This unit introduces students to the discipline of sales management for the 21st century. Changing dynamics between buyers and sellers, driven by the fast-paced evolution of e-commerce and globalisation, has led organisations to review and adapt their sales management approach in response to a customer driven culture.
This unit gives a comprehensive overview of sales management and equips students with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed in today’s increasingly complex and fast-paced sales environment.
By the end of this unit a student will be able to:
1 Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of sales management.
2 Evaluate the relative merits of how sales structures are organised, and
recognise the importance of ’selling through others’.
3 Analyse and apply principles of successful selling.
4 Demonstrate an understanding of the finance of selling.
Definition of sales management and the key aspects of sales management, including planning, selling and reporting.
Strategies for measuring and monitoring, including the sales funnel and hit rate metric.
Different modes of selling (B2B and B2C) and their impact upon buyer and seller roles and dynamics.
Consumer buying behaviour process.
Business buying behaviour process.
Sales promotions and incentives.
The impact of new technology on the sales management environment: the use of Skype, video conferencing on tablet devices for improved communication; online events and sales training to improve sales skills and productivity and cloud computing to improve information access.
Ethics of behaviour, law and sales leadership.
Designing and organising the sales force and choosing the right structure: geography, product and customer-based design.
Appropriate recruitment and training to develop an efficient sales force.
Supervising, managing and leading the sales force.
Goal setting, managing performance and reward of the sales force ‘Selling through others’ the advantages of using different sales channels.
LO3 Analyse and apply principles of successful sellingClassification of sales leads: hot, warm and cold.
The cold vs warm approach.
Successful pitching and positioning.
Negotiation techniques and tactics: closing sale, handling objections, when to say ‘no’, ethics of behaviour and overpromising.
Building and managing relationships.
Exit and terminating relationships.
LO4 Demonstrate an understanding of the finance of sellingCalculating margins.
Payment mechanisms and terms.
The sales cycle.
Industry specific sales cycle management.
Overall, performance management.
| LO1 Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of sales management | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| P1 Explain the key principles of sales management in relation to the importance of sales planning, methods of selling and sale reporting. | M1 Evaluate how principles of sales management will be different in response to consumer and business buying behaviour. | D1 (LO1, 2 & 3) Produce a coherent, fully justified critical evaluation based upon a comprehensive understanding of sales management, structure and selling techniques within an organisational context. |
| LO2 Evaluate the relative merits of how sales structures are organised, and recognise the importance of ’selling through others’ | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| P2 Evaluate the benefits
of sales structures and
how they are organised
using specific
organisational examples. P3 Explain the importance and the advantages of the concept of ‘selling through’ others. |
M2 Critically evaluate the implementation of different types of sales structures using specific organisational examples (e.g. geographic, marketing, product sales). | D1 (LO1, 2 & 3) Produce a coherent, fully justified critical evaluation based upon a comprehensive understanding of sales management, structure and selling techniques within an organisational context. |
| LO3 Analyse and apply principles of successful selling | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| P4 Analyse the key principles and techniques for successful selling and how they contribute to building and managing customer relationships in application to specific organisational examples. | M3 Critically analyse the application of successful selling principles and techniques in application to specific organisational examples. | D1 (LO1, 2 & 3) Produce a coherent, fully justified critical evaluation based upon a comprehensive understanding of sales management, structure and selling techniques within an organisational context. |
| LO4 Demonstrate an understanding of the finance of selling | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| P5 Explain the importance of developing sales strategies that yield highest profitability and incorporating account management within sales structures. | M4 Evaluate how core finance principles and successful portfolio management can lead to increased profitability and a competitive edge. | D2 Critically evaluate and make recommendations on how sales structures and approaches can improve financial viability. ( |
HAIR, J., ANDERSON, R., MEHTA, R. and BABIN, B. (2008) Sales Management: Building Customer Relationships and Partnerships. 1st Ed. Cengage Learning.
JOBBER, D. and LANCASTER, G. (2015) Selling and Sales Management. Harlow: Pearson
TANNER, J., HONEYCUTT, E. and ERFFMEYER, R. (2013) Sales Management. Harlow: Pearson.
WEINBERG, M. (2015) Sales Management. Simplified: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales. New York: Amacom.
This unit links to the following related units:
Unit 5: Management Accounting
Unit 24: Digital Marketing
Unit 37: Consumer Behaviour and Insight
Unit 44: Pitching and Negotiation Skills