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
Case studies, guest speakers, theoretical contents
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Blended learning
Additional information:
in-person teaching
course taught in French
Recommended or required readings
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
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
Additional information:
The grade is broken down as follows:
35%: active presence in theory classes, including 25% for attendance at lectures and comments during class.
25%: business analysis and presentation of the action plan and sales objectives to JURY 1.
40%: report and presentation to JURY 2, broken down as follows:
30% for individual prospecting work,
40% for the substance of the report, i.e.:
- the match between the before and after vision,
- the grasp of theoretical concepts and their practical application,
- barriers and difficulties encountered,
- avenues for improvement for the company,
- experience acquired and areas for personal improvement for the future.
If a second session takes place, students will be asked to read two books related to the class, to summarise the key ideas and compare three key elements (20 % of the grade). During an oral exam in front of a jury, they will present the results of their work and will be asked questions about the technical aspects of the academic course (30 % of the graduation) and the business internship they carried out (50% of the graduation). This jury will decide whether or not the student passes.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The course is taught from Sept. to June.
Contacts
Didier Joris : didier.joris@ulg.ac.be
Coordinator : Bernard Surlemont.