Sales Practice Perfection
The success of the programs of ISAM and the enthusiasm of our participants have inspired us to ask a recurring question: What’s next? The programme Sales Practice Perfection, introduced in 2007, gives an answer to this question. The first participants’ reactions to this new module were very positive; in the general evaluation they gave an average score of 9 out of 10 for the contents!
Sales Practice Perfection is suited for participants who would like to acquire more practical knowledge; therefore, an ISAM mindset is required for success in the course. Sales Practice Perfection can be considered a very useful continuation of the two regular ISAM courses, i.e., Strategic Account Management and Sales & Account Leadership. Whereas these two courses are particularly aimed at strengthening and changing the mindset of the participants, the Sales Practice Perfection program aims to put the learned mindset and related capacities into “practice to perfection’”!
Sales Practice Perfection not only builds upon themes that are covered in the other ISAM sales courses but also takes into account the actual implementation of ideas and theories. In the new course the actual methodology of the sales professional is discussed so that he or she is helped to perfect this further. The practical character of the programme, therefore, leads to an enrichment of the participant’s current knowledge. During the course participants will learn to carry out concretely what is taught. To this end the Harvard Business School Case Method will be used intensively.
Insights gained from cases studied in the course are applied to participants’ own real situations so that they can excel further in their sales practice. Moreover, since team selling becomes more and more important in practice, this program will emphasize team behavior. The team approach is what makes Sales Practice Perfection interesting for both (key) account managers and sales managers as well as for the (commercial) executive board.
Concrete questions that will be answered during this course include the following:
- How do we delineate a “buying process” and how do we align an account team with the sales strategy?
- How do we develop creativity within teams during the “shaping” of customers?
- How can we effectively coach colleagues and team members?
- How can insights in neuro-economics help us in compiling teams?
- What foundations should we lay in order to enter and remain on our customers’ agendas?
- How do we build a “sales control framework” that will help our team improve the results?
- When and how do we make customers part of our sales approach and account strategy?
- What are effective negotiation strategies and how can we apply these?
- How do we inspire our colleagues and team members (before, during and after customer visits)?
- What are the most important points for attention when recruiting and guiding salespeople?
The participants work on a case in teams during the 6 course days. Although the focus is on personal perfection, we also consider organizational conditions and scenarios. Moreover, there is room for examining personal cases and exchanging experiences. At the end of the program participants will have gained new knowledge, concrete experiences and inspiration to continue improving their sales methodology.
After completing the course, participants will receive an official “Sales Practice Perfection” certificate from Erasmus University Rotterdam. This course is at the highest level in the Netherlands. Both participants and their employers have derived a high level of satisfaction from its completion
