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2023/2024  KAN-CSAAO1002U  Professional Selling

English Title
Professional Selling

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course First Quarter
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for cand.merc. and CSAA (CSAA)
Course coordinator
  • Selma Kadic-Maglajlic - Department of Marketing (Marketing)
Main academic disciplines
  • Communication
  • Marketing
  • Strategy
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 02-06-2023

Relevant links
Learning objectives
After the course, the student should be able to:
  • Describe and critically analyze how companies can make their sales process efficient and effective through the integration of new technology, and by utilizing sales force management tools (e.g., sales functions and roles, recruiting etc.)
  • Define, understand, compare, and contrast relevant key terms, definitions, concepts, theories, and frameworks related to relationship selling and other sales approaches.
  • Critically evaluate the role of technology and potential ethical concerns in gaining customer insights.
  • Identify, design, plan, and evaluate the value of sales enablement practices for a given business case.
  • Follow academic conventions in their written assignment.
Prerequisites for registering for the exam (activities during the teaching period)
Number of compulsory activities which must be approved (see section 13 of the Programme Regulations): 1
Compulsory home assignments
1 of 2 group reports on the progress of the sales project submitted and approved

Oral presentations etc.
In this course, students will have the opportunity to work in groups of 4-5 students on a real sales project that will be integrated into the course work. Each week students will be required to complete a specific assignment for their sales project using the methods and tools covered in class that week. During in-class sessions, students can work on their sales project assignments and seek advice and feedback from faculty and guest lecturers.

Although students will work on their sales project assignments weekly, they will be asked twice to submit assignments:
1. Interim group report (Feedback is provided by a faculty member) and
2. Final group report (Peer-to-peer feedback is provided)

The purpose of the ongoing sales project and all assignments that are part of the sales project is to develop students' practical sales skills and get them thinking about the applicability of the theories, concepts, methods, and tools they have learned in class. The sales project helps students prepare for the final exam.

Students do not have additional opportunities to get compulsory activities approved prior to the ordinary exam. If a student has not fulfilled the required number of compulsory activities or has been ill, they will not be able to take the ordinary exam. If a student still has not received approval for the required number of mandatory activities prior to the retake examination and meets the requirements set forth in the academic regulations, an extra assignment is possible. The extra assignment consists of a 5-minute video pitch that should summarize all activities and results of the sales project.
Examination
Professional Selling:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 15 pages
Assignment type Case based assignment
Release of assignment The Assignment is released in Digital Exam (DE) at exam start
Duration 2 weeks to prepare
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Winter
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

 

 
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

Aim

By applying cutting-edge sales concepts, theories and tools, students will learn how to choose the optimal sales process and methods to effectively convert leads into actual sales. The course covers both personal selling and virtual selling and introduces elements of new technological advances in sales such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. Through hands-on experience with real-world sales cases, you will learn how sales roles and sales processes often differ by customer segment, solution or product category, industry, and more.  

 

Content

The course provides you with theoretical and analytical content and gives you the opportunity to develop your practical sales skills. Through experiential learning, you will develop and acquire the necessary skills, abilities and knowledge that can provide a solid foundation for developing sales leaders and managers in complex sales organizations. The course focuses on sales behaviors, models, and processes, and how to implement strategic sales in an organization.

 

Course progression
Professional Selling is a foundation course in the study program.
Description of the teaching methods
This course is delivered in a blended learning format that combines online materials (e.g., pre- recorded lectures, small group activities, online quizzes) and online lectures with in-class discussions and workshops (guest lectures, discussions, role plays).

The teaching is guided by the philosophy of active learning integrated in a sales project that students will work on throughout the course. Prior to almost every session, students receive required reading and weekly assignments for the sales project. Class sessions consist of plenary discussions, guest lectures, and group work (the instructor will go from group to group and provide feedback on the intended application of the theories to their sales project).
Feedback during the teaching period
The design of the course follows a proactive feedback philosophy through ex ante mirroring of the exam. Students are repeatedly exposed to the learning objectives through weekly sales project assignments that resemble exam assignments, online quizzes, and role-playing. Students are asked twice to submit their sales project-based assignments, which serve as the basis for detailed student feedback and peer feedback.

In the wrap-up session dedicated to exam preparation, students are debriefed and encouraged to seek detailed feedback on their own performance. This gives them the opportunity to reinforce what they have learned in the course and prepare for the actual exam. In the final debriefing session, the material is recapped, overarching feedback is provided.
Student workload
Teaching 33 hours
Preparation 123 hours
Exam 50 hours
Last updated on 02-06-2023