MKTG 310: Consultative Selling Master Syllabus
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Catalog Course Description
The course is designed for marketing professionals who consult with clients for the purpose of identifying needs and developing long term sales relationships. Important customer facing skills are applied in the process of identification of new business opportunities, working with clients to identify needs, developing shared goals and objectives, practicing negotiation and sales skills and implementation of solutions. The skills developed help professionals solve client and customer problems. The goal is to enable professionals with customer- facing responsibilities to effectively build the skills and trust necessary with customers that result in long term and profitable relationships.
Learning Goals
Knowledge of Functional Business Disciplines: Demonstrate knowledge of all core functional areas of business and an ability to integrate them into a meaningful firm level relationship with clients and customers.
Learning Objectives
Learning objectives in the catalog for this course include:
- Understand the importance of building trust and customer value in consultative sales for long term profitability and customer relationships management.
- Analyze the buying process within the purchasing organization and how to support and integrate with the seller’s processes.
- Develop effective consultative sales communication skills including question techniques, e.g. SPIN and ADAPT; active listening; develop and deliver presentations with appropriate visuals, interviews, nonverbal communication, and follow-on strategies to gain commitment.
- Evaluate effective prospecting methods and prepare for client dialogue in consultative sales.
- Practice customer dialogues and consultative sales calls using role plays and technology.
- Focus on handling the different parts of a consultative sales call effectively, e.g. opening, questions, handling objections, gaining commitment/closing, installation, follow-through and ongoing relationships.
- Define best practices for consultative sales careers, including planning, time management, territory management, and career development.
Concentration and Program Learning Goals
Students majoring in the Marketing concentration will master the following by graduation:
- Research Competency: Research competency using library databases, secondary and primary sources of market and company information, and marketing data analysis skills.
- Marketing Strategies: Ability to formulate effective marketing strategies derived from an understanding of customer behaviors and application of marketing tools and concepts.
- Writing & Formatting: Communication and information literacy skills in the writing and format of the plan that are consistent with the marketing discipline.
By the end of the BS Business program, students will master:
- The social, global, ethical, and legal contexts of business and will be able to reflect on the role of the individual in business.
- The ability to apply knowledge of professional skills necessary for success in business including effective business writing.
- Technical and analytic skills appropriate for success in business.
- The ability to apply knowledge of core business disciplines including accounting, finance, information systems, management, marketing, and operations management.
- How research in the business disciplines contributes to knowledge and how such research is conducted.
Course Policies
Canvas and System
Access to Canvas and George Mason University email are required to participate successfully in this course. Activities and assignments in this course will regularly use the Canvas learning system, available at https://mymason.gmu.edu. Students are required to bring their laptop to class in face to face offerings of the course and have access to their computer in the online course. Students are required to have regular, reliable access to a computer with an updated operating system (recommended: Windows 10 or Mac OSX 10.13 or higher) and a stable broadband Internet connection (cable modem, DSL, satellite broadband, etc., with a consistent 1.5 Mbps [megabits per second] download speed or higher. If you have any technology issues while taking this course, please reach out to support@gmu.edu or call (703) 993.8870 (US). Calling often receives the quicker response, but check the hours of operation. You may also contact Microsoft or Canvas support directly. I cannot assist you with technology issues. ITS Support Center.
- Laptop policy and/or electronic device policy for class.
This course requires the use of LockDown Browser and a webcam for online exams. The webcam can be built into your computer (internal webcam) or can be the type of webcam that plugs in with a USB cable (external webcam).
Course Materials
Course Website
You can access Canvas at . The username and passwords are the same as your George Mason email account. Login and click on the “Courses” tab. You will see MKTG-310 course. Instructional materials will be posted online in our Canvas course.
EBook/Textbook
his course uses (1) a digital textbook called “Professional Selling: A Guide for the Modern Sales Professional” by Allen and Kelly, and (2) the Mimic Professional Selling simulation.
To access materials: 1) Go to Canvas and log-in to our course. 2) Click on Course Content 3) Click on Stukent link 4) Enter Payment Option either the access code you purchased from the bookstore or credit card for Stukent for the Course and Simulation. 5) Call Stukent directly if you have any problems with the process or accessing materials at (855) 788-5368.
In summary, if you sign up for the e-book and simulation with the bookstore, you will receive an access code or you can order from Stukent. You can select either Option 1 buy the access code from the bookstore or Option 2 purchase the E-Book and Simulation from Stukent.
The courseware is digital-- it is not a physical book. After you have registered and paid for the course materials you can go to Canvas and to the Learn Here Weekly Lesson and there is a link to the Stukent courseware and simulation. Stukent gives you lifetime access so you can even log in after the semester ends to review course materials before you start an internship or your first job for example.
After the initial setup, for the rest of the semester, please make sure to log in to Blackboard to our course and you will see the link to login to Stukent.
If you ever have any technical questions or issues logging in, please email or call the Stukent support team directly with any and all questions or concerns related to Stukent.
The website with hours https://www.stukent.com/virtual-ta/
Email is virtualta@stukent.com
The phone number is 1 (855) 788-5368
They are open Monday-Saturday
Microsoft Software: Excel, Powerpoint, Word, & Other Programs
You will need to use standard Office software for business – Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. PowerPoint is a presentation software that will be used to create presentation slides and videos. Word is a word processing software that will be used to create various documents. Excel may be used depending on customer needs.
- Access to Microsoft Software is available free of charge for all Mason students through the University's Microsoft Apps for Enterprise program. See information on the program and how to download the application to your computer.
- For learning and using visualization, alternatively, if you feel comfortable making technical adjustments on your own (as our instructions and examples will be given in Excel), you could use a similar program. I do not use alternative software and I will not be able to provide technical assistance.
- You may need to access the online version of PowerPoint at office.com via your Mason credentials. You may also need to use Microsoft Teams - either the online browser using your Mason credentials or download the app version. Microsoft Teams is an online collaboration tool. See more Information on using Microsoft Teams.
Course Communication
All course communication will take place through Canvas or Mason email addresses. Any emails from me about this course will be sent either through Canvas or from my George Mason email address.
E-mail Correspondence - George Mason Email Addresses Only
E-mail is the preferred method of contact regarding any questions about this course. When you email: You MUST use your George Mason e-mail address. Federal privacy laws state that I am not allowed to provide information to any private non-George Mason e-mail addresses, so I will not respond to emails from any other address.
E-mail Correspondence - MKTG 310 in Subject Line
In order to prioritize responding to e-mails sent regarding this class, please use “MKTG 310” as part of the subject line of any emails you send to me. I will respond once to an email without this in the subject line, but only once.
Estimated E-mail Reply Times
Under normal circumstances, you should receive a reply to your e-mail within 24 hours. Please make sure to plan to have enough time when emailing to receive a response. If you do not get a response within the time frames listed above, double check for any technical issues in the originally sent e-mail and follow-up with me. E-mails received at the end of the day on Friday and over the week-end will be answered no later than the end of the day on Monday.
Ask the Instructor Discussion Board
In addition to emailing me, a discussion board will be created to provide students the opportunity to post questions that they have while working through the material. Under normal circumstances, I will check/respond to these postings within 24 hours.
Asking Questions/Courtesy in Communications
I am happy to answer any questions that you may have on course material or other matters. For some questions, the answer may be easily found within our course information sources (e.g., syllabus, Canvas). It is helpful to check there first. If this is the case with your question, I will direct you there. Otherwise, we will work out the best way for your question to be answered (e.g., via email, virtual office hours). Please keep in mind that to ensure clarity of the question asked or the response given it may be necessary to be extremely specific in what is written. It is expected that everyone – instructor and students – will be professional and respectful in all communications.
Netiquette
In this course we will be collaborative, not combative. Experience shows that even an innocent remark in the online environment can be misconstrued. I suggest that you always re-read your responses carefully before you post them to encourage others from taking them as personal attacks. Be positive in your approach to others and diplomatic with your words. I will do the same. Remember, you are not competing with each other but sharing information and learning from one another as well as from me.
Collaboration
With collaborative work, names of all the participants should appear on the work. Collaborative work may be divided up so that individual group members complete portions of the whole, provided that group members take sufficient steps to ensure that the pieces conceptually fit together in the end product. Other course work is designed to be undertaken independently. You are responsible for making certain that there is no question that the work you hand in is your own. If only your name appears on an assignment, your professor has the right to expect that you have done the work yourself, fully and independently.
Class Cancellation
If there are any changes to the course schedule, students should check Canvas and/or email for updates on how to continue learning and information about any changes to events or assignments.
Course Content
Course Grades & Grading Policy
Grades will be assigned as follows:
| Grade | Points Earned |
|---|---|
| A | 940-1000 |
| A- | 900-939 |
| B+ | 870-899 |
| B | 830-869 |
| B- | 800-829 |
| C+ | 770-799 |
| C | 700-769 |
| D | 600-699 |
| F | 0-599 |
Students will not be permitted to make more than two attempts to achieve a passing grade in this course. A third attempt will require academic advisor approval. If you have questions about this policy, please talk with an academic advisor.
Note on Final Course Grades: The point total at the end of the semester will be used to determine final letter grade. The University considers a B to be a good grade. To earn any higher grade, you must demonstrate outstanding mastery of the course material. It is highly unlikely that adjustments will be made to the Final Course Grades. On the off chance that it is, it will be across the entire class and not on an individual basis. Do not ask for your individual final grade to be “rounded up”. The answer will be no.
Your grade will be determined by the total points that you earn on each of the graded components in this course. You may earn up to 1000 points during the course of the class. The point total of your graded components will be your final grade for this course. The graded components in the class and point values are on the next page.
There may also be additional opportunities to earn extra points announced throughout the course.
| Graded Components and Points | |
|---|---|
| Tests | |
| Chapter quizzes | 150 |
| Exam 1 | 100 |
| Exam 2 | 100 |
| Individual Assignments | |
| Chapter Assignments | 130 |
| Simulation or Selected Project | 200 |
| Salesperson Interview | 170 |
| Reflections Paper | 150 |
| Total Points | 1000 |
Details on Course Assignments
Deadlines and Submission Policies
Students are expected to complete and submit all course assignments by the stated deadline. The system records a time stamp for each submission. The exact time stamp will determine if the submission is on time or late. All deadlines reflect Eastern Standard Time (EST). To ensure your submission is on time, please give yourself plenty of time to upload the assignment. Larger or multiple files may take longer to upload.
All course assignments must be submitted in the noted format. This is to make sure that your assignments can be viewed. Your professor’s George Mason University computer is a PC. All submissions must be in a generally accepted format that can be opened on PCs.
All course assignments where you must upload files (e.g., Word, etc.) to Canvas are set up to allow for multiple submissions. Unless noted in your submission text, the last submission will be the submission that is graded for every assignment.
- If you upload wrong assignment: Resubmit the assignment with the correct version. Make a note that the new submission is the correct submission.
- If your files are too large to upload in one assignment: Submit each file as its own assignment. Make a note explaining what each submission refers to.
The late submission policy is as follows: NO LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED Except for University Approved Written Documentation for approved exceptions.
- Chapter Quiz
Each chapter in the online textbook contains a reading quiz to check your understanding of the material in the chapter. Students are expected to read the chapter and complete the quiz questions before class. Students must complete each quiz the day before a new chapter is discussed in class. For example, if the course schedule indicated that the discussion for Chapter 1 will begin on Tuesday, students will have until 11:59 pm on Monday to submit their answers.
- Chapter Assignments
Each chapter contains possible assignments at the end of the chapter. Your instructor will provide you a list of the required assignments for each chapter. These are due in-class a week after the assignment’s corresponding chapter is finished in class.
- Mimic Professional Selling Simulation or Special Project
The Mimic Professional Selling is designed to give students a taste of what it is like to have a career in professional sales. In the simulation, students begin a fictious career as a salesperson and must perform the basic job functions of a new seller. The simulation and textbook go hand-in-hand; each round of the simulation will provide an opportunity to apply something you learned in the textbook chapter(s). A select number of students (six) on a first come volunteer basis may elect to do the sales project instead to be announced September 3rd.
- Salesperson Interview Project
Perhaps the best way to learn how to be a good salesperson is to learn from the example of a good salesperson. For this project, you will meet with a salesperson who works in a businessto-business industry and interview them toward the end of the semester. The end of each chapter contains a list of interview questions that correspond to the content of that chapter. Ask at least one interview question from each chapter. If you want to record the interview, make sure the person interviewed agrees to the recording. Write a five-page report that discusses the main learnings from the interview. Students are free to organize the paper how they desire. For example, you can organize the paper based on general themes that emerged from the interview, based on the insight you found most insightful, or by the textbook chapter/interview question. Students must turn in the report and the recording, if you do one.
- Midterm and Final
The midterm and final will each consist of 50 multiple choice questions. The midterm will cover the first half of the semester and the final will be comprehensive/cover the latter half of the semester.
- Reflections Paper
At the end of the semester, you will write a Reflections Paper where you apply the things you have learned into your future career. The paper must be at least four pages double-spaced with Times New Roman 12-point font. The prompt for the reflections paper is:
“Consider all the different strategies you have learned and the discussions, activities, roleplays, and assignments you have done in this class. From all that content, what are the four most important things you have learned and how will you apply them in your future career? As you write, consider how these topics will be useful to you in the future.”
Make-up Exams Policy: Make-up exams will only be given if a student has a university-validated excuse. Requests for a make-up exam must be timely (e.g., before the exam if issue is known or as soon as possible [within a day] of the exam if sudden situation). Without exception, students who request a makeup exam will be asked to provide appropriate documentation before a make-up exam is scheduled. Failure to provide official documentation will result in a score of zero for the exam. The instructor reserves the right to determine the nature and date of the make-up exam. Any make-up exam will cover the same material as the regularly scheduled exam; however, the questions and format of the make-up exam may differ.
Participation
There will be opportunities to interact with your classmates regarding aspects of the Consultative Sales course. Each student will be required to complete a Peer Evaluation Survey at the end of the course. Failure to submit a peer evaluation by the deadline will result in 0 points for the Peer Evaluation Survey and 0 points for Team Participation. Students who receive poor evaluations can lose points on the course grade.
Team Marketing Sales Role
Throughout the course we will be studying the sales funnel and role playing the parts of a sales call that is part of participation.
Course Calendar
| Weeks | Lessons | Assignments | Due Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Lessons 1-3: Chapter 1: Introduction Professional Sales |
Sign-up for Textbook Read Chapter 1 Take Chapter 1 Quiz Participate in the introductory online discussion Complete Chapter Assignments Begin planning interview and questions with Salesperson |
Due Date: 09/01 11:59 PM |
| Week 2 | Lesson 2: Chapter 2: Mentality of Successful Sellers |
Read Chapter 2 Take Chapter 2 Quiz Complete Chapter Assignments Continue work on the Interview of a Salesperson Participate in the Zoom Call with Three Guest Speakers on the Sales and Sales Executive Roles in Organizations. |
Due Date: 09/08 11:59 PM |
| Week 3 | Lesson 3: Chapter 3: Planning and Goal Setting |
Read Chapter 3 Take Chapter 3 Quiz Complete Chapter Assignments Continue work on the Interview of a Salesperson |
Due Date: 09/15 11:59 PM |
| Week 4 | Lesson 4: Chapter 4: Strategic Sales Management and Analytics |
Read Chapter 4 Take Chapter 4 Quiz Complete Chapter Assignments Continue work on the Interview of a Salesperson Begin Introduction Round in Simulation |
Due Date: 09/22 11:59 PM |
| Week 5 | Lesson 5: Understanding Prospective Customers | Read Chapter 5 Take Chapter 5 Quiz Complete Chapter Assignments Continue work on the Interview of a Salesperson Do Simulation Rounds on Customer and City Selection and Sales Training |
Due Date: 09/29 11:59 PM |
| Week 6 | Lesson 6: Traditional Prospecting Methods | Read Chapter 6 Take Chapter 6 Quiz Complete Chapter Assignments Continue Work on the Interview of a Salesperson Do Simulation Round on Sales Training |
Due Date: 10/06 11:59 PM |
| Week 7 | Lesson 7: Digital Prospecting and Social Selling | Read Chapter 7 Take Chapter 7 Quiz Complete Chapter Assignments Continue work on the Interview of a Salesperson Do Simulation Round on Creating a Pitch and Peer Evaluation |
Due Date: 10/13 11:59 PM |
| Week 8 | Midterm Exam | Midterm Exam | Due Date: 10/20 11:59 PM |
| Week 9 | Lesson 8: Discovery Meetings WIth Prospective Customers | Read Chapter 8 Take Chapter 8 Quiz Complete Chapter Assignments Continue work on the Interview of a Salesperson Continue Simulation Round on Creating a Pitch and Peer Evaluation |
Due Date: 10/27 11:59 PM |
| Week 10 | Lesson 9: Creating Individualized Customer Value | Read Chapter 9 Take Chapter 9 Quiz Complete Chapter Assignments Continue work on the Interview of a Salesperson Complete Simulation Round on Creating a Pitch |
Due Date: 11/03 11:59 PM |
| Week 11 | Lesson 10: Demonstrations and Proposals | Read Chapter 10 Take Chapter 10 Quiz Complete Chapter Assignments Submit the paper from your Interview of a Salesperson Complete Simulation Peer Evaluation |
Due Date: 11/10 11:59 PM |
| Week 12 | Chapter 11: Closing the Deal | Read Chapter 11 Take Chapter 11 Quiz Complete Chapter Assignments Begin work on Team Sales Presentation Simulation Rounds on Discovery Call |
Due Date: 11/17 11:59 PM |
| Week 13 | Chapter 12: Maintaining and Utilizing Customer Relationships | Read Chapter 12 Take Chapter 12 Quiz Complete Chapter Assignments Continue work on Team Sales Presentation Simulation Round on Closing the Deal Simulation Peer Evaluation |
Due Date: 11/24 11:59 PM |
| Week 14 | Thanksgiving Break November 27- November 30 | Due Date: 11/27 11:59 PM | |
| Week 15 |
Chapter 13 Improving Selling Skills Wrap-Up |
Read Chapter 13 Submit Reflections Paper |
Due Date: 12/08 11:59 PM |
| Final Exam | Final Exam |
Opens: 12/11 around 12:01 AM Closes: 12/13 11:59 AM |
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