Marketing Design

MKTC1200: Professional Sales

The Marketing Design Program at DCTC offers a great experience for students in the MKTC1200 Professional Sales course. The course allows students to meet with professionals working in the sales field to better understand the selling process. These sales professionals meet with the students in either information interviews or through job shadowing experiences. These types of connections allow the students to better understand sales professionals' various selling styles. The students also have the opportunity to ask advice about their future sales careers.

We invite sales professionals to contact Carie.Statz@dctc.edu if they are interested in participating as a mentor to students.

Course Description

Course examines the knowledge and skills required of an effective salesperson. Students will examine methods of identifying prospects, securing appointments, pre-approach planning, gaining attention and interest, understanding prospects' wants and needs, obtaining agreement of concerns and solutions, showcasing product benefits, handling sales resistance, identifying and responding to buying signals, sale-closing techniques, post-call analysis and customer retention techniques.

Course Goals

The following list of course goals will be addressed in the course. These goals are directly related to the performance objectives.

  1. Gain knowledge from sales professionals in the field.
  2. Explain methods to evaluate sales efficiency
  3. Understand target customers
  4. Explain ethical considerations when negotiating
  5. Define inbound/outbound calls
  6. Define telemarketing objectives
  7. Capture customer attention/interest
  8. Explain the use of promotions
  9. Respond to buying signals
  10. Anticipate customer needs and wants
  11. Showcase your product or service
  12. Confirm communication message
  13. Develop customer retention strategies
  14. Define method of approach
  15. Determine customer solvency
  16. Critique your sales techniques
  17. Explain how to obtain referrals
  18. Explain a "warm call"
  19. Explain salesperson compensation programs
  20. Utilize observation skills
  21. Plan several types of sales contacts
  22. Use verbal visualization
  23. Clarify objections
  24. Prepare statistical facts/figures
  25. Write sales proposals
  26. Determine negotiation strategies
  27. Explain the value of demographic information
  28. Evaluate expenses incurred in sales
  29. Share best practices
  30. Prepare displays for sales shows/expos
  31. Communicate sales orders to internal customers
  32. Do cost benefit analysis
  33. Explain competitive bid process
  34. Differentiate between profit and non-profit customers/prospects
  35. Identify presentation team members
  36. Track progress
  37. Record activity
  38. Explain when follow-up is appropriate
  39. Evaluate discounting principles
  40. Turn a no into a yes
  41. Conversational control techniques
  42. Show them the benefits
  43. Understand the current laws pertaining to a sales career
  44. Compare and contrast your competition
  45. Create a proposal
  46. Job shadow sales professionals
  47. Identify Time Management Tactics
  48. Identify how new technology aids in the sales process