Sales Essentials Course

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Overview

In our Sales Essentials Course, you will improve your selling techniques and processes to increase sales and customer retention. The course is 6-weeks long and is suited for entrepreneurs who are looking to align their sales efforts with their social impact mission and values.

What You Will Learn

Unit

Topics Covered
Introduction
  • Look at different sales interactions and what’s working and not working
  • Discuss how you want to show up in the sales process
  • Define what values you want to convey in the sales process
Cultivating Relationships
  • Gain an understanding of how effective sales strategies start with building a relationship with the customer
  • Learn how to build trust and nurture customer relationships through a consultative sales process
  • Develop a customer intake questionnaire to assess customer fit
Demonstrating Value
  • Discuss how to articulate your value proposition in the sales process
  • Learn how to overcome customer objections in the sales process
  • Develop a value proposition positioning statement and responses to frequently asked questions
Defining Your Sales Process
  • Learn how to map out your sales process
  • Discuss ways to improve sales through automation, marketing, education, and other methods
  • Map out your sales process(es) and identify areas for improvement
Tracking Your Customer Data
  • Learn the benefits of using a customer relationship management system to track customer data
  • Discuss how to choose a customer relationship management system and what data elements are relevant
  • Identify the customer data elements you want to track and how you want to track them
Growing Your Sales Team
  • Gain an understanding of when it makes sense to start building a sales team
  • Learn how a sales manual can help you keep your sales strategy organized and prepare for building a sales team
  • Develop a sales manual to document your sales strategies

Prerequisites

Must be making sales to customers or have letters of intent for sales to potential customers, have a basic website and social media for your business, and have an up-to-date business plan.

Commit to Building Your Business

Average time commitment for our Sales Essentials Course is 8 hours / week dedicated to building your business, and includes the following weekly activities:

Title

Weekly Activity Weekly Commitment
Background Materials
  • Series of required background readings and videos on each unit to be completed online prior to the weekly workshop sessions
  • Describes concepts and their applications in developing a business

1-2 hours / week

Workshops
  • Weekly workshop sessions led by an expert instructor
  • Lecture and discussion on background materials, group activities, and reflection

2 hours / week

Business Development Activities
  • Weekly activities focused on your business development
  • Apply concepts learned in background materials and workshops

3-4 hours / week

Peer Mentoring
  • Weekly video conference with small peer group of other entrepreneurs in your course
  • Present weekly business development activities and receive constructive feedback from peers

1 hour / week

Meet Your Mentors

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To take our Sales Essentials Course, you must be enrolled in our Entrepreneur Academy.

Our Entrepreneur Academy is a year-long entrepreneurship certificate program to support small business owners in creating plans, improving operations, accessing capital, and developing leadership capabilities to build resilient businesses with social impact.

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