Professional Selling in the Contemporary Marketplace

Chapter One An Overview of Contemporary Professional Selling
The Sales Profession in the Relational Selling Era
Relational Selling Techniques
Customer Lifetime Value
Calculating CLV
Economic Importance of Professional Selling
Employment Opportunities of Sales and Sales-Related Occupations
Sales Roles in Organizations
Business Development Sales Representative
Account Manager
Strategic Account Manager
Missionary Salesperson
Sales Engineer
Outside Sales Representative
Inside Sales Representative
Strategic Importance of the Sales Function
Unique Benefits of a Sales Career
Key Steps of the Selling Process and Major Skillsets
The Selling Process
Major Skillsets
Professional Selling in Specialized Fields
Selling to Healthcare Providers
Selling to Nonprofit Organizations
Selling to Government Agencies
Services Marketing
Emerging Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges in Professional Selling

Chapter Two Understanding How Buyers Buy
Why Do You Shop? Why Do You Buy?
The Different Phases of the Buying Process
Applying a Selling Scenario to the Different Phases of the Buying Process
Uncovering Customer Needs and Value Selling Within the Buying Processes
Buyer’s Journey
Aligning the Buyer’s Journey with the Selling Process
Two Main Types of Buying Situations: B2C and B2B
B2B Buying: Challenges and Opportunities
Technology Continues to Change the B2B Selling Process
What is a Buying Center and Who Are the Members and What Are Their Roles on Organization Buying?
The Different Types of B2B Buying Situations
Do You Know Your Customers and What Motivates Them?
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid
Adjusting the Selling Process to the Personality of the Buyer
Social Style Matrix
Dimensions of Social Styles
Examples of Celebrity Social Style Types
Analytical Social Style
Selling to an Analytical
Amiable Social Style
Selling to an Amiable
Driver Social Style
Selling to a Driver
Expressive Social Style
Selling to an Expressive
Creating Value with a Relationship Strategy

Chapter Three Preparation
A Customer-Focused Sales Framework: Preparation
What is Prospecting?
Explain Why Prospecting Plays an Important and Challenging Role in the Selling Process
Steps in the Prospecting Process
Identifying Prospects
Qualifying Prospects
Prioritizing Prospects
Why is it Important to do Your Research Before Making an Introductory Sales Call?
What Type of Information Should be Gathered During the Prospect Process?
Why is it Important to Perform an Environmental Scan of a Prospect’s Industry?
Sales Reps Should be Aware of the Competitive Forces Shaping the Structure and Competitive Interaction Within an Industry
Know the Prospect’s Company by Analyzing Each Category of the 5 Cs of the Micro-Environment
Prospecting Techniques to Grow Your Leads and Prospects Lists
What is Market Intelligence?
Sources of Information for Business Intelligence
What is FAB? Explain the Preparation for an Introductory Sales Call Using the Selling Technique (FAB)
What is Account-Based Sales Development and How is it Used in the Strategic Prospecting Process?
Business-to-Government (B2G) Selling

Chapter Four Attention
A Customer-Focused Sales Framework: Attention
Introduction: The Attention Phase of the Sales Process
Initial Appointment
The Elevator Sales Pitch
Overview of the Elevator Sales Pitch
Outline of the Elevator Sales Pitch
Establishing Presentation Objectives
Favorable First Impression
Attention Getting and Interest Arousal
Differences between Selling Goods versus Selling Services
Goods-Based Selling
Service-Based Selling

Chapter Five Examination
Creating Value through Consultative Selling
What is Consultative Selling?
Key Differences between Transactional Selling and Consultative Selling
Core Competencies of Consultative Selling
Identify Customer Needs
Importance of Understanding Customer Needs
Customer Needs Analysis
Need Discovery Questioning Techniques
What is SPIN Selling?
The Role of Active Listening

Chapter Six Prescription
Offering Value-Added Solutions
Complex Sales versus Transactional Sales
Solution Selling
Sales Presentation Strategies
The Features–Advantages–Benefits (FAB) Framework
The Relative Impact of Features, Advantages, and Benefits
Presentation Styles: Canned versus Tailored Sales Presentations
Informative versus Persuasive Presentations
Designing Effective Sales Presentations
Quantifying the Solution
Visual Aids
Body Language in Sales Presentations
Group Presentations

Chapter Seven Conviction and Motivation
The Gateway to Customer Commitment
Elements of Customer Value
Categories of Customer Value in Business-to-Business Sales
Providing Sales Proofs
Identify and Handle Common Customer Objections
Forestalling Customer Objections
Strategies to Handle Customer Objections
Common Types of Customer Objections
General Techniques for Handling Objections
Sales Negotiation Strategies
Preparation and Planning for Sales Negotiations
Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement
Sales Negotiation Techniques
Taking the Pulse with Trial Closing

Chapter Eight Completion and Partnering
A Customer-Focused Sales Framework: Completion and Partnering
Introduction to Completion and Partnering
Review Customer’s Specific Value Propositions
Recognizing Closing Cues
Define Closing the Sale
Closing Tips
Classification of Closing Methods (adapted from Delvecchio et al.)
Closing Methods
Building Long-Term Partnerships with Service Excellence
How are AI and Social Media Changing the Completion and Partnership Stage of the Sales Process?
Strategies for Selling to Non-Profit Organizations

Chapter Nine Supplemental Chapter on Professional Selling Ethics
Increasing Importance of Ethics in Professional Selling
Sales Ethics Concepts and Principles
Professional Selling to the Construction Industry and the Ethical Benefits of Trust-Based Partnering
Know How to Overcome Price Objections
Trust-Based Ethical Partnering
Ethics Compliance Participation and Certification

Appendix
Preparations for Sales Competitions
Preparing for Role-Play
Preparing for Speed Selling
Preparing for Sales Resume and Interview
Preparing for Ethics Case