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Entrepreneurial Selling-E-M

Kurs ID
EAI619
Art des Kurses
MSc Kurs
Wochenstunden
2,5
ECTS
5.0
Semester
HS 2022
Vortragssprache
Englisch
Vortragende/r
Prof. Dr. Ove Jensen
Bitte beachten Sie, dass AustauschstudentInnen im BSc-Programm der WHU eine höhere Anzahl an Credits erwerben als hier aufgeführt. Für weitere Informationen wenden Sie sich bitte direkt an das [International Relations Office].
The course content includes three parts:

Part I: Fundamentals (self-study for sales beginners)

  • The Domain of Sales
  • Entrepreneurial Selling Challenges
  • Business Model Classification

Part II: Entrepreneurial Sales Strategy

Week 1: Selling Story

  • Crafting a Compelling Buying Proposition
  • Sales Enablement

Week 2: Sales Channels

  • Channel Systems and Channel Economics
  • Direct vs. Indirect selling (includes case Smart Entry Into The Smart Home, WHU)
  • Selling through Retailers (includes guest lecture)

Week 3: Sales Scaling

  • Lead Sourcing
  • Legal Restrictions to Prospecting
  • Developing a Scaling model (includes case InsightSquard, HBS)
  • Smart Scaling Is NOT All About Ads! (includes guest lecture)

Part III: Personal Selling Techniques

Week 4: Sales Conversation

  • Presenting to Top Executives
  • Oral and Written Sales Pitches
  • High-Pressure Selling Techniques
  • Low-Pressure Selling Techniques

Week 5: Sales Personality

  • Adapting to Personalities and Social Styles
  • SPIN Workshop
  • Selling and The Brand (includes guest lecture)

Week 6: Enterprise Selling Process

  • Organizational Buying Process
  • Selling to a Buying Center (includes case study Mediqup, IMD)
  • Building a "Sales Machine"

Week 7: Sales Technology

  • CRM Systems
  • The Right CRM System for Your Startup (includes guest lecture)

Week 7: Selling Role-Play

  • Outreach Exercise
  • Need Identification Role-Play
  • Sales Pitch Role-Play
Date Time
Friday, 02.09.2022 13:45 - 17:00
Thursday, 08.09.2022 11:30 - 15:15
Friday, 16.09.2022 11:30 - 15:15
Thursday, 22.09.2022 13:45 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 18:45
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Wednesday, 28.09.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Tuesday, 04.10.2022 15:30 - 18:45
Friday, 07.10.2022 11:30 - 17:00
Tuesday, 11.10.2022 11:30 - 15:15
Tuesday, 11.10.2022 15:30 - 17:00
Entrepreneurship is all about selling. You collect capital by convincing investors, grow your business by selling products and services to customers, hire talent by selling your company culture to candidates, and get suppliers by selling your reliability as a business partner. You exit by selling your customer base and technology to other firms.

Selling is a set of skills that one can learn. Only a few people are born a selling ace. I designed the course content based on interviews with WHU entrepreneurs and WHU investors. The course intends to enhance five categories of competencies:

  • factual knowledge, for example, applying salespeople jargon to discussing the status of a sale (such as the decision-making unit, red flags, pipeline, RFQ, gatekeepers, and other idioms) and understanding the specifics and terminology of selling to consumers, small and medium businesses, and large enterprises,
  • conceptual knowledge, for example, classifying the varieties of sales models as part of business models, evaluating value propositions and the uniqueness of selling propositions, analyzing the composition of a buying center, organizing the elements of a structured selling methodology, remembering legal constraints on managing sales data and on prospecting, and comparing the costs of sales channels,
  • selling-specific procedural knowledge, for example, applying a structured selling blueprint, using databases to identify target customers, creating prospecting scripts, evaluating the needs of a customer through questions, creating a compelling selling story, handling objections, guiding sales conversations through questions, and closing,
  • general business-relevant procedural knowledge, for example, preparing for business meetings, making the best out of a limited preparation time budget, making concise contributions to discussions, constructively building on arguments by other participants, and
  • metacognitive knowledge, for example, evaluating one's selling behavior and creating a skill profile for salespeople.
There is no required textbook. I have not found a book covering all the topics discussed in this course. The learning material for this course includes presentation slides, articles, case studies, role-plays, videos, and whiteboard notes. These and further course-related information are available on the learning management system myWHUcourses (another name is "Moodle").
The learning method in this course follows the ideas of problem-based learning and the "reversed classroom" (a.k.a. "flipped classroom"). The "reversed classroom" replaces classroom lectures ("Frontalunterricht") with a blend of self-study at home and interactive discussions in the classroom. Problem-based learning refutes the traditional, passive learning sequence: "First hearing a concept. Then hearing problems that it could solve". It reverses it to an active learning sequence: "First trying to solve a problem oneself. Then discussing solutions with the group, led by the professor. Finally, getting additional insight from the professor".

The learning method mix includes role-play sessions between students with joint debriefings, case-based discussions with concluding mini-lectures, interactive concept lectures, and managerial guest presentations. Watch this video showing the style of case-based sessions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbNNsq1fC0A. Problem-based learning requires a significant amount of energy from both the student and the teacher.

The course grade is composed as follows:
  • 46%: team project "Sales Enablement Video"
  • 12%: capstone Moodle quiz
  • 42%: four class preparation notes (pdf, bullet points are enough)
Pre-experience prerequisites do not limit enrollment in this course. In particular, it is unnecessary to have taken my other courses in the program - this course stands alone. To successfully participate, be aware that:
150
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