Peer Review

Readings on Selling

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Dec 28, 2008 by Business

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This is a series of 9 articles, all of which are about selling. Some are newer than others, but all have tremendous value for the professional selling discipline. The articles are about the following subject areas: 1. Birth of a Salesman - 8 keys to sales success 2. Getting Sales Force Automation Right the Second Time Around - Discusses CRM and how to get it right for your company 3. How Hard Could It Be - discusses fallacies in commission sales 4. Sales Force - describes importance of sales distribution channels and the impact of technology in improving this part of the sales process 5. Sales Resource Management in the Pharamaceutical Industry - 5 tips for growing sales 6. Saleswoman for the 21st Century - describes 5 steps to real estate sales success 7. The Big Score - describes 5 rules of competing 8. Turning Sales into Science - discusses the effective use of the latest high tech tools for increasing sales results 9. What's selling in America - 5 success stories with company stories
Type of Material:: Collection
Recommended Uses:: Out-of-class readings for in-class discussions would be a very appropriate use for these materials; other assignments could be developed using these materials.
Technical Requirements:: Browser
Identify Major Learning Goals:: For students to understand a variety of issues that are current concerns for salespeople and sales managers.
Target Student Population:: Sales Students at all levels--undergraduate and graduate as well as professional/continuing-education students
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: General computer skills are required, plus an introductory course in professional selling would be a plus.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: The strength of the material is in its diversity of topics and industries represented, from retail to pharmaceutical to software. Articles from relevant & interesting publications--the type business students should be reading and the type that professionals would respect. A variety of important topics are covered.
Concerns:: Some of the material is a bit dated (from 1997);

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: Because a variety of topics are covered and the articles are all independent, the instructor has great leeway to pick and choose among the articles depending upon the course objectives. The material builds on prior concepts and would be easy to write assignments for. Students could learn a great deal in a short amount of time. Plus, they could use their real world experience to relate to the materials presented.
Concerns:: This module is a collection of articles--no guidance is offered related to the author's use of the materials; the instructor is on his/her own to devise assignments.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The articles are engaging and interesting, so the audience would likely enjoy the learning experience. The links are all very clear and active.
Concerns:: No concerns.

Other Issues and Comments:: This is an excellent compilation of data from a variety of good trade publications. Professional salespeople in the field would find the materials quite helpful, plus they serve as a wonderful beginning for a lively classroom discussion. This is a collection of links to very interesting sales articles that could be used in a variety of settings. Instructors could easily devise a number of assignments from classroom discussions to written and oral assignments.
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