Curricula

Objectives

This course is targeted to participants who aim to become great sales professionals. The course will be both academically strong and real-life oriented. The delivery will consist of a set of tools that are conceptually solid and extremely practical.

You will first learn to map the responsibility allocation and collaboration between sales-marketing functions in a company, to ensure a smooth and productive cooperation. After that, the course will provide a set of pre-sales tools to diagnose the target customers and design a sales process most effectively.

The core of the course will consist of mastering the whole sales process from beginning to end. You will be guided during the whole sales process. First, you will learn to open up customer relationships, in a way that curiosity is triggered, and customers are attracted to further interactions. After that, you will understand the different alternatives to design sales interactions/presentations, strengthened by the persuasion elements that should be added for maximum impact. We live in an information overload society, and the product message should be of high quality, standing above the "excessive media noise", and be remembered.
This course will develop top-skill strengths in the three key "sales challenging elements" required to succeed in the "sales marathon" until the end: effective negotiations, customer objections, and sales closing tools. You will receive a complete set of well-defined negotiation difficulties and real-life tested actions, customer objections with professionally practical resolutions, plus a full "hands-on" set of sales closes to guarantee that the deal is completed.
The course will end with a visual and intuitive selection of metrics to evaluate overall the sales performance and to map its profitability for the professional and the company.

The course aims to develop the following competencies:
Responsible international business management: You develop your intellectual capabilities to seek conclusions and draw inferences in an international environment to become a responsible salesperson. You develop creative and insightful solutions to complex business problems both in the present and the future, emphasising local and international standards of ethics, responsibility, and sustainability and implications for various stakeholders.
To achieve this competence, you will:
- Carefully work with your team members and review their points of view on assessing the market condition
- Propose the individual decision and then review it with the team members
- Act as a responsible team member
- Carefully study the target market cultures and design a sales campaign accordingly


Proactive development: You develop solutions in the light of current as well as anticipated situations and challenges in business by applying knowledge, critical reasoning and analytical skills. You ensure that these solutions are feasible, relevant, creative, user-friendly, and sustainable and underline active cooperation amongst different actors.
To achieve this competence, you will:
- Carefully review the target market
- Develop your reports by arguing on the decision and pausable outcomes
- Gather the primary and secondary data to support your findings
- Gather notes and insights for group assignments and presentations in class and during workshops

Internationality and multiculturalism: You work in multicultural and international environments and networks to develop knowledge and communication skills as well as develop empathy and appreciation for other cultures. You communicate responsibly and effectively in English through written, verbal, non-verbal and digital formats individually as well as as a team member in diverse settings
To achieve this competence, you will:
- Understand your team members' skills and utilize their competencies accordingly
- Share the responsibility
- Communicate and take the lead in the project

Content

All the lecture sessions have been designed in a very dynamic and lively format so that participants will receive not just a set of great tools, but a very "immersive" experience of the sales atmosphere with its intensity and focus.
Sales are needed at many stages in everyone's career. Professionals are continuously selling: not just products, but convincing colleagues about ideas/improvements, selling solutions when real problems appear, selling themselves for a promotion or a new job, and many other situations. The tools and experiences learned in this course will be priceless for many critical career situations.
- Sales vs. Marketing: main differences, responsibilities design, models of sales-marketing relationships in companies
- Sales Cycle Models: Sales Funnel Mapping Tool, Target Segment-Leads-Prospects-First Customer evolution follow-up
- Pre-Sales Process: Prospect selection, Customer sales-related decision roles, Matching customer decision processes and sales processes
- Early Sales Process Stages: Relationship opening, Effective Sales Presentation design types/delivery/persuasion tools
- Mid-Sales Process Stages: Practical sales negotiations, full set of sales objections types, objection resolution strategies
- Final Sales Process Stages: Effective sales closing types, post-sales management
- Sales Profitability Assessment: Sales cost/profit metrics, sales success evaluation

Time and location

100% on campus contact course.
1 x 90 minute lecture per week

Learning materials and recommended literature

Jobber, D., Lancaster, G., Le Meunier-Fitzhugh K., 2019. Selling and Sales Management, Pearson. Cates, M., 2015. 7 Steps to Success for Sales Managers. Boger. Johnston, M., Marshall, G., 2013. Sales Force Management, Routledge. Tanner, J., Honeycutt, E., Erffmeyer, R., 2014. Sales Management; Shaping Future Sales Leaders, Pearson.

Teaching methods

Flipped learning: The course is divided into learning tracks/themes. Each track contains the following steps supporting students learning process.
1. Expertise lecture relating to each track/theme
2. Additional study/support material relating to the track/theme
3. Individual assignments
4. Group work and presentations
5. Business life visitor/s (to be confirmed)

The support during the course will be available in the following way:
1. Introduction to each track/theme
2. Support and feedback for group work and individual assignments
3. Peer reviews of the group work

Practical training and working life connections

Various kinds of introductions to working life, international and national visiting lecturers.

Exam dates and retake possibilities

Exam will be held on the last lesson. Exam is based on the lectures and the course book for the exam is Jobber, D., Lancaster, G., Le Meunier-Fitzhugh K., 2019. Selling and Sales Management, Pearson. Tenth edition (2015) is also applicable for the exam. (better availability)

Alternative completion methods

You have the right to apply for recognition of your studies if you have prior learning (e.g. university studies completed elsewhere) that can be accredit-ed towards the degree you are currently completing.

The recognition of prior learning is possible in three primary ways: accreditation (replacement or inclusion), recognition of informal learning and studification. More precise info: JAMK Degree Regulations, section 17.

Student workload

Lectures 35 hours (incl. exam, excl. holidays)

Group work 50 hours and independent study 50 hours

Further information for students

Written Final exam; (50%=50p), group presentation (25%=25p) and individual/group assignments (25%=25p). Group presentation will be out of 25 points, individual/group assignments have to be all completed (they will be graded as "fail/passed") and grading for the written final exam is 10 points per question with a maximum of 50 points.

Evaluation scale

0-5

Evaluation criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

Satisfactory (2) Responsible international business management: You demonstrate acceptable conceptual knowledge. The central course frameworks have been generally understood. You demonstrate the sufficient command of the Global Sales Management field.
Proactive development: You are able to interpret sales management issues at a superficial level. You possess limited analytical skills, assessing uncomplicated challenges, and incorporating limited perspectives. You review relevant academic literature satisfactorily.
Internationality and multiculturalism: You are able to get their main message through when presenting their and their team’s ideas and findings in English. You show some skill in participating productively in inter- and multicultural settings and teamwork. 

Sufficient (1) Responsible international business management: You demonstrate basic conceptual knowledge. The fundamental course frameworks have been generally understood. You demonstrate a passable command of the essential aspects of the Global Sales Management field.

Proactive development: You are able to interpret sales management issues somewhat and address rudimentary challenges. You are able to support his/her argumentation using academic literature at a basic level.

Internationality and multiculturalism: You are able to transmit to a limited extent their and their team’s ideas and findings in English.  You show some but low-level skills in participating in inter- and multicultural settings and teamwork.

Evaluation criteria, good (3-4)

Very good (4) Responsible international business management: You demonstrate substantial conceptual knowledge. The central course frameworks have been understood thoroughly. You display a high command of the Global Sales Management field.

Proactive development: You are able to interpret and analyse with considerable depth sales management issues and challenges arising from multiple perspectives. You review skillfully relevant academic literature.

Internationality and multiculturalism: You are able to create and present their and their team’s ideas and findings in English. You know how to contribute in a productive way in inter- and multicultural settings and teamwork.

Good (3) Responsible international business management: You demonstrate fairly good conceptual knowledge. The central course frameworks have been considerably well understood. You display a reasonable command of the Global Sales Management field.

Proactive development: You are able to interpret and analyse properly sales management issues and challenges arising from several perspectives. You review relevant academic literature moderately well.

Internationality and multiculturalism: You can work and communicate their and their team’s ideas and findings professionally in English. You show self-critical skills in participating productively in inter- and multicultural settings and demonstrate teamwork skills. 

Evaluation criteria, excellent (5)

Excellent (5) Responsible international business management: You demonstrate solid conceptual knowledge in the area. The central course frameworks have been understood with great clarity and precision.

Proactive development: You are able to interpret and analyse in-depth sales management-related issues and challenges arising from multiple perspectives. You review relevant academic literature with excellence. You display a very high command of the Global Sales Management field.

Internationality and multiculturalism: You can present their and their team’s ideas in a convincing manner in English. You have assessed thoroughly their contribution in inter- and multicultural settings and possesses teamwork skills. 

Prerequisites

First Year Studies or Basic business studies.