Packed with engaging examples and case studies from companies including Amazon, IBM, and Pepsi, as well as unique insights from sales professionals across the globe, this comprehensive textbook balances research, theory, and practice to guide students through the art and science of selling in a fast-changing and digital age. The text highlights the emerging role of storytelling, sales analytics and automation in a highly competitive and technological world, and includes exercises and role plays for students to practice as they learn about each stage of the selling process. As well as its focus on selling, the text also provides students with essential sales management skills such as onboarding, coaching, mentoring, and leading salespeople, as well as managing sales pipelines, territories, budgets, systems, and teams when not in the field.

Online resources are included to help instructors teaching with the textbook, including PowerPoint slides and a testbank. Chapter overviews and teaching notes for the roleplays included in the text and suggested course projects and worksheets are also provided for instructors.

Suitable for courses on selling and sales management at all college and university levels.


About the Author
Dr. Lisa Spiller is Professor Emerita of Marketing in the Joseph W. Luter, III School of Business at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. She has been teaching marketing courses to undergraduate business students at CNU for 30 years and has helped the Luter School pioneer a major in direct and digital marketing, and has been a leader in her school's initiatives in sales education. As a member of the University Honors Faculty, Dr. Spiller also teaches a course on personal marketing and is passionate about helping her students learn to "sell themselves" to achieve success in their careers and in their lives. Dr. Spiller is the author of Direct, Digital, and Data-Driven Marketing, now in its 5th edition by SAGE Publishing. Most recently, she was the lead author of a scholarly journal article, "Sales Education in the United States: Perspectives on Curriculum and Teaching Practices," that was awarded the Outstanding Journal of Marketing Education Sales Education Article of the Year for 2020.

Reviews

Every word of this textbook is packed with helpful and applicable information to make you a better salesperson. I've never had a textbook that I looked forward to reading, and actively applied to better my life. Dr. Spiller truly brings the sales process to life!

-- Julia Morris, Student, Christopher Newport University
Dr. Spiller's textbook is excellently constructed. It immediately grabbed my attention and included only the most useful sales information. It is my favorite textbook of all my classes and I know I will use it throughout my career in sales. This textbook doesn't just tell you how to sell the steak, it goes above and beyond and tells you how to sell the sizzle! -- Madison Cochran, Student, Christopher Newport University
This textbook is easy to digest and packed with useful information that can be transferred to real life applications. It provides readers with a step by step walk through of the selling process along with guides on how to be an effective communicator and close the deal. Dr. Spiller provides everything you need to be a successful salesperson in the 21st century. It's a must read! -- Jace, Student, Christopher Newport University

As a student with multiple other textbooks to read, this one stands out as vibrant, lively, and engaging. It feels student-friendly and incredibly accessible. I especially appreciate how each chapter builds on the last, which helps with the mastery of the material. I know I will recall information provided here long after I have finished reading it and feel better off for it!

-- Matt Perkins, Student, Christopher Newport University

Lisa Spiller takes a fresh and comprehensive look at professional sales by examining the roots of what's necessary to succeed as a salesperson. She teaches the student how to examine and develop an understanding of the customer needs and then translates that into strategies for satisfying customer objections, making presentations, and closing the sale. The student is walked through the tactics of networking, finding qualified leads, strategic marketing to qualify leads, cold calling, making sales presentations, satisfying customer concerns, closing the sale, and sales management. Chapters include biographical highlights of actual professional salespeople to relate to student interest. Also included are tools for the professor at the end of each chapter, including case studies and role-play exercises to reinforce the chapter learnings.

Spiller's unique contribution to the pedagogy of sales education is how a salesperson can be successful in making presentations through storytelling. Research shows that retention of key elements of presentations increases to 60-70% when presentations are turned into stories. Spiller shows the student how to do that. I highly recommend this book.

-- Harvey Markovitz, Clinical Professor of Sales and Marketing, Director of the Lubin Sales Team, Lubin School of Business, Pace University, New York



Book Information
ISBN 9781529712575
Author Lisa Spiller
Format Paperback
Page Count 552
Imprint Sage Publications Ltd
Publisher Sage Publications Ltd
Weight(grams) 1040g