Information on individual educational components (ECTS-Course descriptions) per semester

Sales and Account Management

Degree programme International Business Administration
Subject area Business and Management
Type of degree Bachelor
Full-time
Summer Semester 2024
Course unit title Sales and Account Management
Course unit code 025008042206
Language of instruction English
Type of course unit (compulsory, optional) Elective
Teaching hours per week 2
Year of study 2024
Level of the course / module according to the curriculum
Number of ECTS credits allocated 3
Name of lecturer(s) Richard FLAX
Requirements and Prerequisites

Successful completion of all courses of the module Marketing and Sales.

Course content
  • Customer Relationship Management (analytical, operative, communicative, collaborative CRM), CRM tools; management of customer data.
  • Key account management, customer potential analysis, customer value (e.g. RFM, ABC analysis)
  • Sales strategies, sales cycles
  • Customer acquisition
  • Necessary competences in sales, sales talk or negotiations, handling objections
  • Building and maintaining customer relationships
  • Sales organisation (structures & processes), sales channels and sales partners
  • Consultative selling, direct and indirect sales
  • Incentivisation in sales, sales planning and control
  • Lead management (e.g. lead scoring), lead nurturing (e.g. marketing automation)
  • Cross- and up-selling, after-sales management
  • Success factors sales manager & sales organisation
  • Legal framework (e.g. cold calling)
  • Developments, trends and scientific findings
  • B2B case studies
Learning outcomes

In addition to a stringent marketing strategy or a clear positioning of the products and services of a company, the success of the sales activities significantly determines the sales and thus the turnover of a business model. This course provides access to the elementary aspects of (B2B) sales, especially for students of the Marketing to Sales specialisation.

The students learn about the advantages and disadvantages of incentive systems and control measures in sales. They can explain the approaches of lead management and lead nurturing, such as lead scoring and marketing automation, and know common CRM tools and their functions.

The students can discuss structures and processes of the sales organisation, describe the development and maintenance of customer relationships and they understand the importance of customer relationship management (CRM) for the systematic design of customer relationship processes. The tasks and challenges of key account management can be described in their own words.

The students learn in role plays and exercises to conduct sales talks and to deal with possible customer objections.

 

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Interactive course with lecture, case studies, exercises in individual and group work, presentations and homework.

Assessment methods and criteria

Pre-assignment, participation during the seminar in the form of contributions and short presentations (individual or group assignments), post-assignment, individual weighting as determined by the instructors, announcement at the beginning of the semester

Comment

None

Recommended or required reading

Cravens, David W.; Le Meunier-Fitzhugh, Kenneth; Piercy, Nigel F. (2013): The Oxford Handbook of Strategic Sales and Sales Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jobber, David; Lancaster, Geoff; Le Meunier-Fitzhugh, Kenneth (2019). Selling and Sales Management. Harlow: Pearson.

McDonald, Malcom; Rogers, Beth (2019): Malcom McDonald on Key Account Management. London: Kogan Page.

Woodburn, Diana; McDonald, Malcom (2011): Key Account Management. Chichester: Wiley. 

Mode of delivery (face-to-face, distance learning)

Classes with compulsory attendance