Learning and Development Specialist: Duties, Skills, and Career Growth
November 22, 2024
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Prepare Yourself for a Sales Management Career. Master knowledge and techniques to manage an effective sales force.
Instructors: Michael F. Walsh, Ph.D.
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Sales jobs span nearly every industry, from agribusiness and pharmaceuticals, to telecommunications and property management. And essential to sales is the management of the sales force. This course provides the knowledge and know how required for careers in sales management. Students are exposed to all facets of sales management, including organizing, selecting, training, motivating, supervising and compensating the sales force, territory management and administration and sales and expense forecasting. Also covered are typical sales management problems and potential solutions. As part of the course, you will meet a number of practicing sales managers who share their experience and knowledge. The learning outcomes are:
· Develop a plan for organizing, staffing and training a sales force.
· Identify the key factors in establishing and maintaining high morale in the sales force.
· Develop an effective sales compensation plan.
· Evaluate the performance of a sales person.
· Organize sales territories to maximize selling effectiveness.
· Evaluate sales and sales management strategies in relation to current legal and ethical standards of practice.
Applied Learning Project
The specialization project involves selecting a business that has a sales function/operation. The learners are to identify the manager responsible for the sales function (typically called a Sales Manager) and interview this person on the sales management practices at this firm. The purpose of the interview is to understand how one firm organizes and manages their sales function along the following parameters:
· Sales management
· Sales Organization
· Recruitment & Induction Process
· Territory allocation Process & Strategy
· Reporting structure and systems
· Compensation structure
· System of Evaluation
· Training & Development
· Students will apply the concepts learned in the specialization to guide and structure the interview as well as comparing and contrasting one firm’s practice with the “ideal” world as presented in the course.
The first course in the Sales Operations/Management Specialization, Account Management & Salesforce Design aims to introduce learners to a variety of sales methods. Students will gain knowledge on steps in strategic planning and sales management, responsibilities of a sales manager, kinds of sales operations, a recap of the personal selling process, and the concept of a buying center.
The second course in the Sales Operations/Management Specialization, Sales Force Management covers various aspects of hiring and personnel administration. Students will learn about job design and recruitment processes, tools of recruitment, the role of training in sales force development, and motivating salespeople to perform the tasks critical to an organization's success.
This course is the third part of the Sales Operations/Management Specialization. In it, we will discuss some of the financial aspects involved in managing a sales force. Students will learn about the options available for sales force compensation, the different types plans you can use to manage your sales expenses, and how you can use quotas to help your salespeople achieve goals.
In the fourth part of the Sales Operations/Management Specialization, students will explore the purpose and methods for forecasting and budgeting in a management role. Next, we will learn how to develop territories and evaluate sales performance. Finally, we will explore the legal and ethical issues facing sales managers.
In the final project for the Sales Operations/Management Specialization, learners will be asked to apply the knowledge they have obtained by performing a critical analysis of a real-world business. Learners are to select a business that has a sales function/operation. The learners are to identify the manager responsible for the sales function (typically called a Sales Manager) and interview this person on the sales management practices at this firm.
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This specialization contains one course of five weeks, three courses of four weeks, and a final capstone project for a total of 18-19 weeks.
This specialization assumes some familiarity with retail settings, but no specific knowledge is required.
It is strongly recommended that students complete all five courses in sequential order.
No university credit is available for this specialization.
Upon completing this Specialization, you will be able to:
· Develop a plan for organizing, staffing and training a sales force.
· Identify the key factors in establishing and maintaining high morale in the sales force.
· Develop an effective sales compensation plan.
· Evaluate the performance of a sales person.
· Organize sales territories to maximize selling effectiveness.
· Evaluate sales and sales management strategies in relation to current legal and ethical standards of practice.
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Financial aid available,
¹ Median salary and job opening data are sourced from Lightcast™ Job Postings Report. Content Creator, Machine Learning Engineer and Salesforce Development Representative (1/1/2024 - 12/31/2024) All other job roles (3/1/2024 - 3/1/2025)
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