APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2016/2017 Norwegian version

MRK 3501 Professional Sales and Negotiations

Responsible for the course
Morten H Abrahamsen

Department
Department of Marketing

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
7,5

Language of instruction
Norwegian

Introduction
The salesperson is a central competitve factor for the company. The seller is the one who in practice shall materialize the company's goal and strategies. The sales term include personal communication and negotiation skills as active means to gain a wanted change in the customer's or the suppier's buying behavior. Selling is "to be or not to be" for every company, and every industrial sales has an element of negotiations. Thus the course in professional sales and negotiations combines two important competance areas for everybody who shall function int the sales - and market department of a company, and want to develop as professional salespersons. To build relations is a essential success factor within industrial sales and negotiations, therefore relationship building and management is a "red thread" thorughout the course. The goal of the course is to bring the students to a competence level that enables them to plan and carry out professional B2B sales and the connected negotiations.

Learning outcome
Acquired knowledge
After completing til course, students will understand in practice what it means to sell professionally, and negotiate with customers. Knowledge about how to funcion as a B2B-salesperson and negociator. The students schould have:
- A basic understanding how to carry out effective sales processes
- Good understanding how to carry out effective sales processes
- Knowledge of different types of organization of sales
- Knowledge how to analyze a negociation situation and know about the most common negociation techniques and tactics

Acquired skills
The students develop skills in:
Being able to contact possible customers and carry through a sales - and negociation process.
Be able to develop a sales plan that fullfills activity goals set by the sales management, carry out the planning of customer relations and negotiate expected solutions
1. Be able to produce a salses - and negociation plan
2. Be able to carry through sales and negociations
3. Develop the basis for handling typical sales - and negotiation situations

Reflection
During the course the student should develop a professional, critical and constructive attitude towards the competance areas of sales and negotiations. Student should be able to reflect about the juridical and ethical bounderies for sales - and negotiation techniques, and through the course develop a good understanding for the ethical side of sales and negotiations.

Prerequisites
No special previous knowledge is required for taking this course.

Compulsory reading
Books:
Kunøe, Gorm. 2014. Topplinje : om effektivitet i profesjonelt salg. ScanForum
Rognes, Jørn Kjell. 2015. Forhandlinger. 4. utg. Universitetsforlaget

Collection of articles:
Gorm Kunøe. 2015. Artikkelsamling til Profesjonelt salg og forhandlinger. Artiklene kan lastes ned fra bibliotekets hjemmeside..
- Geiger, Susi og Guenzi, Paolo (2009) “The Sales function in the twenty-first century: where are we and where do we go from here?” European Journal of Marketing. 2009. Vol. 43
- Hansen and Riggle (2009) “Ethical salesperson behaviour in sales relationships,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, vol. XXIX, no. 2
- Ahearne, Rapp, Mariadoss and Ganesan (2012) “Challenges of CRM implementation in B2B markets: A contingency perspective,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, vol. XXXII, no. 1
- Marshall, Moncrief, Ruud and Lee (2012) “Revolution in Sales\ The impact of social media and related technology on the selling environment,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, vol. XXXII
- Frank Q. Fu, Richards, Keith A. og Jones, Eli (2009) “The Motivation Hub: Effects of Goal Setting and Self-Efficacy on Effort and New products Sales”, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol. XXIV, no.3 (Summer 2009)

Recommended reading
Books:
Manning, Gerald L., Barry, L. Reece, Michael Ahearne. 2014. Selling today : partnering to create value. 12th ed., New international ed. Pearson
Petersen, Eirik. 2009. Nå dine salgsmål! : grunnleggende salgsteknikk for alle som jobber med kunder. Universitetsforlaget

Course outline

1. Introduction to business-to-business sales (B2B)
2. The salesperson in B2B
   a) Personal development processes
   b) The internal cooperation
3. Sales processes
4. Sales communication
5. Organising the selling
   a) Self management
6. Account management and key account management
7. Sales planning
8. Relationship development and CRM
9. Introduction to negociations
10. Negotiation former
11. Negotiation planning
12. Communication in negotiations
13. Professional selling and negotiations