PRDV217: Introduction to Sales

Read this text for an overview of differing types of selling. It highlights transactional and relational sales with various shades of selling in between. Pay attention to the defining characteristics of each kind of selling.

Read this text on how sales can occur and the features that shape particular environments. It explains where, when, and how each different type of selling is conducted.

Watch this video on inside (online) and outside (personal) sales. Compare the different approaches each sales type requires.

Listen to this brief conversation that reviews inside and outside sales and explores some variations in how inside sales work. It provides a good discussion on the contours of this approach.

Read this examination of the sales professional role and the skill set it requires. The narrative paints a clear picture of what you can expect from a sales professional.

Read this chapter, which explains the importance of relationship development in sales. It introduces skills that are part of the sales environment. We will return to this discussion throughout the course and build on strategies you can use to develop these skills.

Read this chapter, which reviews the skills successful sales professionals must develop. Can you summarize these characteristics? What are your current strengths? Which skills do you need to work on or develop?

This article offers a broad overview of sales ethics and will help frame the rest of this unit.

Think about the skills and practices you must employ to be an ethical and effective communicator. This article outlines our professional responsibilities.

This article offers guidance on ensuring you do not mislead your audience. It touches on the importance of honest communication and the long-term consequences of violating your audience's trust.

Listen to this conversation on the elements of ethical behavior in sales. How can you adopt these ideas in your practice?

Read this chapter on ethics in the sales field. It will help frame some key issues to consider when thinking about ethics.

This video on intellectual honesty explores aspects of communicating ethically as a leader. As you watch, consider how practicing intellectual honesty can positively impact your sales team and how you develop relationships with your customers.

When you think about sales as developing and maintaining relationships, the ethical demands on your practices are at a premium. Read this journal article on the connections between ethical sales behavior, relationships, and customer loyalty. Ethics in the sales profession is essential to long-term success.

Watch this video which frames the customer relationship management process. It explains how ethical relationship management ultimately creates a positive feedback loop between you and your customers.

Read this brief text, which expands on the notion of a sales territory. Think about how we define a sales territory, such as where you live, to sell a familiar product or service.

This text offers a wealth of resources and ideas for finding and connecting with customers. Which strategies seem most valuable?

Inside sales uses digital technology to connect with customers. Watch this video on how to approach sales in the digital world.

Watch this video, which offers ways to define your territory by finding gaps in the market. It presents a practical approach to finding clients.

Let's take a moment and learn more about your prospects, their needs, purchasing drivers, and expectations. Read this buyer's guide to learn what your customers may be looking for.

As you read this chapter on audience analysis, consider how this approach helps you build a professional sales relationship. How will you tailor your sales pitch or presentation to different sales prospects or clients? What questions will you ask? What research should you conduct to identify the most important characteristics of your audience? How will you get the answers you seek?

Watch this video on the power of listening. It offers clear, specific ideas for becoming a better active listener.

Read this text on how we listen to understand. It offers practical advice on how to listen to your clients.

This talk explores some of the critical aspects of relationship management in business.

Relationship building is an investment sales professionals make to increase sales. This article explains why developing relationships is essential. It offers ideas for how to begin the process.

Listen to this conversation on a specific channel you can co-opt to build relationships. For example, how can you use LinkedIn to create opportunities? How does this process translate to other channels?

As you read this section, consider how to incorporate persuasive strategies in a sales situation. This article lists specific strategies for connecting with and motivating your audience to take the steps you want them to take.

Watch this video for a powerful strategy for building on the goodwill you have established with your customer base.

Watch this video for another approach to persuading your audience. It explores the difference between selling features and selling benefits.

As you watch this video, point to how these ten strategies summarize what we have discussed in this course. How can you create your persuasive strategy?

Read this chapter to explore how to create a persuasive presentation. Think about how you can compile the strategies we discussed in the first section of this unit.

Read this chapter on preparing a sales presentation. The author details such as appearance, room setup, and materials. Pay attention to the SPIN technique, which will be helpful later in the course. We will also revisit the concept of a problem-solving approach.

Once you have planned your general presentation, you need to sort out the details. This chapter introduces the four Ps of presentation development, a valuable concept for sales and other types of presentations.

Finally, you must have the appropriate presentation aids and supporting materials. Watch this video, which offers additional guidance on creating a professional presentation aid.

This video explores common errors in developing a slideshow. Think about designing a slideshow that will impact your audience in the way you hope.

Read this chapter on how to deliver your presentation. It presents strategies for presenting more persuasively so you have an impact on your audience.

Watch this video on delivering your message. How can you incorporate these tips as you develop your presentations?

Listen to this conversation to identify how you deliver your message through nonverbal channels. In other words, consider what you may convey to your audience via your body language, tone of voice, volume, pauses, or facial expressions. The way you talk, in addition to your words, also sends a message.

Watch this video on how to respond to a client who has objections or slows down the sales process.

Watch this video for four strategies for responding to questions and managing objections.

Finally, watch this video on what you should keep in mind to ensure a productive question-and-answer session as you make your pitch.

Read this chapter, which offers several narratives and illustrations on how to close a sale. What is your best approach? What will work best for you and your prospective client?

Watch this video for practical advice on getting to the closing and ways to close the deal. How can you put these strategies into practice?

Before we jump in, read this summary of some dynamics at work in any sales team.

Watch this video on how to develop practices that build good professional relationships. Consider the impact of building and maintaining good and positive relationships with your work colleagues.

Watch this video on a more successful approach for talking with your colleagues. Think of ways to practice these skills with your teammates and customers. Concise communication can make you a good leader.

Watch this video, which builds on the concept of being concise in your communication practices. Clarity is a second component that will help you develop a robust set of skills for working with your teammates. Practicing clear communication can help you converse with your customers in addition to your coworkers.

Listen to this conversation on how you can lead from your position on the team. The speakers suggest a powerful way you can contribute to your work environment.

How can we manage conflict in the professional environment to develop a positive climate? Read this text, which presents communication tools to use when we confront differences of opinion.

What considerations should we make when we face conflict in the workplace? This text explains how viewing alternatives to the methods we typically employ to resolve conflict can be instructive.

Watch this presentation on the potential conflict unlocks in our relationships when we learn how to manage disagreement. Canfield describes his VOCAB method for approaching conflict, which involves vulnerability, ownership, communication, acceptance, and boundaries.

Read this text, which explains the problem-solving process to help manage the challenges you and your team face. This approach to conflict resolution can be a game-changer!

Watch this video on how to adopt a problem-solving approach. This approach is one of many options, but the key here is that we become solution-minded.

Watch this video on the SPACE problem-solving tool. The steps include building a stage to contain and display the problem, populating the stage with accurate, relevant data and information, arranging your data according to what you can control (your "what is state"), choosing actions you can perform to alleviate the problem (your "could be" state), and executing or committing to a plan. The most valuable part of this technique is making problems and issues visible to create a collaborative work environment built on problem-solving and teamwork.

Let's talk about how to create a successful sales team. How can you identify the individuals who will work best on your team? While we often lack the authority to choose our team members, when we do, knowing how to choose the right people is critical.

Read this text on how hiring managers recruit sales professionals. How would you approach this process?

Watch this video on how to build a powerful team to help achieve your sales goals.

This short article outlines how to recruit salespeople you want on your team using attractive and fair compensation models.

This blog post asks essential questions about sales professional compensation with commissions and salaries.

Read this short text, which explains how to develop basic training practices.

There are several approaches to the evaluation process. You may employ a more traditional evaluation model or adopt a method that looks at what it means to coach your team. As you work through the material in this section, pay attention to the different options. What do they require of you as a leader? What are the potential costs and benefits of each style?

Listen to this conversation on coaching and some key ideas that emanate from a coaching perspective.

When evaluating others, think about how you will share your positive and negative assessments with them and how they will react to your feedback. This article focuses on giving and receiving criticism. It offers some dos and don'ts and things to consider when preparing for a feedback session.

Finally, let's talk about motivating your team. As you train your employees, coach them, provide feedback, and evaluate their performance, remember that, at their core, these activities can motivate or deflate your sales personnel.
A driven, motivated, imaginative sales team will do wonders. However, a defeated, uninspired team will not get you where you want to be. They may destroy your team's morale or cause members to leave altogether. Motivating others is a critical skill for anyone managing a team.

Listen to this conversation to explore ways to become a more motivational leader.

Let's begin by exploring teamwork and the basics of leadership. This article offers a solid introduction to this aspect of professional life.

Watch this video, which helps you ask the right questions about the type of leader you want to be.

Watch this presentation on how good leaders inspire their coworkers. How do these leaders work? Remember the advice we have studied throughout this course, such as the importance of ethical leadership, communicating clearly with your team and customers, building relationships, and adopting a problem-solving approach. Your colleagues are watching and eager to be inspired.