MM294-Understanding Sales

Module Provider: Leadership, Organisations and Behaviour
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2019/0

Email: jurek.sikorski@henley.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module introduces students to sales and in particular the sales process and selling. It adopts a highly practitioner-oriented introduction to sales. It explains to students, different approaches and models to selling, with a specific focus on direct and online sales.

Aims:

Selling is central to every career in business. This module aims to introduce students into an understanding of sales including the sales process. It will explain the role of selling and describe the five basic principles of selling.

Assessable learning outcomes:

Students should be able to: 

• Demonstrate a good understanding of sales and how selling fits into the business organisation and the awareness of a practitioner informed approach to selling.

• Understand the psychology of persuasion and the principles of selling. 

• Demonstrate the difference between selling, marketing and business development. 

• Identify the customer acquisition channels that maximise sales

• Create a winning ‘Sales Value Proposition’

• Recognise ‘Moments of Truth’ and develop action ready strategies to manage these

• Create a winning sales strategy

• Understand the ‘Critical Hour’ in direct selling

Additional outcomes:

Students will learn to work independently under pressure of time, and to organise diverse empirical material.

Outline content:

The content will cover the following topics:

1. Know what sales is all about


2. Become familiar with the key principles that underpin selling


3. Understand ‘customer orientation’


4. Build a persuasive ‘sales value proposition’ (key selling message statement)


5. Develop your selling skills


6. Understand the ‘selling process’             


7. Leverage the customer acquisition channels


8. Selling on line


9. Build ‘customer satisfaction’


10. Create a wining sales strategy  

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Detailed guidance on the main topics of the syllabus and key references are provided in 10 x 2-hour sessions of lectures and seminars. Students are required to do a significant amount of reading of journal articles and chapters of books. A reading list will be provided.

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

a. Written Report

One 2,000-word individual report submitted by a specified date during the last week of the Easter vacation (or Timetable week 33 of term).

b. Group Presentation

One group presentation at the end of spring term week 11.

c. Role Play

An assessment of one short role-play exercise in Spring Term weeks 7-10 to demonstrate practical skills in seminars on a topic related to one or more lectures.  

Relative percentage of coursework: 100% weight.

Upper limit of word count: A word count of 10% excess is allowed for the written assignment essay. Exceeding the word count will attract a penalty whereby written work beyond the 10% excess is discounted in the grading of the assignment.

Formative assessment methods:

Role plays and group presentation will be assessed in the seminars. The written report will be assessed following the published rubric.

Penalties for late submission:

The Module Convener will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day[1] (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;


• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.


• The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
  
  The student is strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. The student should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

A weighted average mark of assessments.

Reassessment arrangements:

Reassessment by submission of the written report. 

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

Last updated: 11 October 2019