POST GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN MANAGEMENT

COURSE OUTLINE

TITLE OF THE COURSE: Advanced Selling Skills and Sales Management (ASSAM)
CREDITS: 4 No. of Section: 2

Name of the Instructor/s Faculty Block/ Email Telephone

Room No. Number
Dilip Kulkarni dillep.kulkarni@gmail.com +91 77198 22922,
+91 94223 00384

Course Pre-requisite (if any): Nil

Remarks for Participants (if any): Nil
Resource details to be purchased (Text Book/Software/License/Simulation/Resource):
S. No. Resource name Author & Publisher/Party/ Service Units required
provider/ Agency
1 The Art of Selling Zig Ziglar 1
2 The 7 triggers to Yes Russel H. Granger 1
3 To Sell Is Human Daniel H Pink 1

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Advanced Selling Skills and Sales Management (ASSSM) will enable the student with
conceptual and practical understanding of the critical skills and selling process to transform
themselves into confident, competent and contributing executives regardless of roles they
take up. This course will empower the student to accelerate in their careers leading to CXO
roles. A sales career needs clarity of thought, strong attitude, par-excellence people skills,
street-smartness, quick decision making and an unflappable personality…all qualities of a
leader. Selling is thus a critical profession that depends hugely on individual brilliance and
where knowledge, attitude and skills play a key role in success.

Selling is a unique combination of boldness and humility. This course will take you through the
fine balance between these two traits and enable you to become magnetic to those around
you in all spheres of life.

The course will be led by a former practitioner, with deliberate bias on skills and concepts
rather than theoretical knowledge.

Selling is a life skill. The course is designed as an adventure of discovery. You will be tested,
challenged, trained and transformed through a series of lectures, discussions and exercises
that would put you out of your comfort zone. The course will combine the following elements
to create a powerful learning experience for you.

• Presentations & Role plays: To practically monitor the concepts and skills taught are
actually executed.
• Discussions: Based on readings, audio & visual clips, cases etc. that would instigate the
students for meaningful conversations.
• Assignments: To check periodically, to ascertain the concepts about skills are properly
comprehended by participants.

Important Guidelines

1. This course is heavily loaded with skills and by definition, the only mantra to internalize skills is
‘practice, practice and practice’ The utility of the course to the participant will depend largely on
the ability of the participant to invest considerable amount of time on presentation/role plays
outside the 20 session course. Apart from the knowledge imparted during the course, investing
time on training material, powerful audio and video clips provided make the participant realize
the significance of these skills that can help him to excel in any field. It is expected that
participants will have read the specified material prior to each session.

2. Regularity in attending the sessions, preparing for the sessions before the class and active
participation in the learning experience are vital. The continuity of learning will be lost if the
attendance is erratic. While the institute’s attendance norms will apply, the instructors expect
100% attendance except for exigencies beyond the participant’s control, and in such cases, the
participants will take prior permission from the instructor in writing.

3. The course requires individual efforts as well as team efforts. The teams will be asked to make
presentations on various topics to practically demonstrate how the conceptual knowledge is put
into action. Grades will be decided on individual performance of the student in the group.

4. This is a demanding course and only participants who have passion to excel their selling skills
are advised to take this course.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1) Develop concepts and frameworks that define and clarify the knowledge, skills and discipline to
excel in selling
2) Provide a platform for take-off to a higher level of efficiency and effectiveness though the most
advanced selling skills starting from fundamentals
3) Gain a first-hand understanding of how to manage self, customers and all the people whom we
interact within and between firms/teams.

PEDAGOGY/TEACHING METHOD:

The faculty will use Active Learning Methodology (ALM) and Presentations/Role Plays in the
course delivery as primary training tools.

PRE-REQUISITE FOR COURSE, IF ANY: NONE

 EVALUATION

Individual Component Group Component Weightage

Individual Presentation Nil 10%

Sales role play 50% 10%

Quiz Nil 10%

Group Presentation/ role play 50% 10%

Individual Reflection Paper Nil 20%

End Term Exam Nil 40%

Total 100%

Individual Presentation on Skills: on any one of the skills, though they will have to be prepared
on all the skills being addressed in the course outline - Listening skills, Questioning Technique,
Communication skills, Selling process, Body language & presentation skills, Objection handling &
Negotiation.

At least one complete session is dedicated to cover the nuances of developing each of the skills.
On any given day, faculty will select a few students impromptu to present. This will be followed by
series of role plays in which the group will demonstrate how the concepts are put into practice.
Post presentation/role plays, the session will continue with in-depth discussions on the topic,
further augmented by video/audio clips etc. The total weight for this component including
both presentations will be 10% of the total weight of the course.

Sales role play: A team of two students (preferably from the same section) will pick up a product/
service and enact a role play. This will be a submission by email. In the team each of the member
will participate as a ‘seller’, alternatively. The recorded audiovisual effort be submitted to the
email or uploaded on the g-drive identified. There can be two files, one for each of the ‘seller’
role. The total weight for this component will be 10% of the total weight of the course.

Group Presentation / Role Play: The class will be divided into groups each consisting of 4/5
students. Each group will work on the product / service selected from the list provided and give a
presentation/role play. Influence & persuasion being a key leadership trait apart from a mandatory
selling skill, each group will have to make an effort to highlight the same through the presentation
/ role play. The weight for the component will be 10% of the total weight of the course.

Quiz: An important component of the evaluation is quiz. This essentially consists of short
questions, which will require brief answers. The questions will be drawn from the chapters of the
prescribed textbook, various concepts discussed in the class and the articles in the course pack.
The quiz seeks to assess each participant’s learning and mastery of important concepts covered
in the course. Duration of the quiz may be about 30 minutes and will be conducted during the
session times. The quiz will be pre-announced . The weight for the component will be 10% of
the total weight of the course.

Individual Reflection Paper: This is one of the MOST important components of evaluation
Students are expected to submit their reflections and action plans they derived from the course.
Deadline: Under normal conditions, 7 days from the last session of the course. In a situation
where the grading deadlines stipulated by the institute do not permit the instructor exercise this
guideline, instructor will communicate revised deadline to the students well in advance.
Reflection paper has to be submitted in a soft copy (format MS Word or pdf) format to
dillep.kulkarni@gmail.com No extension of time will be entertained at any cost.. The document
should contain 3000-4000 words. At minimum the document should cover the following sub-
topics, with suitable examples.
a) Key Concepts learned in the course and their application in selling
b) Individual action plan to put into practice skills taught in the class with timelines
c) What appealed to me & not appealed to me, in the course, why?

The weight for the component will be 10% of the total weight of the course

End term exam: The questions will be drawn from the chapters of the prescribed textbooks,
various concepts discussed in the class and the articles in the course pack, as well as all other
material discussed in the course. The end term exam seeks to assess each participant’s learning
and mastery of important concepts covered in the course. . The weight for the component will
be 10% of the total weight of the course
SCHEDULE OF SESSIONS

Module I : Building a strong Sales Attitude

Module Objective: Journey of Sales excellence begins with customer-centric paradigm,

proactive behavior and principle-centered approach. The objective of this module is to build a
strong foundation of these aspects
Session 1 Overview of the course

Objective: To provide an overview of the course and impart fundamentals of selling

process. Role of selling in the context of an organization – survival and
growth.
Reading:
Portrait of the CEO as Salesman (1988 Story)
Case:

Session 2 Preparing the mind for selling

Objective: To realize the power within us to manage our mind, before it drives us. This
competency helps to excel in any adverse situation a sales person faces.
Concept: “The Seven Habits Paradigm”
Reading: “To Sell is Human” Daniel H Pink – Part 1

Case:
Session 3 Principles Governing Sales Effectiveness

Objective: Improving outcome of selling by addressing the ‘concerns’ and increasing the
circle of ‘influence’
Reading:
“To Sell is Human” Daniel H Pink – Part 2& 3
Case:
Session 4 Sales Process & Planning- First right step

Objective: Understanding the sales process, importance of planning, the challenges and
implementation
Reading:
“The Art of Selling” by Zig Ziglar Chap 2-6
Case:
Module II Advanced Skills for Understanding the needs of Customer and for
Effective Communication
Module Objective: To deliver the right value to the customer, right understanding of customer
needs, wants, processes – in general, customer knowledge - is required. The essential skills
required for this are covered in this module.

Session 5 Listening is THE KEY

Objective: To emphasize the importance of active listening to get everything right with
the customer and the methodology of acquiring this skill.
Reading: Listening Effectively – Dr. John A Kline

Case:
Session 6 Communication skills- Part I

Objective: The art & science of making the customer talk by questioning techniques to
build the rapport.
Reading: “The Art of Selling” by Zig Ziglar Chap 6-9

Case: Role Plays

Session 7 Communication skills- Part II

Objective: The body language and presentation skills which are essential for
successful selling.
Reading: Article: Q&A with the author of presentation secrets of Steve Jobs

Case: Role plays. Video- Julien Tresure “How to speak so that others listen
 Module III Influencing & Persuasion skills for winning mind-share of customers
Module Objective: Interpersonal skills and the ability to influence people at all levels in the
customer place are required to gain the acceptance of the customer. This forms the platform to
effectively handle customer objections.

Session 8 Communication skills- Part III

Objective: To impart high impact interpersonal skills in order to persuade/

influence the customer
Reading: 1. An Interview with Robert Cialdini by Sarah Cliffe, “The Uses (and Abuses)
of Influence”, HBR July- August 2013

2. Lyle Sussman, “How to frame your message- The Art of Persuasion

and Negotiation”, HBR Jul 1999
3. Jay Conger, “The Necessary Art of Persuasion”, HBR May 1998
Book: The 7 Triggers to Yes by Russel H Granger Ch 8 to 14

Case:

Module IV: Objections Handling, Negotiation and Closing Skills

Module Objective: Any Sales effort is aimed at effectively negotiate to win the order with a win-
win approach. The objections handling skills prepares ground for effective negotiations.
Session 9 Objection Handling skills

Objective: Customer objection is a welcome opportunity to win the deal. To handle both
spoken and unspoken objections with the genuine intention to help customer
Reading: in order to make him realize the value being provided to the customer is a
skill.
Extreme Negotiations by Jeff Weiss, Aram Donigian, HBR article
Case:
Role Plays
Session 10 Negotiation skills

Objective: To focus on Elements of Negotiation, Buyer behavior and psychology.

Dealing with Difficult Negotiators and Cross-Cultural Negotiations.
Reading: 1. Extreme Negotiations by Jeff Weiss, Aram Donigian, HBR article
2. Six habits of merely effective negotiators
Case: Role Plays
Module V: B2B selling
Module Objective: B2B sales constitutes a significant and specialized aspect of selling skills.
This module will equip participants to excel in selling to Business markets (B2B markets)

Session 11 Major account selling:

Objective: The challenge of major account selling has certain very specific nuances that
will be discussed in this session through a workshop format using the
workbook from Major Account Selling.
Reading:
Major Account Selling Workbook (Neil Rackham)
Case:
Session 12 Role play case
This session will focus on role play of the concepts learnt in major account
Objective: selling, where Infosys account manager has to make a complex sale to a
large insurance firm in USA.
Reading: Infosys: Growing share of customer business

Case:
Session 13 SPIN Selling

Objective: For consultative selling, which is essential to come out of the commodity trap
in B2B selling, a key technique is SPIN Selling, which is based on asking
relevant questions to the customer. The session focuses on understanding
the core concepts of SIPIN selling through the workbook on SPIN selling.

Reading: SPIN Selling Workbook (Neil Rackham)

Session 14 Role Play of SPIN Selling
This session will help participants to practice SPIN selling through a concrete
Objective: selling situation, using the pedagogy of Role Play. Participants will do the role
play before the class and the instructor will use the session only for debriefing
Reading: on what could be the right way to address this complex B2B selling

Case:
Module VI:
Module Objective: As much as individual attitude and skill, existence of a conducive and
encouraging environment is critical to success of people working in Sales divisions. The nuances
of creating a great selling environment, responsibility of sales managers in creating structures,
hiring/retaining/motivating sales teams, inter-departmental dynamics and change management
specific to sales environment when the organization priorities alter are covered in this module.

Session 15 Designing, Organizing, and Training a Sales Force

Objective: As a manager of a territory, one needs to organize, train and motivate the
people under you. This will ensure the various ways to structure the sales
force, train and motivate them.
Reading:

Case: Sales learning curve (HBR)

Session 16 Impact of Sales leadership in creating a great selling environment

Objective:
The ultimately accountable job (HBR)
Reading:

Case: NetApp: The Day-to-Day of a District Manager (HBS)

Session 17 Aligning Sales to changes in the organization

Objective:
Managing “stars” and Sales performance management

Reading:

Campbell and Bailyn’s Boston Office - Managing the Reorganization (HBS)

Case:

Session 18 Selling through Distribution and Ethical Challenges in Selling, and newer
concepts in sales.
Objective:
To understand competencies to manage distribution channels, train and
develop channel partners for peak performance. Also to handle ethically
challenging situations in the sales profession, Selling to the bottom of
Reading: pyramid, Challenger sales.

Case: faculty developed article

Session 19 & 20 Group Presentations for review and scoring

Course Closure
Text Book for the course:
Author Title Publisher Edition Remarks, if any
David Jobber & Selling & Sales Prentice Hall ISBN: 978-0-273-
Geoff Lancaster Management 72065-2. e-Book
Zig Ziglar The Art of Selling Jaico Books ISBN-13:978-
818495-210-0
Russel H. The 7 triggers to Tata McGraw-Hill ISBN-13:978-0-
Granger Yes 07-022954-9
Daniel H Pink To Sell Is Human Canongate ISBN 978-0-
Books 85786-720-9
Neil Rackham Spin Selling McGraw-Hill ISBN 978-0-07-
Book Co 051113-2

Additional Readings: The following books are recommended for supplementary reading:

1. Don’t Sell, Make them Buy – R Mukund, Kindle version

2. Influence by Robert B. Cialdini, e-Book
3. Be A Sales Super Star by Brian Tracy
4. The Greatest Salesman in the world – Og Mandino
5. The language of Emotional Intelligence by Jeanne Segal
6. Selling with Integrity – Morgen
7. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey

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