BBA 3221, Sales Management Course Syllabus. Course Description. Course Textbook. Course Learning Outcomes. Credits.

Transcription

1 BBA 3221, Sales Management Course Syllabus Course Description A comprehensive, practical approach to sales management. Emphasis is placed on managing strategic account relationships, team development, diversity in the work force, sales force automation, and ethical issues. Explains various motivation techniques, leadership style, and conflict management practices to create managerial decision-making techniques in a variety of sales environments. Course Textbook Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E, Mehta, R., & Babin, B. J. (2009). Sales management: Building customer relationships and partnerships. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. Course Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: 1. Discuss the roles and responsibilities of the sales manager and the qualities needed to be effective. 2. Identify the sources of recruits and relevant hiring criteria for sales jobs and describe how to plan for recruiting and selection. 3. Explain the various ways by which a sales force can be organized and describe the evolving trends in sales force organization. 4. Discuss specific training needs of a sales force and describe different methods for evaluating training results. 5. Describe the technological advances in corporate marketing and sales and how managers can effectively utilize these tools. 6. Explain the role that a code of ethics plays in a corporate sales environment and how sales managers could apply that code to manage questionable behavior. 7. Discuss appropriate compensation methods based on sales people personality types and describe how to set pay levels. Credits Upon completion of this course, the students will earn three (3) hours of college credit. Course Structure 1. Unit Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and knowledge students should gain upon completion of the unit. 2. Unit Lessons: Each unit contains a Unit Lesson, which discusses unit material. 3. Reading Assignments: Each unit contains Reading Assignments from one or more chapters from the textbook or outside resources. Suggested Readings are listed in the Unit I and III-VIII study guides to aid students in their course of study. The readings themselves may or may not be provided in the course, but students are encouraged to read the resources listed if the opportunity arises as they have valuable information that expands upon the lesson material. Students will not be tested on their knowledge of the Suggested Readings. 4. Learning Activities (Non-Graded): These non-graded Learning Activities are provided in Units I-V, VII, and VIII to aid students in their course of study. 5. Discussion Boards: Discussion Boards are a part of all CSU term courses. Information and specifications regarding these assignments are provided in the Academic Policies listed in the Course Menu bar. 6. Unit Assessments: This course contains five Unit Assessments, one to be completed at the end of Units II-VI. Assessments are composed of written response questions. BBA 3221, Sales Management 1

2 7. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments in each unit. Specific information and instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with each Unit Assignment. Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below. 8. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content related questions. 9. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. CSU Online Library The Library is available to support your courses and programs. The online library includes: databases, journals, e-books, research guides, and other support services. The eresources are accessible 24/7 and can be accessed through the Online Portal. To access the library, log into mycsu Student Portal and then click on CSU Online Library. The CSU Library offers several reference services. and telephone assistance is available ( ) Monday Thursday 8 am to 5 pm, and Friday from 8 am to 3 pm. Ask Librarian! is available 24/7: look for the chat box on the online library page. Librarians can help you develop your research plan or to assist you in any way in finding relevant, appropriate and timely information. Reference requests can include customized keyword search strategies, links to articles, database help and other services. Unit Assignments Unit I Essay Using the CSU Online Library, research the topic of sales management with a focus on sales manager selection and training. Specifically address the following questions: 1. Why and how do you think the sales manager s job will change as we move further into the 21 st century? 2. What criteria would you propose for progressive companies to use in selecting salespeople for promotion to sales manager? 3. What kind of training would you provide to new sales managers? What about additional training for more experienced sales managers? 4. Describe how sales managers can use the latest telecommunications technology and developments in information management to more effectively and efficiently lead and direct the sales force. Your response must be a minimum of two pages in length, double-spaced. References should include at least one additional credible reference beyond the textbook. All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations, and cited per APA guidelines. Unit I Case Study For this assignment, read the case study, J&R Company: Unethical Sales Practices, on pages of your textbook. Once you have read and reviewed the case scenario, respond to the following questions with thorough explanations and well-supported rationale: 1. What questions might Tom have asked himself during this situation to determine whether his actions were ethical? 2. Briefly describe the issues that, in your opinion, are raised in the case, and rate their importance. 3. How could a company code of ethics aid Tom in his decisions? 4. Recommend a course of action that Tom might have taken. Support your recommendations. Your response must be a minimum of one page in length, double-spaced. References should include your textbook plus a minimum of one additional credible reference. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations, and cited per APA guidelines. BBA 3221, Sales Management 2

3 Unit II PowerPoint Presentation Scenario: You are the lead sales representative at your place of employment, and you currently have an opportunity to present your product or service to a prospect that you have been targeting for many months. Based on the seven steps of personal selling, create a 14-slide PowerPoint presentation that does/answers the following: 1. Develop and present an overall sales strategy for this opportunity. 2. Develop a presentation for this opportunity. 3. Discuss what objections you might encounter and how you will counter those objections. 4. Describe the buying signals you may encounter and which technique(s) you would employ to close the business. 5. What, if any, follow up will be needed in order to post close and maintain your new customer? Your PowerPoint presentation must include the following elements: Slide 1: title page Slides 2-3: a summary of the seven steps to personal selling Slide 4: a summary of the overall sales strategy you would use for this opportunity Slides 5-10: the brief sales pitch that you would use to present your product or service to your customer Slide 11: the objections you might encounter for this sales opportunity and how you will counter those objections Slide 12: the buying signals you may encounter and which technique(s) you would use to close the business Slide 13: the follow up item(s) you may need to post close and maintain your customer Slide 14: list of sources (required) using APA guidelines Your submission must be a minimum of 14 slides as detailed above. References should include your textbook plus a minimum of one additional credible reference. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations, and cited per APA guidelines. Unit III Case Study For this assignment, read Case 5.2, Global Container Corporation: Creative Sales Forecasting, on pages of your textbook. Once you have read and reviewed the case scenario, respond to the following questions with thorough explanations and well-supported rationale. 1. How would you estimate the total market potential for Snork-All? What kind of historical data might help with this project? 2. How would you estimate GC s sales potential for Snork-All? Who from GC should be involved in developing the sales estimate? 3. What type of forecasting methods might work best in developing a sales forecast for Snork-All? 4. What would you recommend that Maiko do now? What other information could be used to help develop a better sales forecast for Snork All? Your response must be a minimum of one page in length, double-spaced. References should include your textbook plus a minimum of one additional credible reference. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations, and cited per APA guidelines. Unit IV Case Study For this assignment, read Case 6.1, PlayMart Toyz: Building a Sales Organization, on pages of your textbook. Once you have read and reviewed the case scenario, respond to the following questions with thorough explanations and well-supported rationale. 1. What is the most effective sales and territory organization for PlayMart Toyz? 2. Why did you eliminate other territory organization ideas? BBA 3221, Sales Management 3

4 3. How could PERT and/or other critical path methods help the sales manager be more effective in this situation? What about software or hardware tools? 4. Should Siira focus only on the United States and Canada to achieve PlayMart sales increase objectives? What would be the advantages and disadvantages to this approach? Your response must be a minimum of one page in length, double-spaced. References should include your textbook plus a minimum of one additional credible reference. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations, and cited per APA guidelines. Unit V Case Study For this assignment, read Case 9.1, Hops Distributors, Inc.: Getting the Blend Right, on pages of your textbook. Once you have read and reviewed the case scenario, respond to the following questions with thorough explanations and well-supported rationale: 1. Analyze the new account system. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy from a company standpoint. 2. Analyze the new account system. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy from a salesperson standpoint. 3. What type of training needs will be necessary in order to implement this strategy? 4. After the training of the sales force, what steps should be taken to implement this program? Your response should be a minimum of one page in length, double-spaced. References should include your textbook plus a minimum of one additional credible reference. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations, and cited per APA guidelines. Unit VI Case Study For this assignment, read Case 10.2, Ohlins Chemicals: Leadership and Communication Problems, on pages of your textbook. Once you have read and reviewed the case scenario, respond to the following questions with thorough explanations and well-supported rationale: 1. How would you rate the leadership and communication skills of Ohlins management? Include your rationale. 2. What recommendations do you have for improving the leadership and communication skills of Ohlins sales managers? 3. What do you think Ohlins management might have done to keep Ulrik from leaving, even if all his suggestions could not readily be implemented? 4. What do you think Ulrik should say in his resignation letter to Joan and Mike? Explain your reasoning. Your response should be a minimum of two pages in length, double-spaced. References should include your textbook plus a minimum of one additional credible reference. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations, and cited per APA guidelines. Unit VII PowerPoint Presentation You are a regional manager of business development (RMBD) for an international reference laboratory named Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp website: For the upcoming sales meeting, you have been asked to present a motivational program for newly-promoted sales managers, during which you will teach them techniques to motivate their own sales teams. Compare and contrast three of the leadership theories discussed in Chapter 11 (Hierarchy of Needs Theory, ERG Theory, Needs Theory, Dual Factor Theory, Equity Theory, Expectancy Theory, Attribution Theory, Goal-Setting Theory, and Organizational Behavior Modification Theory). BBA 3221, Sales Management 4

5 You will compile a PowerPoint presentation that you will use to present to these sales managers. Include in your presentation how the theories you chose can be used to help guide your sales managers in their motivational efforts with their own sales teams. Your PowerPoint length must be a minimum of 12 slides, including a title slide and a reference slide. Use of speaker notes is required as well. Unit VIII Project Compensation Plan This project will enable you to apply what you have learned in this course in a real-world situation: developing a comprehensive compensation plan. For the purposes of this assignment, you are a sales manager for the food chemical division of Air Products ( You are tasked with developing a compensation plan for a new sales force that you will be hiring to sell a new line of food additives that will preserve food for a period of five years. Use Figure 12.1 Stages in Developing a Compensation Plan in your textbook (Chapter 12) as a guide in the development and formatting of the plan. Additional information on Air Products is available on the following webpage: ( Stage 1: Job Description o Compile a comprehensive job description, including the position, job purpose, and regular assigned duties. Use the template provided in Table 14.2 in Chapter 14 of the textbook. Stage 2: Specific Objectives o Compile a comprehensive performance valuation evaluation including outcome-based, behavior- based, and professional development measures. Use the template provided in Table 14.3 in Chapter 14 of the textbook. Stage 3: General Levels of Compensation o Compile a sales position analysis addressing the general levels of compensation. Use the template provided in Table 12.2 in Chapter 12 of the textbook. Stage 4: Compensation Mix o Discuss the issues and opportunities to consider when putting together an effective compensation mix. Look at the advantages and disadvantages of using different compensation methods within your sales force. Stage 5: Pretest the Plan o Discuss how you will pretest the plan and the rationale for selecting this method. Stage 6: Administer the Plan o Once the plan is successfully pretested, discuss how you will administer the plan. Stage 7: Evaluate the Plan o Discuss how you will evaluate the plan and the importance of evaluation and review with respect to the overall effectiveness of your compensation plan. This compensation plan must be at least five (5) pages in length, double-spaced, plus title page and reference page. Use an essay format with subheadings. Note the first three stages will probably be longer in length than the final four stages. References should include minimally two credible references plus the textbook and Air Products websites. All sources must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying in-text citations, and cited per APA guidelines. BBA 3221, Sales Management 5

6 APA Guidelines The application of the APA writing style shall be practical, functional, and appropriate to each academic level, with the primary purpose being the documentation (citation) of sources. CSU requires that students use APA style for certain papers and projects. Students should always carefully read and follow assignment directions and review the associated grading rubric when available. Students can find CSU s Citation Guide in the mycsu Student Portal by clicking on the Citation Resources link in the Learning Resources area. This document includes examples and sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Success Center. Grading Rubrics This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities. Rubric categories include: (1) Discussion Board, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment. However, it is possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have Assessments). The Discussion Board rubric can be found within Unit I s Discussion Board submission instructions. The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment. Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting Tools and then My Grades. Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your Discussion Boards, Assessments, and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades. Communication Forums These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students. Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in the Course Menu. Instructions for subscribing/unsubscribing to these forums are provided below. Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums. Ask the Professor This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions. Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration, additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students. Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a nonpublic nature, please feel free to your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or ed by the professor within 48 hours. Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus, assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information. BBA 3221, Sales Management 6

7 Student Break Room This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to share assessment answers. Grading Unit I and VIII Discussion Boards 1%) = 2% Unit II-VII Discussion Boards 3%) = 18% Unit II-V Assessments 4%) = 16% Unit VI Assessment = 6% Unit I Essay = 5% Unit II PowerPoint Presentation = 8% Case Studies 4%) = 20% Unit VII PowerPoint Presentation = 5% Unit VIII Project = 20% Total = 100% Course Schedule/Checklist (PLEASE PRINT) The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted. BBA 3221, Sales Management 7

8 BBA 3221, Sales Management Course Schedule By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted. Please keep this schedule for reference as you progress through your course. Unit I Sales Management Roles, Ethics, and Customer Relationships Unit Study Guide Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide Chapter 1: Introduction to Sales Management and Its Evolving Roles Chapter 2: Managing Ethics in a Sales Environment Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Essay by Tuesday, Case Study by Tuesday, Unit II Marketing and Sales Processes Unit Study Guide Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide Chapter 3: Customer Relationship Management and Building Partnerships Chapter 4: The Selling Process Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Assessment by Tuesday, PowerPoint Presentation by Tuesday, BBA 3221, Sales Management 8

9 BBA 3221, Sales Management Course Schedule Unit III Sales Forecasting and Profitability Analysis Unit Study Guide Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide Chapter 5: Sales Forecasting and Budgeting Chapter 13: Sales Volume, Costs, and Profitability Analysis Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Assessment by Tuesday, Case Study by Tuesday, Unit IV Planning, Organizing, and Managing Time and Territory Unit Study Guide Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide Chapter 6: Sales Force Planning and Organizing Chapter 7: Time and Territory Management Additional Reading Assignment(s): See Study Guide Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Assessment by Tuesday, Case Study by Tuesday, BBA 3221, Sales Management 9

10 BBA 3221, Sales Management Course Schedule Unit V Sales Recruitment and Training Unit Study Guide Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide Chapter 8: Recruiting and Selecting the Sales Force Chapter 9: Training the Sales Force Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Assessment by Tuesday, Case Study by Tuesday, Unit VI Sales Leadership Unit Study Guide Chapter 10: Sales Force Leadership Additional Reading Assignment(s): See Study Guide Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Assessment by Tuesday, Case Study by Tuesday, BBA 3221, Sales Management 10

11 BBA 3221, Sales Management Course Schedule Unit VII Motivating Your Sales Team Unit Study Guide Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide Chapter 11: Sales Force Motivation Additional Reading Assignment(s): See Study Guide Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, PowerPoint Presentation by Tuesday, Unit VIII Sales Force Compensation, Evaluation, and Profitability Unit Study Guide Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide Chapter 12: Sales Force Compensation Chapter 14: Sales Force Performance Evaluation Additional Reading Assignment(s): See Study Guide Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, Project by Tuesday, BBA 3221, Sales Management 11