Duration
20h Th, 32h Pr
Number of credits
| Advanced Master in Entrepreneurship (Specialised master in entrepreneurship) | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course aims to provide students with the theoretical bases relating to sales and negotiation in order to prepare them for a mission within a company during which the concepts addressed will be applied in practice.
Phase 1 Theory
During this initial "theory" phase, the sales and negotiation modules will be addressed academically in a distinct way and the following concepts will be addressed:
For sales:
Initially, this course aims to provide students with the theoretical bases of sales.
A particular focus will be placed upon the financial implications of sales: margins, different calculations of margins, the influence of margins on the balance sheet, and the usefulness of a sales budget.
Sales arguments and prospecting techniques will be analysed in detail.
This course also addresses the following concepts: the respective roles of the seller and manager of a sales team, export sales and Incoterms. In addition to these aspects, specific training in prospection techniques and telephone sales will be given.
For negotiations:
Types of negotiators, types of negotiation, golden rules and traps of negotiation. This first phase is supplemented by a verbal and non-verbal analysis through practical exercises. The sequence of negotiations and the results obtained will then be analysed in groups. In addition, depending on the participants' wishes, tailor-made role-play exercises may take place to respond to their specific needs with regards to the missions that they have been given.
The methodological reference framework is mainly based on the negotiation methods developed by the Harvard Negotiation Project and will make reference to the theories of Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton. The NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) approach will be used in addition to behavioural analysis adopted during negotiations.
As part of this first phase, the concepts addressed will be reinforced through the presence of guests who are active in the corporate world. They will present their sales and negotiation experiences with regards to the following areas: creating a company, growth, corporate take-over and handover, negotiation with the press.
Phase 2 Practice
In addition to lectures and the analysis of practical cases, in the second phase students must, in groups, on the basis of a real company, implement the theoretical aspects and present to a small jury a complete approach to prospection, including a detailed plan of the actions they intend to take.
They must then, during the practical phase of marketing this sales mission, use the theoretical concepts presented and put them into practice. Continuous support will be provided during this phase, with two group meetings to exchange experiences.
Before a second small jury, the initial action plan will be compared to the objectives as actually achieved and students must share the things they have learned, mainly by using the concepts presented in Phase 1 but also in terms of cognitive and behavioural change.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of this course, students will be able to :
For sales:
- recognise and understand the main concepts relating to sales;
- consider the importance of sales as a motor for corporate development and a measure of its longevity;
- understand the role of sales in the company's organisational process;
- calculate a margin and measure the impact of sales decisions upon it;
- understand the legal aspects of sales;
- measure the financial impact of sales on the overall profitability of a company and particularly its implications in terms of working capital requirements
- establish a prospection policy and carry out a sales argument
- understand the implications of an export sale.
- better understand their behaviour and habitual strategies in negotiations
- methodically prepare all negotiations and define an action plan to shift the balance of power in their favour,
- refine their verbal and non-verbal communication systems as well as their argumentation techniques to better manage the information to be communicated and better interpret the signals given by the other party;
- analyse the type of negotiator they are dealing with and adopt an appropriate strategy;
- discover and demonstrate the main strategies;
- analyse and address the phenomena of coalitions;
- identify what is negotiable and what isn't;
- effectively manage emotions;
- defend their point of view while avoiding siege warfare.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
The course is accessible to students enrolled in the Specialist Master in Enterpreneurship.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Theoretical content, case studies, an overseas prospecting trip as part of an AWEX mission, role-playing exercises, and guest speakers. If an overseas mission is not possible, it will take place in Belgium.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Blended learning
Further information:
Combination of in-person and distance learning activities.
course taught in French
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- LOL@
- Microsoft Teams
Further information:
The course is mainly based on the following publications:
- Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton. Ed. Hardcover.
- Instant rapport. Michael Brooks. Ed. Warner Books.
- Ces gestes qui vous trahissent. Joseph Messinger. Ed. First Editions.
- Initiation à la PNL. Marie-Laure Cusacq. Ed. ESI.
- Vendre et défendre ses marges. Philippe Korda, Ed. Dunod.
- Au-delà de la vente. Dan S. Bagley et Edward J. Reese, Ed. Sensus Editions.
- Les techniques de vente... qui font vendre. Marc Corcos, Ed. Dunod.
- Gérer en allant à l'essentiel. Didier Joris & Alain Piekarek. Edipro
- Diriger et se diriger en allant à l'essentiel. Didier Joris & Alain Piekarek. Edipro
- Négocier en allant à l'essentiel. Didier Joris. Edipro
Other articles and publications may be added depending on the sessions and current affairs.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Further information:
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Further information:
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Further information:
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Further information:
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
The marking breakdown is as follows:
40%: active attendance at theoretical classes, preparation of exercises and an interim assessment session. 15% of these 40% is allocated to attendance and comments made during conference(s) with external guest speaker(s).
20%: for the company diagnosis and the presentation of the action plan and sales objectives during JURY 1. In the event of absence from Jury 1, only the written work may possibly be taken into account.
40%: for the report and presentation to JURY 2, broken down as follows:
30% for the individual prospecting work.
50% for the substance, namely:
- the consistency between the ex post and ex ante vision;
- the acquisition of theoretical concepts and their practical application;
- the obstacles and difficulties encountered;
- avenues for improvement for the company;
- the experience gained;
- avenues for personal improvement in the future.
- spelling;
- the care taken in the written presentation;
- the way in which the student expresses themselves orally.
In the event of a resit session, the student will be asked to read two books related to the course, summarise their main ideas and compare them on three key elements (20% of the final mark). During an oral examination before a jury, the student will present the outcome of their work and will be questioned on technical aspects relating to the academic course (30% of the final mark) and to the internship carried out in the company (50% of the final mark). This jury will determine whether or not the student has passed.
Commitment regarding the Use of Artificial Intelligence during the sales & negotiation mission and its possible impact on marking
As part of the sales-negotiation mission, the student undertakes to use generative artificial intelligence tools in an ethical and responsible manner. These tools may support learning, the search for ideas, the structuring of an approach or the improvement of the formal quality of a piece of work. However, they may not replace the student's personal reflection, critical analysis or own work.
The student also undertakes to:
- use AI as a complement to their learning, without allowing it to replace their critical thinking and personal work;
- clearly cite any use of AI in individual or group assignments and during missions, providing the necessary details to ensure academic transparency;
- comply with the University's guidelines on the use of AI, keeping informed of updates to the usage charter;
- demonstrate academic integrity, ensuring that the use of AI does not undermine the authenticity of their work.
Failure to comply with the ULiège charter on AI will affect the marking, with the risk of an exclusion grade.
The link to the ULiège charter is as follows:
Charte ULiège d'utilisation des intelligences artificielles génératives dans les travaux universitaires (uliege.be)
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Teaching dates and locations are listed in the general calendar of the HEC Entrepreneurs program.
Contacts
Didier Joris : didier.joris@ulg.ac.be
Coordinator : Bernard Surlemont.