FTMBA2021_II B2B Sales Management

1) Framework

• The domain of sales
• Channel systems
• Sales forces and sales jobs
• The world of B2B

1) B2B Pricing

• Calculating price-quantity-cost compromises
• Price pressure in B2B (includes guest speaker)
• Pricing commodities (includes case SafeBlend Fracturing, HBS)
• Pricing value-added products (includes case Atlantic Computer, HBS)
• Pricing services

2) B2B Selling

• Selling and negotiating value-added products (includes role play Windblades, WHU)
• Opportunity management (includes case: Boise Automation, Ivey)
• A structured enterprise selling methodology

3) B2B Sales Management

• Budgeting and forecasting
• CRM
• Sales force sizing
• Managing field sales (includes case StepSmart Fitness, HBS)
• Managing inside sales (includes case ZenRecruit, HBS)
• Pipeline management (includes case PackMach, WHU)
• Golden rules for young sales leaders (includes case Pilgrim Drugs, HBS)

1) In regard to factual knowledge, participants are enabled to

• apply salespeople jargon to discussing the status of a sale (such as the “buying center”, “red flags”, “mentor”, “RFQ”, “gatekeepers”, and other idioms),
• apply sales management jargon (such as quota, forecast, pipeline, DSM, and other idioms),
• understand the specifics and terminology of sales management in various industry sectors,
• define sales performance indicators.

2) In regard to conceptual knowledge, participants are enabled to

• to analyze economic value to customer,
• calculate price-trade-offs against other profit drivers,
• analyze the composition of a buying center,
• organize the elements of a structured selling methodology,
• classify different types of sales forces and sales jobs,
• classify the dimensions of sales performance management,
• evaluate sales KPIs.

3) In regard to sales-specific procedural knowledge, participants are enabled to

• demonstrate financial value to the customer,
• evaluate the win probability of a sales opportunity
• apply a structured sales process and blueprint,
• analyze sales pipelines and generate sales forecasts.

4) In regard to general business-relevant procedural knowledge, participants are enabled to

• prepare for business meetings and internal committee sessions,
• make the best out of a limited preparation time budget,
• make concise contributions to meetings,
• constructively build and comment on contributions by other participants in the meeting,
• derive a course of action from a careful analysis of the situation and a structured evaluation of alternatives.

5) In regard to metacognitive knowledge, participants are enabled to

• evaluate their own selling behavior,
• create a skill profile for sales people,
• evaluate the excellence of sales organizations.

For the class sessions, the course uses a hybrid teaching approach: The live sessions in the classroom integrate online participants into the discussion via Zoom. In the unfortunate case of quarantine measures, the classroom sessions will be switched to live sessions on Zoom.

The overall learning method mix across all sessions of this course is:

• 25% self-study videos,
• 18.75% role-play sessions between students with joint debriefings,
• 37.5% case-based discussions with concluding mini-lectures, and
• 18.75% interactive concept lectures.

One highlight of the course is a three-hour selling & negotiation role play with multiple parties. This video shows the style of case-based sessions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbNNsq1fC0A. This way of learning requires a great amount of energy, both from the student and from the teacher.

• 50% (=5 x 10%): five class preparation notes (pdf, bullet points are enough, ca. 500-750 words)
• 50%: open-book, take-at-home exam (delivered as Moodle quiz with calculation questions, multiple-choice questions, and qualitative questions)

Both for the students of the current MBA class and for students from a previous MBA class who are retaking the examination, the examination is based on the content of this semester. Re-examinees are advised to participate in as many of the current sessions as possible. Students who are retaking the course must submit all assignments during this course.