Joel Whalen

Undergraduate Curriculum Guide

The Sales Leadership Program began in April, 2003 with a grant from the 3M Company to establish a sales education curriculum. The university was selected based on its size, diverse student population and faculty with business experience. The program’s mission is to connect the best students with the best companies. The program’s strategy is to train students both academically and motivationally - producing qualified entry level candidates who pursue a lifelong career in sales. The undergraduate curriculum consists of seven courses:

Courses are taught through a variety of lecture, group projects, in class presentations by business partners, role plays, selling activities, case studies, coaching, technology tools, simulation software, field trips and other teaching methods. An outline and weekly topics for each of the courses follows.

All faculty members have excellent academic credentials and significant business experience in sales and marketing. At the present time, twelve instructors teach seven different classes in multiple sections to accommodate the program’s rapid growth. The faculty has deep expertise in marketing, sales, finance, communications, sales technology, leadership, organization development, strategic planning, consulting and general management.

For more information on the Sales Leadership Program, please contact David Hoffmeister at dhoffme1@depaul.edu.

Marketing 376 - Effective Business Communications

This course is offered:

  • Mondays with Dr. D. Joel Whalen at 1:30 to 4:45pm
  • Mondays with Tim Conway at 6:00 to 9:15pm
  • Tuesdays with Margaret O'Brien at 6:00 to 9:15pm
  • Wednesdays with David Koehler at 1:30 to 4:45pm
  • Thursdays with Sarah Laggos at 6:00 to 9:15pm
  • Saturdays with Mike Saporito at 9:00am to 5:00pm

Course Summary
 Participants build skills in message packaging and delivery for both spoken and written communication: Voice mail, presentations, one-on-one conversations, and, e-mail, memos and reports. Skills are built in managing communication anxiety, facilitating team communications and assessing communication style. Coaching to enhance performance and facility in business/social networking are enhanced.

Course Outline:
Week One

  • Power and limitations of communication—Five Realities of Communication©
  • Fundamental message packaging. Controlling meaning: Boring to Brilliant©
  • Understanding communication anxiety—Kennedy Eyes©

Week Two

  • Telephone and voice mail message packaging
  • Advanced message packaging: Question Opening©, Sense-rich Message©, Cold Closing©
  • Message strategy: when to write and when to speak

Week Three

  • Advanced anxiety management
  • Coaching others to enhance performance
  • Building message packaging skills: Share Your Moment©

Week Four

  • Visual communication techniques: design and layout for e-mail, memos
  • Assessing communication style: DISC profiles
  • Conference memos

Week Five

  • Advanced message packaging: Nichols Two-Things©
  • Team presentation techniques
  • Relationship and trust building communication

Week Six

  • Team message packaging
  • Building high-impact PowerPoint slides and graphs
  • Rehearsing team presentation with peer coaching

Week Seven

  • Delivering team presentations
  • Advanced message packaging: Big Messages©
  • Translating features into benefits

Week Eight

  • Assess written communication skills
  • Effect of shyness on business communication
  • Advanced and fast message packaging and delivery: Stand & Deliver©

Week Nine

  • Understanding and managing social anxiety
  • Building social networking skills
  • Message packaging for social networking: 20-Second Pitch©

Week Ten

  • Advanced team presentation techniques
  • Peer coaching
  • Self and team assessments
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Marketing 377 - Fundamentals of Sales & Networking

This course is offered:

  • Mondays with Clancy Ryan at 6:00 to 9:15pm
  • Tuesdays with Jeanne Sticher at 1:30 to 4:45pm

Course Summary
In the current business environment, companies are focusing their efforts on recruiting well-trained and refined sales professionals to generate substantial revenue. This course is designed to expose students to the energy, decorum, techniques and methods of superior selling sought after by companies. Coursework examines networking techniques and ways to identify high-potential opportunities. Students are given the opportunity to implement learned techniques via real-world selling activities and role-playing.

Course Outline
Week One - Overview of Course

  • Overview of course
  • Networking
  • Features/Benefits

Week Two – Power of Networking

  • Networking
  • Learning and Developing Skills
  • 20-Second Pitch

Week Three – Prospecting & Cold Calling

  • History of Sales
  • Relationship and Strategic Selling
  • Prospecting & Qualifying-Cold vs. Warm Calling
  • Role-playing: Use of Cold Call to obtain appointments

Week Four – S.P.I.N. Selling and Use of Questions

  • Steps of Sales Process & Categories of Sales
  • S.P.I.N. Selling Model
  • Implicit vs. Explicit Needs
  • Role-playing: Use of Questions to uncover needs

Week Five – Selling to Get a Job

  • Selecting your objective
  • Ways to find jobs
  • Interviewing
  • Types of Job Negotiations

Week Six – Objections & Closing

  • Handling Objections
  • Obtaining Commitment
  • Closing & Negotiations
  • Role-playing: Use of different closings

Week Seven – Value Selling and Personalities

  • Price vs. Value Selling
  • Political Environments and Purchasing Process
  • Personality Awareness and Handling
  • Quiz

Week Eight – Sales Managers and Territory Management

  • Working with Sales Manager
  • Territory and Time Management
  • Competitive Intelligence System

Week Nine – Learning How to Network

  • Networking Mixer

Week Ten – Final Presentation

  • Final Presentation
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Marketing 378 - Sales Strategy & Technology

This course is offered:

  • Mondays with Dan Strunk at 1:30 to 4:45pm

Course Summary
The key to the development of superior customer sales strategy is detailed intelligence. This course investigates sources of customer data, the state of data management technology and the contribution that current and accurate customer information can make in changing sales strategy. Students gain an appreciation of data leveraging, or the use of customer insight to produce winning selling strategies.

Students work with the technical tools of selling, including on demand segmentation and research systems from the ACNielsen Company, the Saleforce.com CRM system and a variety of on demand CRM applications. Upon completion of this course, students have acquired significant skill in using technology to resolve sales cases.

Course Outline
Week One – Information Rich Selling

  • Course Overview
  • Presentation of Sales Strategy & CRM
  • Presentation on Sales Force Automation Tools (Speaker)
  • Introduction to Salesforce.com Case and Exercise 1

Week Two – CRM & The Sales Process

  • Buyer Process Management Presentation (Speaker)
  • CRM & the Sales Process (Speaker)
  • Salesforce.com Case Exercise 2

Week Three – Salesforce.com Case Preparation

  • CPG Sales Strategy Presentation
  • CPG Promotion Specifics
  • Salesforce.com Case Exercise 3
  • Software as a Service Presentation (Speaker)

Week Four – Salesforce.com Case Presentations

  • Select Individual Presentations Salesforce.com Case

Week Five – Salesforce Evaluation Tools for Today’s Salesforce

  • Concepts in Evaluating Sales Performance
  • Salesforce Optimizer (Speaker)

Week Six – Category Management

  • Category Management Presentation
  • ACNielsen Home Scan and Category Planner
  • ACNielsen CBP Exercises

Week Seven – Consumer and Customer Segmentation and Targeting

  • Introduction To Spectra InfiNet
  • InfiNet Exercises

Week Eight – The New Supply Chain

  • Supply Chain and Category Management
  • Supply Chain a Retailers’ Perspective (Speaker)
  • InfiNet Exercises

Week Nine – ACNielsen Category Management Presentations

  • Group Presentations
  • Guest Judges

Week Ten – Sales Technology and Diversity Panel Discussion

  • Panel Experts discuss the role of technology and diversity issues in selling today.

Week Eleven – Final Exam

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Marketing 379 - Leadership in Sales Organizations

This course is offered:

  • Thursdays with David Hoffmeister at 1:30 to 4:45pm
  • Thursdays with David Hoffmeister at 6:00 to 9:15pm

Course Summary
The role of the sales organization within companies is varied in structure and the level of contribution to an organization’s success. Students study business strategy, organizational management and personal leadership skills. These learning elements are reinforced by exposure to the business practices of major corporations in different industries and business segments.

Course Outline
Week One - Overview of Course

  • Course Overview
  • Review of Virtual Leader Software Simulation
  • Team formation

Week Two - Business Strategy

  • Vision and Values
  • SWOT and TOWS Tools
  • Goals and Objectives
  • Strategic Planning Case Study

Week Three – Business Environment

  • Introduction to Sales Career
  • Selling as an Acquired Skill
  • Sales Force Management Trends
  • Competitive Advantage Analysis

Week Four – Organization Conflict

  • Generational Conflict
  • Demographic Implications

Week Five – Mid Term Examination

  • Mid-Term Exam

Week Six – Organization and Recruiting

  • Organization Structure
  • Profiling and Recruiting
  • The Staffing Process

Week Seven - Selecting, Hiring, Training

  • Portfolio Profiling
  • Screening and Hiring
  • Training Trends

Week Eight - Motivation and Evaluation

  • Motivation
  • Compensation
  • Expense Packages

Week Nine - Evaluation and Retention

  • Sales Manager Environment
  • Improving Sales Processes
  • Streamlining Performance
  • Reducing Turnover

Week Ten - Leadership and Talent

  • Leadership Management
  • Identifying and Managing Talent

Week Eleven - Final Examination

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Marketing 380 - Strategic Framework for Targeting Retail Consumers

This course is offered:

  • Wednesdays with Jeanne Sticher at 1:30 to 4:45pm

Course Summary
Sales professionals and management associates must understand the strategy, integration and communication needed to achieve excellence in a business to consumer business model. Students are introduced to concepts of the retail business model including identifying the target consumer and market, developing and implementation of merchandising plans, interaction with the supply chain, managing human resources and the financial implications of decisions made at the corporate, distribution and store level.

Course Outline
Week One - Overview of Course

  • Course Overview and Review of Syllabus Requirements
  • Segmentation of Retailers
  • Distribution/Supply Chain Exercise (Beer Game in the Lab)

Week Two - Identifying the Target Consumer

  • Relationship Retailing and Consumer Demographics
  • Shopping Behavior and Competitive Shopping
  • Consumer Decision Processes and Exercise
  • Formation of Business Model Teams

Week Three - What Really Happens at Retail?

  • Class Field Trip to Target Store
  • Target Corporation Job Opportunities
  • Planning and Implementing a Business Model
  • Competitive Shopping Exercise Review

Week Four - Merchandising and Assortment

  • Subject Matter Expert Speaker (Merchandising and Buying Decisions)
  • Development of a Merchandising Philosophy
  • Review of Business Model #2 (Target Consumer)

Week Five - Promotion and Forecasting

  • Budgets and “Open to Buy”
  • Promotion Forecasting
  • Financial Forecasting/Promotion Exercise

Week Six - Inventory/ Supply Chain Management

  • Mid-Term Examination
  • Supply Chain Integration and Metrics
  • Distribution Game Part 2 (Beer Game in the Lab)

Week Seven - Marketing Strategies and Promotion

  • Subject Matter Expert Speaker (New technology for Point of Purchase)
  • Pricing and the Role of Promotion
  • Margin and the Mix
  • Advertising/Promotion Exercise

Week Eight - Financial Controllables

  • Profit Planning and Controllables
  • Financial Trends and Legislation
  • Financial Case Study
  • Prep Time for Business Model Final

Week Nine - Managing Human Resources

  • Subject Matter Expert Speaker (Recruitment and Motivation)
  • Staffing and Recruitment
  • Organization for Business Models
  • Job Descriptions and Responsibilities

Week Ten - Final Business Model Presentations

  • Business Model Presentations with Panel
  • Final Paper
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Marketing 398 - Building Financial Relationships

This course is offered:

  • Thursdays with Kathleen Jackson at 6:00 to 9:15pm

Course Summary
Students learn the basic financial products and services that help clients achieve their financial goals and will gain a basic understanding of financial planning. More importantly, students learn how to identify prospects, uncover client financial needs, help clients achieve their financial goals and build the trusted relationships that lead to turning a prospect into a customer and a customer into a lifelong client. The course includes guest speakers, role playing, presentations and the development of a Personal Financial Plan for each student.

Course Outline
Week One - Overview of Course

  • Overview of course
  • Explanation of Personal Financial Plan
  • Tutorial on Quicken
  • Personality Profiles

Week Two – Understanding the FP Process

  • Overview of Industry
  • Financial Planning Process
  • Prospecting/Networking (speaker)

Week Three – Managing Your Credit

  • Benefits and Problems of Consumer Credit
  • Credit history
  • Credit Scores and how to improve them
  • Personal Balance Sheet and Income Statements

Week Four – Planning for Retirement

  • Estimating Needs
  • Sources of Income
  • Employer Plans
  • Using Quicken to design a Personal Retirement Plan
  • Role-playing: The First Meeting with a Prospect

Week Five – Making Auto and Housing Decisions

  • Buy/Rent/Lease
  • Home/Auto How much can you afford
  • How does a bank look at your application for credit (speaker)

Week Six – Investment Planning

  • Different ways to invest
  • Asset Allocation
  • Mid-term

Week Seven – Stocks and Bonds (Speaker)

  • Risk vs. Return
  • What are Stocks?
  • What are Bonds?
  • How do all these products fit together in someone’s financial plan?
  • Role play: The Second Meeting with the Prospect

Week Eight – Investing in Mutual Funds (Speaker)

  • What is a Mutual Fund?
  • How do you evaluate Mutual Funds?
  • What are the fees in Mutual Funds?
  • Update on Personal Financial Plan

Week Nine – Insuring Your Life, Health and Property (Speaker)

  • What is life, health, property insurance
  • What does an insurance agent do? How do they build their business?
  • Financial Planning: Maintaining the Relationship

Week Ten – Retirement Planning Presentations

  • 10 to 12 minute group presentations by 7 groups
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Marketing 398 - Category Management

This course is offered:

  • Wednesdays with Lara Lee Larson at 6:00 to 9:15pm

Course Summary
Successful companies expect their suppliers to act as partners that will help them grow their businesses, not simply to trade share amongst competitors. Relationships are established between buyer and seller when vendor partners demonstrate and leverage business understanding to build customer volume. In consumer packaged goods, this practice is known as category management. The category manger is always a category expert with the resources necessary to translate information into business insight and implement volume building activity. The course is taught through the case method to learn the category management process, use the information systems and data resources available and develop sales presentations that effectively communicate solutions for business problems in three different industries.

Course Outline
Week One – Information Rich Selling

  • Course Overview
  • The Theory of Category Management
  • Category Management Technologies
  • Consumer and Customer Segmentation
  • ACNielsen CPG Case Introduced

Week Two – Category Management & The Sales Process

  • Buyer Process Management Presentation (Speaker)
  • Category Management and the Sales Process (Speaker)
  • Spectra Instruction
  • Category Business Planner Introduction

Week Three –AC Nielsen Case Preparation

  • CPG Sales Strategy Presentation
  • CPG Promotion Specifics
  • Category Business Planner Work

Week Four – ACNielsen Case Presentations / Target Case Assigned

  • Team Presentation (ACNielsen Guest Evaluators)
  • Target Technology Demonstration

Week Five – Category Management A Retailers Perspective

  • The purpose of Category Captains
  • Coordination of Category Management Initiatives (Speaker)
  • Shelf Management
  • Target Case Exercises

Week Six – Category Management –Introduction Case

  • Consumer and Customer Segmentation
  • Target Retail Category Management Case Development
  • Target Exercises

Week Seven – Target Case Presentations /3M Case Assigned

  • Case Presentations (Target Guest Evaluators)
  • Selling through Distributors (3M Speaker)

Week Eight – Distribution Channels

  • Consumer and Customer Segmentation Analysis
  • Supply Chain and Category Management
  • 3M Case Development
  • InfiNet Exercises

Week Nine 3M Case Development

  • Motivating Channel Partners (Guest Speaker)
  • Group Presentations
  • Guest Judges

Week Ten – 3M Case Presentation

  • Case Presentation (3M Guest Evaluators)
  • Category Management Review.
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