Commercial and Sales Management

Objectives

• Gain knowledge of new trends and strategies in commercial management.
• Prepare to work in competitive environments, with the ability to analyze commercial strategies, add value through distribution channels and the sales team, and place customers at the center of the entire strategy.
• Acquire a comprehensive and practical understanding of sales and commercial management tasks.
• Know how to comparatively analyze commercial distribution companies in the field of marketing.
• Know how to analyze long articles on commercial and logistical aspects.

Learning outcomes

• Work as a team to analyze, synthesize, and present a company's most relevant business information.
• Evaluate the relevance and rigor of a long article in relation to the commercial and logistics field, commercial distribution, or a market.
• Organize the work of a team.
• Knows how to analyze and present current information in the commercial and sales field, distinguishing between information and opinion.
• Knows how to combine commercial and sales arguments and data to obtain a diagnosis.

Competencies

General skills

• Be a skilful innovator and entrepreneur.
• Be able to analyze and summarize.
• Be able to communicate orally and in the languages of the community.
• Be able to engage in criticism and self-criticism.
• Be able to make reasoned and coherent presentations.
• Be able to organize and plan.
• Be able to put basic knowledge of the profession into practice.
• Be able to use information: seek, analyze, select, organize and exploit information effectively.
• Be able to work in a team and a multidisciplinary network.
• Be able to work in an international context.
• Be environmentally and socially aware at work.
• Be skilled at adapting to new situations.
• Have an ethical commitment at work, with respect for democratic principles and values.

Specific skills

• Be able to analyze and understand the operation of the market and its influence on the activities of a company.
• Be able to apply market research theory and instruments to implement business strategies.
• Be able to critically evaluate business situations, and manage an organization effectively and efficiently.
• Be able to devise and implement business initiatives in global markets.
• Be able to lead and manage processes of change in organizations, in particular in contexts of innovation and crisis.
• Be able to plan sales activities focused on customers, and lead and manage sales teams.
• Understand and be able to convey the importance of an organization's approach to the market and customer relations.

Basic skills

• Students can apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and have competencies typically demonstrated through drafting and defending arguments and solving problems in their field of study.
• Students can communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialists and non-specialists.
• Students have demonstrated knowledge and understanding in a field of study that builds on general secondary education with the support of advanced textbooks and knowledge of the latest advances in this field of study.
• Students have developed the learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of independent learning.
• Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their field of study) in order to make judgments that include reflection on relevant social, scientific and ethical issues.

Core skills

• Be a critical thinker before knowledge in all its dimensions. Show intellectual, cultural and scientific curiosity and a commitment to professional rigor and quality.

Content

• Introduction: business management, marketing and strategy
• Sales
• Commercial distribution and commercial networks
• Marketing channels
• Commercial strategy: customer portfolio segmentation
• Business intelligence
• Commercial Activity Dashboard

Evaluation

Students of the Marketing and Business Communication degree must give a presentation of the combined synthesis by topic to be presented from the book by Sergio Román and Inés Küster and the book by C. Shane Hunt et al., "Professional Sales" (see bibliography). The eight chapters are distributed among the students and presentations are held that cover the first hour (45 min) and a subsequent debate (2nd hour) related to real-life situations. The professor evaluates the quality of the presentation, both in content and form, and the participation of each student in providing suggestions, criticisms, and particularities observed in the real business world. This part corresponds to a 30% of the total gradeAnyone who fails both the subject and this section has the option of making up the exam with a test on the book during the make-up period set by the head of studies.

Controlled presence in the classroom counts for a 10% of the total grade. Given the way in which the subject is developed, with most of the work oriented and carried out in classes, it is It is essential to attend 70% of the sessions in order to be evaluated..

The study and synthesis of an extensive article on commercial and/or logistics matters is carried out individually (minimum 10 pages per student) or in a group of up to 3 students (minimum 30 pages in total), at the discretion of the teacher, with follow-up in which the teacher interacts with the class presentation. This part corresponds to a 30% of the total grade.

A group project is carried out on a Spanish commercial distribution company, with analysis, synthesis, and follow-up by the professor. This part corresponds to a 30% of the total grade.

Students in the Advertising and Public Relations degree program are excluded from submitting book chapters and their corresponding assignments. In this case, the evaluation weight varies:

• Long article (see description above): 40%
• Group work (see description above): 50%
• Class attendance: 10%

Methodology

• Class interaction between teacher and students to develop analyses and prepare presentations
• Individual or group discussions of selected articles or group work
• Group work on the analysis project of a commercial distribution company
• Simulation of commercial situations

Bibliography

Key references

• ASTRE, EGUERRAN (2017). VENDRÉ A L'ERE DIGITALE: AMELIORER SA PERFORMANCE COMMERCIAL DAN'S LA NOUVELLE ECONOMIE. DUNOD.
• BUCHET, F. Y CARON, N. (2010). Les Tableaux de bord de la fonction commerciale (2 ed.). DUNOD.
• FOSSIER, ALAIN, LETRILLART-BENARD, ODILE (2017). PROFESSION MANAGER COMMERCIAL: MOTIVER, COACHER ET PILOTER UN EQUIPE DE VENTE (2 ed.). DUNOD.
• HUNT, C. SHANE, DEITZ GEORGE D.& HANSEN, JOHN D. (2023). VENTAS PROFESIONALES: PORQUE TODOS SOMOS VENDEDORES. Mc Graw Hill.
• ROMAN, Sergio y KÜSTER, Inés (2015). Gestión de la venta personal y de equipos comerciales. Paraninfo.

Further reading

Teachers will provide complementary bibliography and compulsory reading throughout the course via the Virtual Campus.