In this episode, we delve into how educators can actively prepare students for real-world sales challenges, moving beyond rote memorization and final exams. Rich Kuzmeski shares invaluable insights into experiential learning strategies that facilitate student success, enhancing both confidence and competency in the field of sales.Creating Engaging Role Plays for Practical Learning● Role plays designed to mirror real-life scenarios empower students to create their own scripts, fostering ownership and individual learning. ● Students research various industries thoroughly, refining their understanding and relevant questioning techniques necessary for success in sales. ● Structured role plays focus on the discovery call process, allowing students to practice asking impactful questions rather than simply pitching a product. The Importance of Listening and Discovery in Sales● Students often struggle with the fear of silence during sales calls, making it crucial to build their comfort with open-ended questioning and attentive listening. ● Emphasizing a 70/30 listening-to-talking ratio teaches students that effective selling is rooted in understanding customer needs rather than just presenting. ● By structuring prompts to encourage follow-up questions, students learn to drive conversations deeper, uncovering critical insights necessary for making meaningful connections. Extending Learning Beyond the Classroom● Participation in internal and external sales competitions provides students with hands-on experiences that translate classroom knowledge into actionable skills in real-world situations. ● Establishing connections with industry representatives and creating opportunities for networking prepares students for internships and jobs after graduation. ● Achievements in competitions bolster student resumes while enhancing the overall credibility of the sales program, attracting more prospective students and professionals to engage. Homework Challenge or Action Steps● Challenge students to design their own sales role play based on a chosen industry, incorporating both questions and anticipated answers to practice smooth dialogue. ● Encourage educators to implement experiential learning techniques, such as guest speakers and live events, to enrich the educational experience beyond textbooks. "Be honest. It's way easier to remember the truth than it is to remember what you may or may not have made up." ● Rich Kuzmeki.Resources● Oklahoma State University Sales Center(https://business.okstate.edu/sales) ● Sales Competitions Overview(https://business.okstate.edu/sales/competitions) Subscribe to our newsletter - https://open.substack.com/pub/sales101b2bsalesclassroom/p/teaching-professional-selling-for?r=9thf3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=falseCreditsProduced by bluëmango | STUDIOS Music by SoundStripe. Thanks for tuning in!
Have you ever tried to create a courseware for a sales class and just felt like you had no clue what to do? Today, we’re going to share some of the mistakes that we made and how you can avoid them.The Horrors of Starting a Sales Curriculum· Sales leaders and professors are always stuck with one question when building their first curriculum: Where do you even start?· How do you find that perfect balance between a traditional classroom or university learning style and sales, which is such an applied discipline?· We both share our stories about developing our first sales curriculum for our college students. · Our experience also helped us notice the mistakes other sales professors were making.· The common course development mistakes we saw were: trying to cover too much content, creating too many unstructured assignments, and lacking an efficient grading system.Four Steps to Building a Sales Curriculum· Make sure you have a pen and paper ready. We go into the details of each of these steps and the resources that will help you build your sales curriculum.1. Define Your Course’s Focus: You need to know what job role you’re preparing your students for. Are you teaching future entry-level sellers, Business Development Representatives (BDRs), Sales Development Representatives (SDRs), account managers, or something else? · Narrowing this down will help you know what personal experiences you should share and what your core course subjects should be.2. Choose Your Sales Process: Is there a specific process, methodology, or widely recognized industry resource that you use to structure your course? A logical progression is essential. · Sales is a highly applied discipline, and most students taking an intro class don’t even know what professional selling really is. Throwing every possible approach or concept at them at once actually does more harm than good. · Instead, picking a foundation—whether it’s a sales method like Challenger, SPIN, Sandler, or a structured process laid out in a well-regarded textbook—helps you guide students step by step. Each week or module builds on the last, creating continuity and a “map” students can follow.3. Integrate Learning into the Real World: Consider how to bring the realities of sales into the classroom. · Figure out what tools, scenarios, or voices you’re going to use to teach your students. For example, we created a simulation to go along with our textbook, designed assignments on how to use specific tools such as Apollo, and invited industry experts to share their knowledge with our students.4. Make Grading Efficient for You: Design your grading and assignments so your students will know what’s expected. But also tailor it to how you can save time.· Do this by using clear rubrics, integrating assignments, getting help from TAs, and leveraging automation when you can."You can't teach everything in one classroom." - BJ Allen.“It’s tough being able to take 15 - 20 years of experience and give it all to a student. It’s not wise to teach them everything at once, as they won’t be able to absorb it all. They just need enough to get to the next step.” - Donald Kelly.Resources· Get your copy of a...
Join our Substack - https://open.substack.com/pub/sales101b2bsalesclassroom/p/teaching-professional-selling-for?r=9thf3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Welcome to the B2B classroom, students! Our sales podcast is designed to be a resource for college sales students and professionals. We, your co-hosts Donald Kelly and BJ Allen, interview industry experts to get their insights on the current trends in the B2B world.Introducing Ourselves: Donald Kelly and BJ AllenBefore we discuss why we started this podcast, we wanted to introduce ourselves to you and share our story.We teach sales at the college level, co-authored a sales textbook, and designed a simulation that goes along with it. But our friendship goes back years before this; we met at a church mission, and 20-plus years later, we are still making memories together.About the Podcast: Sales 101After teaching hundreds of students and developing numerous partnerships, we're bringing the knowledge of both the classroom and the industry to the sales world.With so much information available, many professors struggle to share their knowledge effectively, and students are often unsure which methods are best to use. We aim to show professors how to build a curriculum from their own expertise—or from others'—and empower students to adopt these proven strategies.The podcast topics include our discussion on one of the most popular topics in the industry: AI in sales. Our past students will come on to share their stories and tell you what they wish they'd known. We will also host industry experts like Mark Hunter and Christy Jones, who will share their real-world experiences.“Our purpose is to become a resource for you.” - Donald Kelly. “We’re both passionate about helping the next rising generation of sellers.” - BJ Allen. Resourceswww.https://sales101podcast.com/Subscribe to our newsletter - https://open.substack.com/pub/sales101b2bsalesclassroom/p/teaching-professional-selling-for?r=9thf3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=falseCredits Audio by SoundStripe.