I. PROSPECT INFORMATION

A. Company Name: Sports Authority

B. Type of Business: SIC Code – 5600 – Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores NAICS – 451110 – Sporting Goods Stores

o Common Description: Athletic equipment and supply stores

Sports Authority is a nationwide sporting goods store, consisting of over 460 stores in 45 states. It recognizes its customers as those who are passionate about the sports that they play and strive to “run faster, jump higher, hit the ball harder, carry their team to victory, and more”. They attempt to satisfy these needs with by providing quality brands at tremendous values, and using their experience as an industry leader for almost a century.

IBISWorld’s industry marketing research report for sporting goods stores claims that there has been an increase in competition in the past two decades; nevertheless, sporting goods stores have persistently benefited from their capability to offer customers particular brands and specialized services. In addition, the presence of 36,929 businesses in this industry and average annual growth of 0.1% between 2008 to 20013, as found in IBISWorld’s report, supports the idea that this is a mature industry. However, the $40 billion in annual revenue these companies bring in also supports that this industry is viable.

C. Prospect’s Name: Tom Lane

D. Job Title: Executive Regional Buying Manager (Decider)

E. Other Influential Individuals within the buying firm:

NAME, JOB TITLE DEPARTMENT ROLE IN PURCHASE PROCESS

Mark Grand, Aurora, IL Store Manager

Management Initiator, Influencer

Katie Williams, Footwear Department Manager

Management Initiator, Influencer

John Walcott, Footwear Department Sales

Representative

Sales User, Initiator, Influencer

F. Key Facts you know about the company and/or buyer:

Sports Authority is a prime name in the sporting goods industry. Sports Authority is known for its extremely wide selection of sporting equipment, apparel, and footwear. The store is organized in a fashion that makes it easy to navigate, giving each sport its own section within the store. Many of Sports Authority’s floor displays are paid and provided for by the corporations that manufacture the products that Sports Authority sells. The store generally plays trendy but appropriate music to stimulate the purchasing experience, and all employees are trained to

politely greet customers as they enter, as well as ask them if they need help finding anything specific.

Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, Sports Authority is one of the nation’s top athletic equipment providers, operating over 460 stores in 45 of the United States, and is operated by GSI Commerce, Inc. After multiple mergers, the company operates in conjunction with Aeon, allowing stores to in Japan under special licensing agreements. The current CEO of Sports Authority is Darrell Webb who has elected to retire and will be replaced by Michael Foss. The company’s strategy can be explained in two parts. First, the strategy involves carrying the top products from every major brand. This results in the store carrying products from several major competitors including: Nike, Under Armour, Reebok, and more. Secondly, Sports Authority also carries off-brands, offering consumers an inexpensive alternative to many more expensive products. Therefore, the store serve two price levels and is great for any consumer looking for top-end or price-sensitive products for any sport or physical activity.

While the store generally sells its products at the company’s set prices, they offer great premiums and promotions for loyal customers. Customers who make multiple purchases and are part of the free loyalty program can look forward to regular coupons in the mail which carry large discounts on purchases over $50 and $100. This strategy allows Sports Authority to maintain positive relationships with its customers and maintain a top-of-mind position with regular buyers, promoting habitual rebuys. While this costs them some money in the short run, it encourages large and group purchases when a customer may have only been planning to buy one product.

One of Sports Authority’s main focuses as a corporation is to maintain positive relations with all of its suppliers. Sports Authority takes constant precautions to sell suppliers’ products the way they are expected to, advertising them properly, and keeping to the set prices when necessary. The store also spends time and money training employees to specialty sections. For instance, sales associates may specialize in baseball equipment, football equipment, or shoes. This way, a customer with questions can get specific information and specifications on whatever products they may have questions about.

Sports Authority’s overall objective is to get in tune with the consumer’s passion and help them to accomplish their physical and athletic goals. They do this by carrying high quality, name brand products, and employing courteous, knowledgeable employees with high expertise in their available products. This way, the consumer feels that they are always making the right choice by shopping at Sports Authority stores.

G. Buying Decision type and why:

The buying decision type for this buyer will be a modified re-buy. The reason for this is that Sports Authority already carries a solid array of Under Armour products, including football cleats. In result, they have already deemed Under Armour and its products a match for meeting the company’s interest and objectives. We will only be attempting to add a new shoe to the existing selection of Under Armour football cleats within Sports Authority’s stores. Therefore, this purchase is likely to involve a limited search, rather than a habitual rebuy, which will require Under Armour to establish an understanding of how this new product and its innovative features are capable of meeting the needs of Sports Authority, and their customers, that are not currently being satisfied to the fullest.

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As for the purchase frequency, the purchase will be pulsating. Sports Authority will generally be making large, bulk orders of the product at the beginning of the summer and the fall seasons (coordinating with summer football camps and the beginning of the actual football season in fall) and making smaller restock orders throughout the year. The primary bulk of the orders will be ordered at times when large volumes of sales are expected and small order restocking will enable the store to keep up with customer demand. Due to Sports Authority’s implications within their business strategy of providing top brands to their customers, the store’s search may be limited to a few select brands with high equity. Purchasing products from companies that do not fit this image would diminish their company image in the minds of their customers. Due to the high volume of competitors, there are low switching costs for the consumer. Therefore, the damage to their company image could decrease their number of customers and sales.

H. Anticipated Buyer Needs

Type of Need Anticipated Buyer’s Needs

Why/How Important?

Functional Providing High Quality, Top-End Products

This is very important. Sports Authority must be consistent with their company image while they satisfy their customers’ athletic needs.

Well constructed Increases performance

Knowledge &Psychological

Understanding the Technology Inside the

Products

This is highly important. It provides information that supports the modified rebuy, and will allow sales personnel to effectively communicate the benefits of the product to the consumer, increasing the likelihood of making sales.

Training pamphlets and session FAB video for customers Knowledge of superior offerings Increasing sales, leading to an increase in

a salesperson’s self-worthPsychological Providing Strong Brand

Names and Offering Buy-Backs

This is highly important. It is a part of Sports Authority’s company goal, and it provides themselves and their customers with a sense of low risk, pride, and satisfaction. Offering buy-backs decreases the risk of purchasing and holding excess inventory.

Strong brand names decrease risk Increases customer’s self-image Buy-backs decrease risk

FunctionalSocial

Keeping Up with Competition

This is highly important. Sports Authority needs to remain competitive in this mature industry. They also need customers to perceive them as providing desired brands or they could lose their reputation.

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Retaining/building a quality social image Maintaining competitive offerings

Situational Meet Delivery Needs to Stores Spread Across

Illinois and Gives Extended Payment Periods

This is highly important. The product will need to be delivered in various shipment sizes to Illinois stores when needed. Due to size of purchase, extended payment periods could help keep Sports Authority’s cash flow strong.

Timely, customized deliveries Extended payment periods

There were a total of five anticipated buyers needs for Sports Authority that were deemed important for consideration. They included a functional, knowledge and psychological, psychological, functional and social, and situational need. The functional need pertained to Sports Authority’s need for providing high quality, top-end products, which is stated within their company mission. This need is significant, because Sports Authority must promote a consistent company image while they satisfy their customers’ athletic needs. The combined knowledge and psychological need for Sports Authority is understanding the technology (or features) inside the product. This is important, because the information affects the buying decision process (modified in this case), and sufficient information allows the sales personnel to effectively communicate the benefits of the product to the consumer, increasing their ability to make sales (which are benefits of knowledge) and therefore increase their sense of self-worth as an effective employee (which is the psychological benefit). In addition, educating customers can further stimulate sales and decrease the time of the selling process. The dominantly psychological anticipated need of providing strong brand names also came from Sports Authority’s company mission, and the need of receiving buy-backs is one typical of retail stores. Providing strong brand names is important, because it allows Sports Authority to achieve a part of the company mission and it provides themselves and their customers with a sense of low risk, pride, and satisfaction within the purchase. In addition, offering buy-backs satisfies the need of decreasing the risk of purchasing and holding excess inventory for Sports Authority. The functional and social need identified was Sports Authority’s need to keep up with competitors and remain a reputable social image. This is a functional and social need, because they must remain competitive in this mature business industry with many alternatives, and they want to be perceived by their consumers as the best place to shop for their sporting good needs, and if they do not they could get lost in the crowd of competitors and lose top-of-mind awareness levels with current and prospective customers. Lastly, the situational needs of meeting the delivery needs to stores spread across Illinois and extended payment periods are essential, because Sports Authority needs reliable delivery in the periods the product has demand from consumers, and because of the nature of these orders tend to be large, it is important that Sports Authority receives an extended payment period so that it can remain a strong cash flow during payments.

II. SALES CALL OBJECTIVES:

ADAPT-RELATED OBJECTIVES FINAL PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES1. Establish Rapport & Assess Prospect’s Situation

1. Reinvestigate Needs

2. Discover & Confirm Prospect’s Needs 2. Co-create and Validate Solutions

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3. Confirm Sales Presentation 3. Earn Commitment to the Sale

III. IDENTIFICATION OF TOTAL MARKET OFFERING

Under Armour a US manufacturer and retailer of performance sportswear and accessories. It was established in 1995 when the special teams captain at the University of Maryland, named Kevin Plank, decided there had to be some product that was better than the cotton T-shirts that were drenched with his and his teammates’ sweat after every practice. He found the solution in microfiber materials and founded Under Armour. According to The Wall Street Journal, the initial IPO was in 2005 and was the most successful IPO in the United States since the year 2000. CEO Kevin Plank used his success in sports apparel and aptitude for product innovation to expand into serving over apparel and accessory needs for over 15 different professional and recreational sports in the first fifteen years, including: Football, Baseball, Basketball, Gymnastics, Rugby, Tennis, and more. Under Armour is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland and has a global presence with over 109 US retail locations and international locations in the Netherlands, China, Hong Kong, and Canada. Under Armour’s largest retailing contracts are with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Sports Authority, making up 26% of their revenue in 2011, according to Trefis stock reviews.

Under Armour focuses on differentiating itself from industry competitors by establishing itself as an industry benchmark for innovation, quality, and service. This is reflected through the company mission, which states, “Respect the UGOP (Universal Guarantee of Performance). Every product we build must be better than what’s currently available on the market – best in class. Every product must be field tested, and every product must make athletes better. That’s our guarantee.” According to Trefis company analysis of Under Armour, this differentiation is requiring Under Armour to battle Nike and Adidas for the most effective and efficient research and development operations. In addition, Under Armour is also strongly concentrating on footwear and women’s apparel, as it is seeing the greatest returns in these departments. Under Armour’s differentiation strategy and focus on footwear and women’s apparel has shown signs of benefit as it recorded a 23% increase in revenue for the first and second quarter of 2013, increased its net operating income outlook 24-25% for the year, and according to CNBC’s “Mad Money with Jim Cramer”, as of July 2013 Under Armour’s stock is more appealing than Nike’s, due to its high increases in revenue, and Under Armour boasted its newest innovations while Nike, still remaining the top industry giant, claimed it needed to amp-up its innovation. In result, Under Armour is implementing its business strategy successfully and putting the pressure on the previous industry giants, including Nike and Adidas.

As a result of Under Armour’s innovative nature, they have developed a new product offering. This product is an innovative football cleat that is inspired by NFL star athlete Cam Newton, and therefore named the Cam Highlight MC. The new Cam Highlight MCs from Under Armour include such innovative features as an outsole made of Pebax® plates, cushioning technology, and form-fitting CompFit® ankle construction. The result of these features are that Pebax® offers lightweight durability and traction, cushioning technology provides comfort and durability in the heel and toe regions, and CompFit® provides ankle stability and protection. Together, these advantages lead to customers that are equipped with a well-branded, high quality, top-end cleat that will propel them toward their athletic goals.

The following statements are additional offerings of significant importance to buyers and customers, outside of the physical product offerings, that are presented by Under Armour and the

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Cam Highlight MCs. Under Armour provides the buyer and customers with sufficient knowledge of the product to understand its benefits, which stimulates sales. Under Armour has a strong brand name and buy-back offerings that decrease the risk of purchasing for buyers and customers. The Cam Highlight MCs supply retailers with an innovative, competitive product that keeps their offerings competitive. Lastly, Under Armour has the ability to deliver custom orders across the nation with extended payment periods, which increases purchasing options and allows buyers to remain a higher cash flow throughout payment periods.

In conclusion, Under Armour believes that the total benefits that it is able to provide, as a company and through its Cam Highlight MC product, would allow it to satisfy the company needs and objectives of the sporting good retailer Sports Authority, as explained in the matrix below. Therefore, Under Armour plans to initiate the selling process between itself and Sports Authority to stimulate the recognition of Sports Authority’s “needs gap” that could be satisfied by Under Armour’s Cam Highlight MCs.

TOTAL MARKET OFFERING – FAB MATRIX

PROSPECT’S NEED OR

BUYING MOTIVE

FEATURE ADVANTAGE BENEFIT

Providing High Quality, Top-End Products

The new Cam Highlight MCs from

Under Armour include an outsole made of Pebax®

plates, cushioning technology, and

form-fitting CompFit® ankle

construction.

Pebax® offers lightweight durability

and traction, cushioning technology provides

comfort and durability in the heel and toe

regions, and CompFit® provides ankle stability

and protection.

Keeping consistent with their company image, Cam Highlight MCs will offer

Sports Authority the ability to equip customers with a

well-branded, high quality, top-end cleat that will

propel them toward their athletic goals.

Understanding the

Technology Inside the Products

Issuing informational

pamphlets and free training sessions in

Aurora, Illinois.

Training pamphlets will educate the Sports

Authority buying center and sales force on Cam Highlight MC’s product benefits. A free training

session at Under Armour’s Aurora,

Illinois outlet center will provide the sales force further selling points

and techniques to improve their sales.

Sports Authority will see the benefits of the modified rebuy, turn knowledge of product benefits into more

efficient selling, and a training session in Aurora

will increase the number of sales made by the sales

force and their self-worth (through the satisfaction of being well equipped and

increasing sales performance).

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A thirty second FAB video to be played in stores on iPads and the online shopping

center.

The thirty-second FAB video on iPads in the

stores and on the online shopping center will

provide customers with engaging and concise

information that shares the product benefits.

Knowledge of product benefits will stimulate need

recognition and could promote Cam Highlight MCs into the customer’s choice set, stimulating in

store and online purchases.

Providing Strong Brand Names and

Offering Buy-Backs

Under Armour is a globally recognized manufacturer and sponsor of NFL

athletes. The Cam Highlight MCs are

inspired and worn by a 2011 NFL first

round pick, Panthers quarterback, Cam

Newton.

Under Armour will provide Sports

Authority with a top named brand and NFL star affiliate that will provide itself and its customers reduced

purchasing risk and an increased self-image

through gearing-up like the pros.

The benefit is that Sports Authority meets its

company objective of holding strong brand names and the low purchasing risk,

high satisfaction being perceived by customers will increase Sports Authority’s sales; thus, increasing its

own satisfaction.

Under Armour owns its own outlet stores

in 109 locations.

Under Armour’s strong outlet presence makes it able and willing to buy-back up to 20% of non-purchased items at up to

80% of the MSRP.

This reduces Sports Authority’s risk of buying

Under Armour’s Cam Highlight MCs and holding

excess inventory.

Keeping Up with

Competition

Sports Authority’s competitors have

bought Cam Highlight MCs.

By selling Cam Highlight MCs to Sports

Authority, Sports Authority will be able to

provide competitive offerings and enhance

its ability to satisfy customer needs.

Customers perceive Sports Authority as an effective retailer. Every sale of the

Cam Highlight MCs will be a sale that Sports Authority would have otherwise loss

to competition and is satisfying the need of a

consumer, again solidifying the top-of-mind awareness

Sports Authority wants.Meet Delivery

Needs to Stores Spread Across Illinois

and Gives Extended Payment Periods

Under Armour provides customer

order sizes in shipments of 10

units (pairs of shoes) and guarantees

shipments will arrive within 24 hours of

the intended

This gives Sports Authority the ability to highly adjust their order size based on demand forecasts, and provides

comfort that their products will be delivered timely.

Sports Authority’s increased purchasing options decrease

the likelihood of excess product, and on time

delivery allows for better planning of inventory

management and in-store advertising. Both may

potentially decrease costs.

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delivery.Under Armour

provides a 90 day extended payment

option.

This decreases Sports Authority’s need to

spend cash now.

Sports Authority can maintain a stronger cash

flow throughout the payment period.

Due to the request for a limit of 5 F-A-B paragraphs, “Meet Delivery Needs to Stores Spread Across Illinois and Gives Extended Payment Periods” need and the buy-backs portion of the “Providing Strong Brand Names and Offering Buy-Backs” need have been eliminated from the FAB paragraphs (the conversation regarding this information was held on 9/17/13, in class, between Mitchell Wehrenberg and Dr. Humphreys).

Need #1: Providing High Quality, Top-End ProductsSports Authority aims to target consumers gunning for top-end, high quality performance

gear and footwear, as well as those looking for more price-sensitive options. The new Cam Highlight MCs from Under Armour are a perfect match for those consumers looking for top-end, unbeatable quality. These shoes include an outsole made of Pebax® plates, cushioning technology in the rearfoot and forefoot regions, and form-fitting CompFit® ankle construction. Translating the advantages of these materials, Pebax® offers lightweight durability and traction, the cushioning technology provides comfort and durability in the heel and toe regions, and CompFit® provides ankle stability and protection. Wearing Cam Highlight MCs means arming oneself with the ability to move faster, with less weight, in any direction with protection and stability built inside and outside of the shoe, carrying oneself and the team safely to victory. Therefore, Cam Highlight MCs will offer Sports Authority the ability to remain consistent with their mission and equip customers with a well-branded, high quality, top-end cleat that will propel them toward their athletic goals.

Need #2: Understanding the Technology Inside the Products Part ISports Authority has built its company mission around helping customers reach their

performance goals. They cannot do this without thorough knowledge of the products they sell and the benefits of those products. With the purchase of Under Armour’s Cam Highlight MCs, Under Armour will provide Sports Authority with training pamphlets and a free training session at Under Armour’s Aurora, Illinois outlet location. The pamphlets are will educate the buying center and sales force on the product benefits of the Cam Highlight MC. Under Armour’s free training session is available to further equip the Sports Authority sales force with additional selling points and techniques that may be exceptionally beneficial to less experienced sales staff. Through the knowledge provided in these pamphlets and the free training session, Sports Authority will be efficiently equipped to understand the advantage of the modified rebuy and share the benefits of the Cam Highlight MCs to their customers. In result, the advantage of the sales forces’ ability to effectively connect the customer’s performance goals with the benefits offered from this product in turn offers Sports Authority the benefit of making them an effective salesperson that achieves the company mission, increase sales, and increases their self-worth through being an effective employee.

Need #3: Understanding the Technology Inside the Products Part II

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Under Armour understands that Sports Authority provides several footwear and football cleat products that they intend to sell, and therefore may want a way for customers to learn about the benefits of the Cam Highlight MC cleat as efficiently as possible so that the sales force may be as effective as possible. Under Armour plans to respond to this need by providing a 30 second F-A-B video that will be played on iPads in the footwear department of Sports Authority’s and will also be playable online in the Sports Authority online retail store. This video will engage, educate and share the benefits of the Cam Highlight MCs with customers at little opportunity cost for them. In result, this video will benefit Sports Authority by helping activate the customer’s need recognition, putting the Cam Highlight MCs into the customer’s choice set, and possibly finishing the consumer’s selection process; therefore, stimulating and increasing the efficiency of sales both in stores and online.

Need #4: Providing Strong Brand NamesPart of Sports Authority’s mission is to hold the top name brands in the performance

industry. The Under Armour brand is a globally recognized manufacturer, sponsoring several professional athletes and teams, including athletes from the NFL. Furthermore, the Cam Highlight MC is inspired and worn by one of the NFL first round picks from 2011, Panther Quarterback Cam Newton. In result, Under Armor’s Cam Highlight MCs provide the well-established Under Armour brand name (that is turning heads with its product innovation, quality, and strong increases in revenue and stock value) in combination with the name of an NFL star athlete that will surely increase the prestige of the product in the mind of customers, and therefore decreases the purchasing risk for Sports Authority and their customers. By holding this top-end product, Sports Authority is not only benefitting from satisfying its company mission and a low risk, highly reputable brand name, but it is also able to share these benefits with its customers in the form of a dependable, secure, and self-rewarding purchase that will result in an increase in sales and reassurance for Sports Authority’s purchase of the Cam Highlight MCs as well.

Need #5: Keeping Up with CompetitionSports Authority is operating in a mature industry; therefore, it is critical to them to

maintain a reputable image that consists of providing customer demanded, competitive product offerings, not only for their social image, but also for their ability to remain competitive against the many alternatives. Under Armour’s Cam Highlight MCs are its newest, high quality, well branded athletic footwear that has already been purchased by Dick’s Sporting Goods, Eastbay, Sports Unleashed, and more. Thus, the advantage of Sports Authority’s buying Cam Highlight MCs is the fact that it will allow them to remain competitive with what alternative retailers have to offer and remain an effective shopping location in the mind of consumers. The benefit is that for each time they sell a pair of Cam Highlight MCs, Sports Authority is gaining a sale that would have otherwise been lost to competitors, who would also be satisfying their customers’ needs. Therefore, by providing this product they remain competitive, increase sales, and sustain a quality social image for being an effective retailer.

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IV. COMPETITIVE SITUATION PROFILE

Competitor Comparison Chart #1: Strengths & Weaknesses

KEY COMPETITORS STRENGTHS WEAKNESSESNike Well-known brand

Large scale marketing efforts

High quality product

Internationally popular

Factory and labor lawsuits

Expanding into markets they aren’t experts in

Sponsored athletes in legal and moral scandals

Adidas Well-known brand Large scale

marketing efforts Dominates soccer

apparel industry Internationally

popular Lower price

Shrinking in popularity Scrutiny because of

labor issues Lower production

quality Low innovation

Competitor #1 – NikeNike is an extremely popular and high quality brand. Its quality is matched by its

marketing efforts across all different types of media and is a tough competitor for Under Armour. However, its weaknesses and lack of innovation that Under Armour has produced in the footwear category make it a less desirable selection. While Nike is internationally popular, it is also known for certain times it has faced heavy scrutiny for its factory conditions overseas. This was a big blow to Nike’s reputation and business as a whole. In addition, Nike is known for sponsoring multiple athletes who have gotten into legal trouble or received scrutiny for sexual scandals. These seemingly small black marks on Nike’s reputation have lost them market share in some cases. Under Armour offers sponsored athlete Cam Newton who is an overall positive role model and featured athlete for the cleats Under Armour is selling. Under Armour is also highly known for their innovation. This innovation is highly present in the Cam Newton cleats which feature a high-boot ankle shape. This innovation, coupled with Under Armour’s matching quality, makes it a stronger company to purchase athletic footwear from.

Competitor #2 – Adidas

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Adidas is also a very popular brand with a quality product. Adidas is well-known and possesses a matching large scale marketing campaign. While it is still a popular brand, Adidas is slowly shrinking in popularity due to the increasing popularity of Nike and Under Armour and its slightly lower quality. Adidas is also known for dominating the soccer apparel industry. The reason that this is a major strength for the company overall is that soccer is such a popular sport around the world and this increases its market share drastically. However, this extreme focus on soccer causes Adidas to lower its focus on other sports, leaving them out of the consumer’s choice set for such sports as football, which Under Armour is becoming dominant in. Adidas also outsources almost all of its production around the world, which some believe lowers the production quality and encourages scrutiny of the brand. Adidas also stuck with many of the same general styles of earlier products. Under Armour’s high quality and high focus on the category of football, in addition to its constant innovation and boldly different products, makes it the better choice in this field.

Multi-attribute Competitor Comparison

FEATURE UNDER ARMOUR NIKE ADIDASImp Perf I*P Imp Perf I*P Imp Perf I*P

Quality 10 10 100 10 10 100 10 8 80Logistics 6 9 54 6 8 48 6 7 42Apparel Features

10 10 100 10 8 80 10 7 70

Cost 5 7 35 5 8 40 5 9 45Branding 10 10 100 10 10 100 10 7 70Company Structure

4 7 28 4 7 28 4 6 24

Sales Service 9 9 81 9 8 72 9 7 63Total Score 498 468 394

V. ADAPT Sequence

Need #1: Providing High Quality, Top-End Products

Assessment Question: Tell me about some of your suppliers and the qualities and features they posses?

Discovery Question: What are some of the positive and negative aspects of doing business with these suppliers?

Activation Question: In reference to your business, what are some of the effects caused by the negative aspects of doing business with your suppliers?

Projection Question: If you were able to elude these implications, what would it mean for your business?

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Transition Question: Therefore, we agree that if you were able to avoid the negative aspects you are currently experiencing with suppliers, it would result in increasing sales while decreasing excess inventory?

Need #2: Understanding the Technology Inside the Products Part I

Assessment Question: Share with me how thorough your current suppliers are in terms of sharing knowledge about products with your company and its sales force?

Discovery Question: How satisfied are you with this level of information sharing?

Activation Question: In what way has insufficient information and understanding of the suppliers’ product affected your company and its sales staff?

Projection Question: What would reaching a sufficient level of information and knowledge of the supplier’s product mean for your company and its sales staff?

Transition Question: Do we agree that properly educating your company about a supplier’s product would increase the sales staff’s ability to effectively communicate the benefit of the product to consumers and drive an increase in sales?

Need #3: Understanding the Technology Inside the Products Part II

Assessment Question: Share with me how thorough your current suppliers are in regards to displaying product benefits directly to your customers?

Discovery Question: How satisfied are you with this level of information sharing?

Activation Question: In what way has insufficient demonstration of product benefits to consumers affected your sales or customer satisfaction?

Projection Question: What would improving information sharing and demonstration of product benefits to your consumers mean for your sales and product interest?

Transition Question: Do we agree that providing customers with better knowledge of the product benefits would increase customer awareness, interest, and your overall sales?

Need # 4: Providing Strong Brand Names

Assessment Question: Share with me the impression your customers seem to have regarding your current suppliers?

Discovery Question: How satisfied are you with the level of quality, security, and reward perceived by your customers, in regards to your current suppliers’ products?

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Activation Question: In what way has negative or insufficient brand or product recognition affected your sales or customer interest?

Projection Question: What would a prestigious and professionally endorsed brand name mean for your sales and product interest?

Transition Question: Do we agree that carrying a brand with prestige in the sports industry as well as a product endorsed by a popular and respected professional NFL player would increase customer awareness and interest, as well as sales?

Need #5: Keeping Up with Competition

Assessment Question: Share with me the degree of competitive advantage you gain by carrying the latest products from your suppliers?

Discovery Question: How satisfied are you with selection of football cleats you are currently providing, in terms of remaining competitive?

Activation Question: In what way would neglecting to carry the newest products manufactured by your suppliers, as well as carried by your competitors, affect your competitive advantage and sales?

Projection Question: What would carrying the newest, innovative, and well-endorsed product mean for your business and sales?

Transition Question: Do we agree that carrying the newest and most innovative product, possibly already carried by your primary competitors, would be imperative to remaining competitive and continuing your success?

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Cramer, Jim. "Cramer’s Performance Test: Under Armour vs Nike." Mad Money with Jim Cramer. Ed. Lee Brody. CNBC, 30 July 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. <http://www.cnbc.com/id/100925505>.

"Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. Names of Competitors." Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. Names of Competitors. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.

Gelsi, Steve. "Under Armour's IPO Doubles: First U.S. Stock to Rise 100% in Trading Debut in Five Years." Market Watch. The Wall Street Journal, 2005. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. <http://www.marketwatch.com/story/under-armour-up-100-in-biggest-us-open-since-2000>.

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"MEN'S FOOTWEAR." Under Armour®. Under Armour, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.

"NAICS Code Description: 451110 Sporting Goods Stores." NAICS Association. N.p., 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. <http://www.naics.com/free-code-search/naicsdescription.php?code=451110>.

"Sporting Goods Stores in the US: Market Research Report." IBISWorld. N.p., Aug. 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. <http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/default.aspx?indid=1079>.

"Under Armour To Sponsor NFL Combine." CNBC.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.

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