Entrepreneurial Selling
Course code
EAI619
Course type
MSc Course
Weekly Hours
2,5
ECTS
5.0
Term
FS 2019
Language
Englisch
Lecturers
Prof. Dr. Ove Jensen
Please note that exchange students obtain a higher number of credits in the BSc-program at WHU than listed here. For further information please contact directly the International Relations Office.
Course content
Every entrepreneur is selling all the time: to customers, employees, and investors. Selling is a skill that can be learnt. Only few people are born as a selling ace. Some investors only invest if the founders themselves are the first sales people. The course content was designed based on interviews with WHU entrepreneurs and WHU investors.
The course has four content streams:
- Finding strategic product-market fit (2 sessions)
- Developing personal selling skills (4 sessions)
- Building and managing the sales team (5 sessions)
- Selecting and managing channel partners (2 sessions)
Class dates
Date | Time |
---|---|
Tuesday, 19.03.2019 | 11:30 - 15:15 |
Wednesday, 06.03.2019 | 11:30 - 15:15 |
Monday, 11.03.2019 | 11:30 - 15:15 |
Thursday, 14.03.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 02.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 02.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 02.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 02.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 02.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 02.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 02.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 02.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 02.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 02.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 02.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 02.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 09.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 09.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 09.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 09.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 09.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 09.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 09.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 09.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 09.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 09.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 09.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Tuesday, 09.04.2019 | 11:30 - 13:00 |
Learning outcomes
The course intends to enhance five categories of competences[1]. The practical orientation of the course shows in its emphasis on procedural knowledge.
- In regard to factual knowledge, participants are enabled to apply salespeople jargon to discussing the status of a sale (such as the decision making unit, red flags, pipeline, RFQ, gatekeepers, and other idioms) and to understand the specifics and terminology of sales management in various industry sectors (FMCG, engineering, IT, professional services, medical and electrical equipment, trade).
- In regard to conceptual knowledge, participants are enabled to analyze the composition of a buying center, to evaluate the fit of the sales process with organizational structure, compensation structure, and skill set, and to understand the key limitations imposed by the U.S. and U.K. anti-bribery acts.
- In regard to selling-specific procedural knowledge, participants are enabled to apply a structured sales process and blueprint, to evaluate approaches for getting access to C-level decision makers, to evaluate the win probability of an opportunity and identify potential roadblocks, to evaluate the needs of a customer through questions, to create and deliver a sales proposal, to deal with customer objections, and to provide constructive feedback on selling behavior of others.
- In regard to general business-relevant procedural knowledge, participants are enabled to prepare for business meetings and internal committee sessions, to make the best out of a limited preparation time budget, to make concise contributions to meetings, to constructively build and comment on contributions by other participants in the meeting, and to derive a course of action from a careful analysis of the situation and a structured evaluation of alternatives.
- In regard to metacognitive knowledge, participants are enabled to evaluate their own selling behavior and skills, to evaluate the ethical dimension of a selling situation, and to create a skill profile for sales people.
[1] Anderson, Lorin W. and David R. Krathwohl (2001), A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing – A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, New York: Longman.
Literature
There is no textbook for this course. The learning material includes presentation slides, case studies, recommended readings, video links, and black board notes. These are available on the learning management system myWHUcourses.
Learningmethods
he learning method mix across all class sessions of this course is:
- role play,
- case-based discussions,
- interactive lectures,
- real-life case project.
This video illustrates our case-based approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbNNsq1fC0A
Exam
The course grade is based on several individual written assignments. There isno sit-down, speed-writing, stress-maximizing examat the end of the course – and no memorizing of PowerPoint slides. There areno team grades.
Requirements
Enrollment in this course is not limited by pre-experience prerequisites. In particular, it is not necessary to have taken my other courses in the program - this course stands alone. However, what you should be aware of before enrolling in this course is:{\uc1\u8226*} The course requires some familiarity with Excel formulas. No rocket science, no macros, no VBA. Don{\uc1\u8217*}t worry.{\uc1\u8226*} Because of a highly interactive learning method (e.g., role-plays), the course requires that you speak English fluently. If you are uncertain whether your language skill fulfills this requirement, please contact us before the course.{\uc1\u8226*} The course is {\uc1\u8220*}front-loaded{\uc1\u8221*}. It requires an above-average study input at the beginning of the quarter. On the other side, there is no exam preparation at the end. {\uc1\u8226*} The course requires your preparation for each session and involves a substantial reading load every week. If you don{\uc1\u8217*}t invest a couple of study hours between sessions, you won{\uc1\u8217*}t be able to follow the discussions in the classroom - and your learning from the course will be very limited.{\uc1\u8226*} Class attendance is important for interactive courses like this one. If you cannot commit to attending, don{\uc1\u8217*}t take this course.
Total workload
150