MKTG09029 2023 Digital Sales Practice

Sales practice examines  the strategic importance of sales activity for a firm.  It focuses on the design and implementation of a digital sales culture within an organisation as well as on the management of a digital sales strategy.  The student will learn to integrate knowledge, skills and competencies from the sales discipline in order to add value to a business offering.

One of the best-selling books on selling ever published, Strategic Selling presented the idea of selling as a joint venture and introduced the influential concept of 'win-win'. The response to 'win-win' was immediate, forever changing sales and marketing with its rejection of manipulative tactics. It helped to turn Miller Heiman, the company that created Strategic Selling, into a global leader in sales and development, with the most prestigious client list in the industry.A genuine business classic, this latest, third edition of The New Strategic Selling confronts the rapidly evolving world of business-to-business sales with real-world examples, strategies for confronting the competition and a special new section featuring the most commonly asked challenging questions from the Miller Heiman workshop. It remains essential reading for sales directors, managers and executives in any type of company.

"Most firms face a wide gap between their strategic goals and their sales and other go-to-market efforts. Aligning these activities is - or should be - an important component of competitive advantage for entrepreneurs and established companies. Yet for most, it isn't ... This book is about aligning strategy and go-to-market efforts. It starts by explaining why many sales problems in companies are really strategic alignment issues. It helps managers understand and diagnose both the overt and hidden costs of not aligning strategic goals with sales initiatives, and why getting better at selling typically requires more than a motivational speech, sales force reorganization, new incentives, or a good training seminar. It outlines a process for articulating strategy in ways that people in the field can understand and in ways that help strategy formulators understand the required sales tasks inherent in strategic plans for the enterprise. Given a coherent strategy, the book provides a framework for analyzing and managing the core levers available to firms when they seek to align selling behaviors with sales tasks, and examines each lever. Readers will learn how to synchronize strategy and sales activities across the organization, and get value from improving their firm's performance in the following areas: - How to move from a strategic vision to an integrated selling plan- How to build a sales organization to match strategy- How to create and maintain the optimal infrastructure and processes"--Publisher's description.

Boost sales results by zeroing in on the metrics that matter most Sales may be an art, but sales management is a science. Cracking the Sales Management Code reveals that science and gives practical steps to identify the metrics you must measure to manage toward success. Arthur Dorfman, National Vice President, SAP Cracking the Sales Management Code is a must-read for anyone who wants to bring his or her sales management team into the 21st century. Mike Nathe, Senior Vice President, Essilor Laboratories of America The authors correctly assert that the proliferation of management reporting has created a false sense of control for sales executives. Real control is derived from clear direction to the fieldand this book tells how do to that in an easy-to-understand, actionable manner. Michael R. Jenkins, Signature Client Vice President, AT&T Global Enterprise Solutions There are things that can be managed in a sales force, and there are things that cannot. Too often sales management doesnt see the difference. This book is invaluable because it reveals the manageable activities that actually drive sales results. John Davis, Vice President, St. Jude Medical Cracking the Sales Management Code is one of the most important resources available on effective sales management. . . . It should be required reading for every sales leader. Bob Kelly, Chairman, The Sales Management Association A must-read for managers who want to have a greater impact on sales force performance. James Lattin, Robert A. Magowan Professor of Marketing, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University This book offers a solution to close the gap between sales processes and business results. It shows a new way to think critically about the strategies and tactics necessary to move a sales team from good to great! Anita Abjornson, Sales Management Effectiveness, Abbott Laboratories About the Book: There are literally thousands of books on selling, coaching, and leadership, but what about the particulars of managing a sales force? Where are the frameworks, metrics, and best practices to help you succeed? Based on extensive research into how world-class companies measure and manage their sales forces, Cracking the Sales Management Code is the first operating manual for sales management. In it you will discover: The five critical processes that drive sales performance How to choose the right processes for your own team The three levels of sales metrics you must collect Which metrics you can manage and which ones you cant How to prioritize conflicting sales objectives How to align seller activities with business results How to use CRM to improve the impact of coaching As Neil Rackham writes in the foreword: Theres an acute shortage of good books on the specifics of sales management. Cracking the Sales Management Code is about the practical specifics of sales management in the new era, and it fills a void. Cracking the Sales Management Code fills that void by providing foundational knowledge about how the sales force works. It reveals the gears and levers that actually control sales results. It adds clarity to things that you intuitively know and provides insight into things that you dont. It will change the way you manage your sellers from day to day, as well as the results you get from year to year.

In this practical and research-based guide for sales managers, Harvard Business School professor Frank Cespedes offers essential strategies for thriving in an industry that never stops changing. The rise of e-commerce. Big data. AI. Given these trends (and many others), there's no doubt that sales is changing. But much of the current conventional wisdom is misleading and not supported by empirical data. If you as a manager fail to separate fact from hype, you will make decisions based on faulty assumptions and, in a competitive market, eventually fall behind those with a keener grasp of the current selling environment. In this book, sales expert and professor Frank Cespedes provides sales managers and executives with the tools they need to separate the signal from the noise. These include how to: Hire the right talentnot just stars Pay and properly incentivize your sales force Improve ROI from your training programs Create a comprehensive sales model that aligns with your strategy Set the right prices Build and manage a multichannel approach Chock-full of examples, research, guidelines, and diagnostics, Sales Management That Works is the book you need to build a great sales team, create an optimal strategy, and steer clear of hype and fads.

Unprecedented upheavals in routes-to-market are challenging businesses of all types. Products are becoming services, online and offline channels are integrating, and new distribution channels are dictating terms to producers. The third edition of Distribution Channels re-positions itself as Sales and Marketing Channels, placing market access at the heart of business and marketing strategy. This global bestseller delivers a rational economic framework to analyze, plan and manage profitable channels to market. It addresses emerging business models and buying behaviours with practical steps, ensuring maximum leverage of channel partners at every stage of the go-to-market process. Sales and Marketing Channels, a fully-revised third edition, takes a multi-sector approach with an entire new series of specialist sections for application to any business. This efficient structure extracts tangible commercial value from partner relationships, integrating innovative case studies like AirBNB, the largest seller of rooms without ownership of any; Transferwise, the peer-to-peer Forex; plus the rise of online retailers like Amazon and ASOS versus the decline of traditional stores like Macy's or BHS. Updates include the impact of cloud technology, advancing consumer channels, monetizing the distribution of intellectual property and the evolving 'gig economy', led by Uber and Deliveroo. Often referred to as the "Place" P in the marketing mix, this book and its host of downloadable resources are an essential toolkit for strategizing new and existing routes to market.

Teach your sales reps how to confront and work through complex challenges using an innovative change management model designed with sales teams in mind.

Develop the selling skills that are proven to boost sales performance and results, with a greater understanding of the values that customers actually look for in sales people.

Understand how to reach and engage with the modern-day consumer using this bestseller. Social Selling outlines how to implement a social selling strategy and develop new relationships through social networks. Social Selling is a practical, step-by-step blueprint on how to create digital communities and build and turn relationships into sales online. Featuring checklists, tips and examples providing practical guidance, it covers important subjects such as how to network purposely and build social media trust in a mistrustful time and how to develop real influence and authority in your subject area. Now newly revised, the second edition of Social Selling captures the latest changes and developments in the industry. It will be accompanied by a new introductory chapter, two new chapters on defining digital businesses and the future of sales and marketing, alongside new case studies by leading industry experts. It is also accompanied by eight bonus 'how-to' articles, giving more depth on how to run the processes discussed in the book. Written by a thought-leader and renowned practitioner in social selling, Tim Hughes, this book is essential reading for sales professionals, digital sales directors and social media executives who want to embrace the power of social selling in their organization.

Optimize your B2B selling by using social media to identify leads, build mutually valuable relationships and convert them into sales for long-term advantage. 78% of social sellers outsell peers who don't use social media. And yet many B2B sales professionals still aren't confident in using social media in a strategic way, or to measure its success. B2B Social Selling provides a clear framework for identifying the right social channels, connecting with potential and existing customers and measuring success against objectives and KPIs. Featuring original research, case studies and interviews with industry professionals, it also shows how to create content to attract attention and gain trust, work with B2B influencers and create a social selling culture. Also exploring how to integrate social selling with other sales and marketing channels, it is supported by online interactive tools and templates to be used to create and execute your own social selling strategy. Written by a recognized social media expert, B2B Social Selling is an indispensable guide for B2B sales, marketing and social media professionals.

Transform your company by adopting disruptive selling strategies and empowering customers, through unique digital innovation relevant to both B2B and B2C companies.

Journals

European Business Review

European Journal of Marketing

Harvard Business Review

International Marketing Review

Irish Marketing Journal

Irish Marketing Review

Journal of Marketing

Journal of Sales Management

Journal of Sales Marketing Management

Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing

Journal of Marketing Practice

Journal of Personnel Selling and Sales Management

McKinsey Quarterly

Marketing Intelligence and Planning

Sloan Management Review 

www.mii.ie 

www.ama.org

https://www.hubspot.com

https://www.salesforce.com

Blogs

https://www.salesforce.com/

http://partnersinexcellenceblog.com/

http://blog.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/

https://blog.close.com/calling-on-sequences/

https://predictablerevenue.com/blog

https://www.jillkonrath.com/sales-blog

Magazines/Newspapers

Marketing Magazine

Business and Finance

Business Week

The Irish Times

The Sunday Times

The Sunday Business Post

WARC