Selling Professionally

Introduction PART 1 THE KNOWLEDGE BASE OF A WORLD-CLASS SALES EXECUTIVE 1 Organisational Knowledge Introduction What is a company? Who needs a company? How companies define their purpose: vision, missions and values Company resources and capabilities Company objectives and strategies How marketing and sales plans fit into business plans Summary 2 Product, Service And Sector Knowledge Introduction The factors that drive change in sectors and markets Competitor analysis Understanding the customer’s sector Understanding products and services The product life cycle How consumers react to innovation Product management Summary 3 Market Knowledge Introduction What is a market? Market segmentation Criteria for segments Targeting Positioning Re-positioning and de-positioning Branding Summary 4 Customer Knowledge Introduction Customer portfolio management Consumer buying behaviour Business buying behaviour The purchaser’s supplier portfolio The buying process Where does customer need come from? Summary 5 Commercial And Financial Acumen Introduction The building blocks of financial reporting Double-entry bookkeeping Where is the customer? Budgeting Variance analysis The financial perspective in the sales role Summary 6 Digital Knowledge Introduction The external digital world Digital infrastructure in organisations Digitally driven interactions Summary PART 2 THE SKILLS OF A WORLD-CLASS SALES EXECUTIVE – PREPARING TO SELL 7 Sales Planning And Preparation Introduction Understanding sales forecasts and targets Prioritising customers to grow account value Formulating and refining customer plans Territory planning Call planning Summary 8 Gathering Intelligence Introduction Information-driven selling Accessing and evaluating external sources of information Internal sources and CRM analytics Sharing intelligence Contributing to the CRM system Summary 9 Time Management Introduction Factors affecting how you manage time The elements of time management Protecting your time Enjoying what you do Summary 10 Collaboration And Teamwork Introduction The nature of collaboration Creating teams How teams develop How teams succeed How teams can fail Sharing best practice Working with marketing Summary 11 Customer Experience Management Introduction Customer experience – the big picture Customer experiences: product, process, people Managing customer concerns Proactively minimising customer concerns Summary 12 Digital Skills Introduction Using digital tools for research purposes Using digital tools to generate new business and engage with customers Writing reports using word-processing software Delivering presentations using digital media Using your company’s CRM and associated IT systems Summary PART 3 THE SKILLS OF A WORLD-CLASS SALES EXECUTIVE – THE SALES PROCESS 13 Customer Engagement Introduction Self-awareness Opening customer conversations Enhancing and sustaining customer relationships Summary 14 Customer Needs Analysis Introduction Desk-based needs analysis Needs analysis in customer interactions Question types A system for designing follow-up questions Listening for explicit and implicit expressions of need Asking about the DMU Budget availability Summary 15 Preparing And Presenting Solutions Introduction Deciding to write a sales proposal Writing major proposal documents Giving presentations Presenting value Summary 16 Negotiation Introduction The background to negotiation Planning to negotiate Good practice in negotiation Tactics you may encounter Summary 17 Closing The Sale Introduction During the sale What about my targets and deadlines? Avoiding negative closing techniques Outcomes of a close Summary PART 4 BEHAVIOURS OF A WORLD-CLASS SALES EXECUTIVE 18 Ethical Behaviour In Professional Sales Introduction Codes of conduct The importance of trust in trade What are ethics? Ethical climate Learning from ethical failings Integrity Bribery, gifts and entertainment Misrepresentation Conflicts of interest Working relationships Responsibilities online Responsibilities in the wider world Company property and resources How to raise a concern or ask a question Summary 19 Proactive Selling Introduction Seeking out prospective customers Constructive communication with prospects/customers Summary 20 Self-discipline, Resilience And Self-motivation Introduction Self-discipline Resilience Self-motivation Building emotional intelligence The growth mindset Aiming for excellence Summary 386 21 Continuous Professional Development Introduction Managing your learning journey 38 Critical thinking Reflection Learning from theories, concepts and models Idea generation Classroom scenarios Computer-based scenarios Succeeding in academic assessments Learning at work Changes at work Summary Conclusion Appendix A: Ethical scenarios Discussion points for ethical scenarios Appendix B: The APS Code of Conduct APS fundamental principles of sales professionalism For further information References Acknowledgements Index The Authors About The Association Of Professional Sales