Module Specifications..
Current Academic Year 2023 - 2024
Please note that this information is subject to change.
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Description This course is designed to give students an introduction to the principles and practices of sales strategy and management, and the role of personal sales within the marketing discipline. Students will gain an insight into the personal selling process and key aspects of sales management, including the selection, motivation and training of sales personnel. Special attention will be paid to key account management and personal selling skills. This course is designed to provide students with a deeper understanding of the principles and skills required to develop and maintain excellent customer relationships and create satisfied customers and staff. The module focuses on managing the customer lifecycle with a particular emphasis on customer acquisition through the sales function. It also aims to allow students to understand role of technology in effective customer relationship management (CRM), and the significance of CRM in strategic, operational and analytical sales contexts. This course will adopt a customer-centric and customer relationship perspective and cover the sales journey from the initial stage of prospecting, to sales acquisition and customer retention and management. How these factors impact on sales strategy and planning to ensure company profitability and long-term success will also be covered in the course. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Learning Outcomes 1. Identify, and reflect on, key concepts in Personal Selling and Sales Strategies 2. Collaborate in a group to design and develop a Sales Strategy Plan for an organisation that focuses on the personal selling process and sales management in the context of an organisation’s marketing and corporate strategies. 3. Evaluate the role of sales management in co-ordinating the interactive, value-generating activities of the organisation 4. Compare and contrast customer behaviour in consumer, services and business-to-business markets and indicate how different types of buyers and situations impact on personal sales tactics and techniques when planning Sales Strategy 5. Discuss sales strategy and management in the context of the customer lifecycle: customer acquisition, customer retention and development of customer relationships and how this impacts on sales planning 6. Demonstrate the importance of Ethics in Professional Selling and Sales Strategies. 7. Evaluate CRM from strategic, operational and analytical perspectives and indicate what aspects should be included in a Sales Strategy Plan. 8. Identify and evaluate key transversal and transferrable skills, of practical relevance to work, management, and market research, that were developed during the conduct of a market research project and through the development of e-portfolio reflections on learning. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml |
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Indicative Content and Learning Activities
Introduction to Sales StrategiesOverview of key components and building blocks in Contemporary Sales Model: Sales processes including: creating value and building customer relationships; sales ethics, technology, and understanding buyers and sellers; personal selling processes: self-management, prospecting and sales-call planning, negotiating, closing and follow-up; sales management: recruiting, selecting and training salespeople, managing performance, compensating and evaluating salespeople.Value creation in buyer-seller relationships; introduction to customer relationship management (CRM)Customer Value as a core focus in modern selling; Clarifying the concept of value; Using value frameworks; value proposition development and communicationSales strategy and planningComponents of a sales strategy and what to include in a plan, impact of corporate strategy on sales planning, importance of insight generation in sales planning process, growth strategies, sales targets and tacticsUnderstanding seller and buyer behaviourCustomer behaviour in consumer, services and business-to-business markets; B2B and B2C. Tools and techniques to aid understanding of key buyer segments and contexts.Managing the customer lifecycleCustomer acquisition, retention and development strategies; Understanding loyalty and customer loyalty programmesCustomer Relationship Management (CRM)Customer relationship management philosophy, definitions and concepts; Benefits, costs and implications of long-term customer relationships; developing the CRM strategy; Strategic CRM: customer portfolio management, customer experience management; Salesforce, marketing and service automation; developing and managing customer-related databases; using customer related data; ethical issues in sales and CRM data collection and usageSales managementMain sales management tasks of salesperson selection, recruitment, motivation, training and evaluation; pay and remuneration of sales teamThe personal selling processKey stages, tools and techniques in the personal selling process; Utilising social selling; Understanding the ethical issues associated with personal sellingManaging customer relationshipsKey account management, understanding decision-making unit (DMU), overview of customer experience management | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Indicative Reading List
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Other Resources None | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Programme or List of Programmes
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