Students

MKTG3007 – Sales and Personal Selling

2021 – Session 2, Special circumstances

Session 2 Learning and Teaching Update

The decision has been made to conduct study online for the remainder of Session 2 for all units WITHOUT mandatory on-campus learning activities. Exams for Session 2 will also be online where possible to do so.

This is due to the extension of the lockdown orders and to provide certainty around arrangements for the remainder of Session 2. We hope to return to campus beyond Session 2 as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Some classes/teaching activities cannot be moved online and must be taught on campus. You should already know if you are in one of these classes/teaching activities and your unit convenor will provide you with more information via iLearn. If you want to confirm, see the list of units with mandatory on-campus classes/teaching activities.

Visit the MQ COVID-19 information page for more detail.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Coordinator and Lecturer
Dr Syed Rahman
syed.rahman@mq.edu.au
Contact via syed.rahman@mq.edu.au
Room 142, 3 Management Drive
Wednesday 10-11am (Online using Zoom)
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 2000 level or above including MKTG2002 or MKTG202
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Sales is an important function in any commercial organisation. Within organisations, salespeople play a crucial role in aligning their organisation's offerings with customers’ needs, and in maximising value creation for both the customer and the selling firm. Moreover, to keep up with today’s empowered buyers in both B2B and B2C contexts, salespeople need to personalise the entire sales experience to meet the buyer’s wants. This unit develops students’ knowledge of theories and concepts underpinning the planning and operationalisation of a firm’s sales. It also focuses on developing students' knowledge of personal selling, addressing the critical analysis and application of sales tactics. Students will develop communication skills necessary for successful sales.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Evaluate sales concepts on theoretical grounds.
  • ULO2: Critically analyse sales techniques and recommend actionable solutions to improve sales performance.
  • ULO3: Develop a sales pitch and professionally communicate it in either a B2B or B2C setting.

General Assessment Information

Late submissions of assignments

Sometimes unavoidable circumstances occur that might prevent you from submitting an assignment on time and, in that case, you may be eligible to lodge a Special Consideration request.

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, please note that no extensions to assignment deadlines will be granted. Assignments that are submitted late will attract a late penalty:

  1. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late.
  2. No assignment will be accepted more than 72 hours after the due date and time (incl. weekends) after the original due date.
  3. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments (e.g., quizzes, online tests) or for tasks with a weighting of 10% or less of the total unit assessment.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Practice-based activities 15% No Week 1 to 10 workshops
Case study analysis 30% No Report 1: Week 4, Monday Report 2: Week 7, Monday
Individual sales report and presentation 55% No Week 12, Sunday

Practice-based activities

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 1 to 10 workshops
Weighting: 15%

 

This is an individual assessment that requires students to participate during weekly workshops, including short concept quizzes and online discussion forum posts.

The individual participatory tasks are part of workshop activities in the first ten weeks. The activities include 10 weekly online quizzes each worth 0.5 mark, and 10 weekly discussion forum posting activities up to 100 words, each post worth 1 mark.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate sales concepts on theoretical grounds.

Case study analysis

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Report 1: Week 4, Monday Report 2: Week 7, Monday
Weighting: 30%

 

This is an individual assessment that requires students to apply theoretical and practical knowledge of personal selling to critically analyse a firm’s sales challenges.

Total 1500 words; students will analyse two sales case studies and submit 750 word reports for each case.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate sales concepts on theoretical grounds.
  • Critically analyse sales techniques and recommend actionable solutions to improve sales performance.

Individual sales report and presentation

Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 28 hours
Due: Week 12, Sunday
Weighting: 55%

 

This is an individual assessment that requires students to apply their practical skills to plan a sales pitch that resonates with a specific opportunity and record an elevator sales pitch based on the plan to demonstrating the communication skills necessary for successful sales. The report will address theories, concepts, and problems underpinning the planning and organisation of sales for maximising value creation for both the customer and the selling firm.

A 2000 word individual report and a recorded presentation (up to 5 minutes).

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate sales concepts on theoretical grounds.
  • Develop a sales pitch and professionally communicate it in either a B2B or B2C setting.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

  • Lecture: PowerPoint files and recordings will be available on iLearn; students do not need to attend any live lectures.  
  • Students need to attend all weekly workshops (week 1 to 13) and engage in activities; the timetable for workshops can be found on the University website at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au.

Successful completion of this unit requires the student to submit all assessment tasks and achieve at least 50% in total.

Access to a personal computer, internet, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Powerpoint is required to complete learning activities and assessment tasks.

Following is the list of key required reading/viewing resources; details of learning materials for each week will be available in iLearn and in the Leganto unit reading list. 

Required Textbook: 

SELL (6th Edition, 2020), Authors: Ingram/LaForge//Schwepker/Williams, https://au.cengage.com/c/ebook-sell-44-6th-edition-6e-ingram-laforge-schwepker-williams/9780357144145/ (eBook is available via MQ Library on this link)

Recommended Journal Articles:

Anderson, R. E., Cohen, A. H., Christ, P. F., Mehta, R., & Dubinsky, A. J. (2020). Provenance, evolution, and transition of personal selling and sales management to strategic marketing channel management. Journal of Marketing Channels, 26(1), 28-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046669X.2019.1647913

Ancillai, C., Terho, H., Cardinali, S., & Pascucci, F. (2019). Advancing social media driven sales research: Establishing conceptual foundations for B-to-B social selling. Industrial Marketing Management, 82, 293-308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.01.002 

Charoensukmongkol, P. (2020). The efficacy of cultural intelligence for adaptive selling behaviors in cross-cultural selling: The moderating effect of trait mindfulness. Journal of Global Marketing, 33(3), 141-157. https://doi.org/10.1080/08911762.2019.1654586

Delpechitre, D., & Baker, D. S. (2017). Cross-cultural selling: Examining the importance of cultural intelligence in sales education. Journal of Marketing Education, 39(2), 94-108. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0273475317710060

Eggert, A., Ulaga, W., Frow, P., & Payne, A. (2018). Conceptualizing and communicating value in business markets: From value in exchange to value in use. Industrial Marketing Management, 69, 80-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2018.01.018

Hansen, J. D., Singh, T., Weilbaker, D. C., & Guesalaga, R. (2011). Cultural intelligence in cross-cultural selling: Propositions and directions for future research. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 31(3), 243-254. https://doi.org/10.2753/PSS0885-3134310303

Sahni, N. S., Wheeler, S. C., & Chintagunta, P. (2018). Personalization in email marketing: The role of noninformative advertising content. Marketing Science, 37(2), 236-258. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2017.1066

Singh, S., Marinova, D., Singh, J., & Evans, K. R. (2018). Customer query handling in sales interactions. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 46(5), 837-856. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-017-0569-y

Tyler, K., Patton, M., Mongiello, M., Meyer, D., Whittaker, G., Ledden, L., & Kalafatis, S. P. (2007). A re‐examination of the relationship between value, satisfaction and intention in business services. Journal of Services Marketing, 21(5), http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/08876040710773651 

Verbeke, W., Dietz, B., & Verwaal, E. (2011). Drivers of sales performance: a contemporary meta-analysis. Have salespeople become knowledge brokers?. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(3), 407-428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-010-0211-8

Recommended Online Reading/viewing:

HubSpot Academy Inbound Sales certification - https://academy.hubspot.com/courses/inbound-sales

Unit Schedule

Please refer to iLearn.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
14/07/2021 Updated late submission details