself if feasible. i.e. Print media, PowerPoint presentation, charts, etc.
  3. The item being sold may resemble an existing product; however, nowhere in the presentation, on the product or in any media shall an existing corporate name or logo be used. All advertising media should be developed and assembled by the participant.
  4. The sales presentation will be given to one of three judges. One judge will act as the potential customer, the other two as observers scoring the presentation and receiving feedback from the customer after the contestant has left the room.
  5. The Agricultural Sales Career Program Area orientation meeting will be held at the National Conference at the time stated in the conference program. All materials – including the judges rating sheet with participants name and school, and an outline of the Agricultural Sales situation describing the product or service you are selling, the customer’s profile information, and the sales scenario (i.e. cold call, customer inquired about product/service, past customer, etc.) are to be paper clipped together and given to the program coordinator at the orientation meeting.
  6. Each participant will be evaluated on performance in each of the activity areas:
                 Written Examination  50 points
                 Sales Presentation  150 points