Sales and Marketing Course Modules

Time:
The exercises in this module will take about 25 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 40 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To have a clear definition of networking.
• To provide some simple hints and tips for networking.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
When running this module we strongly recommend that before the session commences you unobtrusively observe the participants as they mingle and take their seats to see how much interaction and dialogue takes place. It is helpful to assess how well participants know each other already.

Time:
The exercise in this module will take about 25 minutes to complete (but can be shortened if necessary). In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 50 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To encourage participants to think about how and what they communicate to customers, using a slightly unusual perspective.
• To encourage participants to think about the language they use when communicating with customers.
• To show that all communication tells the customer something about the organisation, and that sometimes that’s not the intended message.
• To demonstrate how brand is affected by every piece of communication leaving the organisation.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of almost any size (working in small teams of ideally fewer than 6 people).

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
• A set of ‘Sign of the Times’ cards with enough for at least two cards for each team. (If you’re working with a very large group you may need more than one set.)You might like to add your own signs to the exercise, perhaps including some from the organisation itself.
• Plenty of sheets of flipchart paper.
• Coloured marker pens.
• Blu-tak.

Notes:
This is a powerful exercise that really gets participants to think about the way organisations communicate. It is a useful addition to any customer service training but it is of particular use with groups that are responsible for brand and the way the organisation portrays itself to the outside world. This could be managers within the marketing department, branch managers, recruitment managers etc.

It is suitable for all types of organisation, including public and charitable bodies.

Please Note:
The Sign of the Times Cards are a particularly large file (10mb) and may take a few minutes to download.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed in about 35 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 45 minutes for this module.

Aims:
• To demonstrate the importance of asking a mix of open and closed questions to gain a clear and accurate understanding of a situation.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of between 8 and 24 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
• Teams will need to use a phone to communicate with you during this exercise.
• Break out space for each team to prepare their questions without being overheard.
• 4 plain envelopes to place the team briefs into.
• A copy of the Trainer Record Sheet for you.

Notes:
This can be a very useful exercise for sales people, or anyone who needs to select and ask great questions in order to effectively gather information.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed within 10 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes to complete the module.

Aims:
• To help participants recognise the difference between features and benefits.
• To demonstrate the importance of identifying customer needs and selling to these.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
Whilst this module has been designed with sales staff in mind, it is equally applicable to anyone who needs to think about how they influence others.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed within 45 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 60 minutes to complete the module.

Aims:
• To encourage participants to look at competitors and what they are offering.
• To identify the benefits and unique selling points of the product or service participants sell.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
• Competitor brochures and Internet access.

Notes:
This is a simple exercise, but an important one. Most sales people understand the importance of knowing their own product, but they often have a patchy picture of their competitors' offerings. Participants will need access to the internet for this exercise.

Time:
The exercises in this module will take about 30 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 60 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To define and briefly explore the concept of Customer Relationship Management.
• To consider the types of data that helps organisations manage their customer relationships and where this can be found.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This is the first of a series of four modules that look at Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as a topic in its own right. In this first module, we look at what is meant by CRM and why it is important. The exercise looks at information required in order to start planning a customer relationship strategy.

Time:
This exercise will take about 30 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 60 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To consider the importance of IT in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy.
• To introduce participants to predictive analytics and data mining.
• To consider how data can be used within the participants' organisation.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This is the third in a series of four modules that look at CRM as a topic in its own right.

Further modules on this subject include CRM 1 - Introducing CRM, CRM 2 - Customer Perspective and the practical exercise based CRM 4 - A Plan for Dune Races.

This module looks at the use of data as part of a customer relationship strategy. Such use must take account of the implications of the Data Protection Act and privacy laws. The following is a link to the Information Commissioner’s Office website, which is a great source of information about privacy and data protection legislation: www.ico.gov.uk/.

Overseas customers – the Data Protection Action is UK legislation that governs the way customer data is collected and stored – you may have similar legislation to consider.

Time:
The exercises in this module will take about 45 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 75 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To identify approaches and ideas that could be used in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy.
• To develop a strategy based on the information provided about Dune Races.
• To share ideas and thoughts about what makes an effective CRM strategy.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
• A small prize for the winning team would be a nice touch.

Notes:
This is the fourth in a series of four modules that look at Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as a topic in its own right.

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed in about 30 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 75 minutes for this module.

Aims:
• To help participants understand the importance of only using discounts at the appropriate point in the sales process and the risks of using them too soon.
• To help participants understand how buyers attach value and the relationship between value, desire and discounts.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Anyone involved in sales.

You'll Need:
• To prepare one set of Sales Process Cards for each team participating. (We recommend laminating the cards so they can be reused.)

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed in about 55 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 75 minutes for this module.

Aims:
• To help sales professionals recognise and understand the barriers they must overcome.
• To help participants plan a sales approach that is empathetic and engaging.
• To help participants plan a strategy that addresses customers concerns and quickly lets the customer know what’s in it for them.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of up to 14 participants.

Useful For:
Anyone involved in sales, particularly telephone-based sales.

You'll Need:
• A flipchart and pens for each team.

Notes:
We’d like to thank Giles Smith of PGL Travel for his help developing this exercise, which was born on a Trainers’ Library Masterclass.

Time:
The exercise in this module will take about 20 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To encourage participants to consider their attitude.
• To encourage discussion around optimistic versus pessimistic outlooks.
• To recognise the impact that attitude has on performance.
• To enable participants to identify personal traits that might be holding them back.
• To encourage leaders to consider how they might deal with negative attitudes in their team.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This module provides an excellent opportunity, when working with a wide range of participants, to consider how attitude can impact on performance. Topics where the inclusion of a module looking at optimism/pessimism might be beneficial include:
• Managing change.
• Problem solving and decision making.
• Customer service.
• Selling skills.
• Leading a team.
• Strategic leadership.
• Communication skills.
• Planning and scheduling.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Time:
The exercise in this module will take about 20 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 50 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To demonstrate the importance of exploring customers' needs through questioning, listening and checking understanding.

Group Size:
For this exercise you will need groups of 4 or 6. Where necessary make up the numbers by participating yourself. Where you have more than 6 participants, run the exercise concurrently in more than one place.

Useful For:
Staff up to team leader.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This exercise can form a useful part of any training for those new to a sales role. It encourages participants to focus on the needs of the customer, rather than their own sales patter.

Time:
The exercise in this module will take about 15 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To raise awareness of different networking opportunities.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This is a useful follow on to A Brief Introduction to Networking.

Time:
The exercise in this module will take about 30 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 50 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To provide an opportunity for sales consultants to practise 'selling'.
• To identify areas for improvement in the sales technique employed.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Sales staff.

You'll Need:
A selection of local and national newspapers.

Notes:
This module provides a useful follow up to 'Overcoming Sales Blocks'. With experienced staff, you are likely to discover that despite what they identified in that module, they revert to describing features in this exercise, and spend most of the time talking, rather than listening.

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed in either 55 or 75 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 75 or 120 minutes for this module.

Aims:
• To identify common objections that participants face when trying to sell a product or service.
• To identify ways of challenging objections in a constructive way using open questions and persuasive statements.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 15 participants.

Useful For:
All sales staff.

You'll Need:
Nothing extra but access to a photocopier will be useful as you might wish to photocopy the best examples from the participants for distribution.

If you have an app such as CamScanner Pro you can use your phone or tablet to create PDFs of the best objection handling ideas generated to email to the group after training.

Notes:
This module consists of a practical exercise that builds on participants' real experiences. It is ideally suited to teams that naturally work together selling the same product or service, but can also be used with groups from different organisations. The module will help participants develop strategies for handling objections like, "We've decided it's too expensive for us", or "It's not for now but we might consider it in the future."

The module consists of two exercises. The second exercise is optional and may not be appropriate if time is short or if the same learning points will be covered elsewhere in your training.

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed within 30 minutes if working with a group of 10-12 participants. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 45-50 minutes for this module.

Aims:
• To identify why potential customers don’t like receiving sales calls.
• To consider the skills that sales consultants will need to use to get their message heard by potential buyers.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Telesales staff.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This module can be used as an effective introduction to telesales training. As the training progresses, you are likely to discover that, having identified the skills they should be using, participants may fail to actually apply these in practical ‘role-play’ or simulation type exercises, and instead slip into bad habits. So we recommend that you encourage participants to use the lists of ‘good’ behaviours they generate to refer to when planning and then reviewing their performance in later role-play/simulation tasks.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Time:
This game can be played in about 30 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion and evaluation, we recommend allowing 60 minutes.

Aims:
• To examine common problems/conundrums associated with call centres and telesales and discuss ways of overcoming these.
• To highlight and share best practices and tips for making calls successful.

Skills and Behaviours Tested:
Telesales and telephone skills, customer service, communication skills, effective questioning, building rapport, creative thinking and problem solving.

Group Size:
In this exercise participants can play individually, although we recommend they play in pairs/small teams.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
• A counter for every team.
• Dice.
• A 'Pitfalls and Trampolines' game board and a set of Pitfalls cards and Trampoline cards for each game in play.

Notes:
Pitfalls and Trampolines is a fun board game. It can be used at any point within a training event, but is perhaps most useful as a tool for reviewing key learning points and for sharing knowledge and ideas.

Some of the cards may not be applicable to your participants so, before starting the exercise, review all of the Pitfalls and Trampoline cards and remove any that aren't relevant.

Endorsed by The National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers, NASBTT.

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed in about 30 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 60 minutes for this module.

Aims:
• To generate a list of open questions that can be used during participants’ sales calls/meetings.
• To generate a list of unique selling points for the product or service that participants sell.
• To group these according to where they would most naturally be used in the sales process.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 15 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
• Plenty of post-it notes.
• Flipchart paper and pens.

Notes:
This module provides a useful follow on to Talking Brochure or Sales Person? and Sales Call Analysis.

It’s a practical module that will give participants a simple, yet effective tool to use in their future sales calls or meetings.

This module requires that participants are all involved in selling the same product or service and is not suited to open courses with participants from different organisations.

Time:
The exercise in this module will take about 25 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 45 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To analyse a typical sales call and identify areas for improvement.
• To assess who does most of the talking in a typical sales call.
• To consider the importance of open questions in sales calls.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 15 participants.

Useful For:
Sales staff.

You'll Need:
• Two stopwatches and recording equipment.

Notes:
This exercise is a useful pre-cursor to training for existing telesales teams when your objective is to increase the amount of dialogue between the customer and sales person and to increase the number of open questions used.

Time:
The exercises in this module will take about 20 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To build awareness of basic networking skills.
• To provide a model that will help participants get the most from their networking opportunities.
• To provide an opportunity for participants to practise their networking skills.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of any size.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
One whole postcard per participant, plus a few spare ones. Select postcards with a variety of images: Countryside, coastal, historic buildings, modes of transport, animals etc.

Notes:
This module is a useful icebreaker for any networking event. It can also be used as an ideal follow-on to 'A Brief Introduction to Networking'.

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed in about 15 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 30 minutes for this module.

Aims:
• To encourage participants to find things they have in common.
• To consider the impact on relationships of finding common ground.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This exercise can be used as an icebreaker, and can provide a particularly powerful introduction to sales or negotiation skills courses.

It can also be used on equal opportunities and diversity programmes, where it can be used to highlight a potential barrier to equal opportunities.

It can even be used to highlight one barrier to creativity and innovation within organisations.

This is a great exercise for building rapport between participants and is particularly useful with a group that do not know each other very well.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed in about 15 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 30 minutes for this module if working with a group of 10-12 participants. It is therefore also ideal as a topic specific icebreaker.

Aims:
• To identify how a sales person differs from a brochure.
• To highlight key skills used by ‘great’ sales people.
• For existing sales teams, to identify areas where the current approach could be improved.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of up to 15 participants.

Useful For:
Sales staff.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This module provides trainers with a useful way of introducing sales skills training to those already in a sales role and those new to sales.

It can also be used as an icebreaker to illustrate the need for change and to highlight areas for improvement.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library - Tell or Sell?.

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed within 30 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 45 minutes for this module.

Aims:
• To give participants an opportunity to develop an effective 30-second sales pitch.
• To test the pitch for effectiveness.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:

• A stopwatch or timer.

Notes:
This exercise can be used in sales training, or any training where you want to develop participants’ influencing skills.

For example, you might want to end a creative problem solving course by asking participants to develop a 30-second sales pitch for their favourite idea.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library - The 30-Second Pitch.

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed in about 10 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 40 minutes for this module.

Aims:
• To demonstrate how our own beliefs, values and past experiences affect how we perceive people and situations.
• To raise awareness of how often unconscious bias impacts upon our perceptions of others.
• To understand the impact of unconscious bias on our interactions with others and the decisions we take.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of almost any size.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
If using this exercise with very large groups, place participants into pairs.

Unconscious bias can apply to a range of topics and can be included in training on Recruitment, Equal Opportunities, Customer Service and Performance Management, etc.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Time:
The exercises in this module will take about 20 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 40 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To consider the importance of credibility when seeking to influence others.
• To understand the link between perceived expertise, relationships and credibility.
• To provide an opportunity for participants to consider how much credibility they have with those they are seeking to influence.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
If you want to go on and cover building relationships in more detail we recommend that you look at in some of the modules under ‘Negotiation’, for example Building Rapport and Different Perspectives.