Sales 101: The B2B Sales Classroom copertina

Sales 101: The B2B Sales Classroom

Sales 101: The B2B Sales Classroom

Di: Donald C. Kelly & Dr. Bj Allen
Ascolta gratuitamente

Offerte di stagione | 0,99 €/mese per i primi 3 mesi

A seguire 9,99 €/mese – si applicano condizioni. Puoi disdire mensilmente.
Sales 101: The B2B Sales Classroom helps college professors teach sales with confidence by bringing the latest insights from industry leaders, students, and educators. Hosted by Donald C. Kelly and Dr. B.J. Allen, co-authors of Professional Selling and Advanced Selling published by Stukent and used in over 90 universities, the show delivers ready-to-use assignments, strategies, and real-world examples to assist professors as they equip the next generation of sales professionals.Copyright 2026 Donald C. Kelly & Dr. Bj Allen Economia Marketing Marketing e vendite Successo personale Sviluppo personale
Episodi
  • How One Professor Uses an AI Buyer to Make Students Better Sellers | Dr. David Seeger - 47

    How One Professor Uses an AI Buyer to Make Students Better Sellers | Dr. David Seeger - 47
    Oct 14 2026
    A sales management class usually spends a whole semester getting students comfortable talking to a buyer. Dr. David Seeger found a way to speed that up. He built an AI buyer his students practice on every week, and the results are showing up in their grades before the semester even ends. Why This Professor Turned to AIDr. David Seeger teaches sales management at Owens Community College, where he has worked as an adjunct professor for more than two decades.Before that, he spent 27 years as CEO of a financial institution, and that business background shapes how he runs his classroom.His rule for AI is that he uses it when it makes him more efficient, not just to use it for its own sake.Meet Orion, the AI Buyer Students Sell ToStudents in the class practice selling to each other, but that is human to human. To add more reps, Dr. Seeger writes prompts that turn an AI chatbot into a buyer named Orion.The student plays the salesperson, and Orion plays the customer. Dr. Seeger controls the difficulty by writing easier prompts early in the semester and harder ones later, adding more objections and more pushback as the weeks go on.Students can sell Orion almost anything. The prompt list covers products like smartphones, cars, and even cows, depending on what Dr. Seeger assigns that week.How the Weekly AI Sales Assignment WorksEvery week, students pick a prompt, paste it into an AI tool of their choice, and turn on the voice feature. From there, they run through a full sales conversation out loud, handling questions and objections in real time.Orion grades the call against criteria Dr. Seeger built into the prompt, and that grade becomes part of the student's weekly assignment. Students then screenshot the conversation and the score, and upload it to the class learning module.Dr. Seeger has noticed since adding this assignment that students are hitting stronger scores by the middle of the semester instead of needing the full term to get comfortable with a sales conversation.Watching Orion Grade a Live Sales PitchDuring the episode, Dr. Seeger ran a live demo, selling a smartphone to Orion in real time. He opened with urgency around a year-end sale, handled pushback on price by offering a lower monthly plan, and tried to close when the buyer hesitated.Orion gave him 15 out of 20. The feedback was specific. When the buyer said he wanted to think about it, that moment called for more digging into what was actually holding him back, not a quick push toward closing.That kind of direct, consistent feedback is something a professor cannot give every student after every single practice call. Orion can.Why Students Learn Faster With an AI BuyerNervousness is one of the biggest barriers in a sales classroom, and Dr. Seeger believes Orion removes a lot of it. Students are less afraid of embarrassing themselves in front of an AI than in front of a classmate.That comfort lets them focus on the actual skill instead of the fear of messing up in front of someone they know.Some students have gotten so used to Orion that they ask Dr. Seeger how he is doing, and Dr. Seeger sometimes brings Orion into class discussions so the AI can talk directly to the whole room.Using AI for Sales Forecasting TooThe AI buyer is not the only way Dr. Seeger uses artificial intelligence in class. He also uses it to teach sales forecasting, a core skill for any sales manager who has to defend numbers to senior leadership.Students feed past sales data into an AI tool and ask it to run a linear regression projection. From there, Dr. Seeger has them run a Monte Carlo simulation to generate a confidence interval, usually set at 95 percent, showing how likely the forecast is to hold up.This matters most for students who struggle with math, including many of his marketing majors. They can still understand the concept of a sales forecast and what the probability means, even if they could never calculate it by hand.His Advice for Other ProfessorsDr. Seeger compares AI to the calculator. When calculators first showed up in classrooms, they did not replace the student. They let the student do more, faster.He sees AI the same way, just with a lot more power behind it.His advice for anyone starting out is to get comfortable with the tools and learn to write clear prompts. A well-written prompt is what turns a general AI tool into something built for a specific teaching goal."Try it, use it, get comfortable with that, and learn how to write the prompts. That is the key to it." — Dr. David SeegerResourcesLearn more about Owens Community CollegeReach Dr. David Seeger directly at david_seeger@owens.edu Visit the Sales 101 podcast website for more episodes
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    20 min
  • What Sales Leaders and Recruiters Look For When Hiring Sellers | Donald C. Kelly & Dr. BJ Allen - 46

    What Sales Leaders and Recruiters Look For When Hiring Sellers | Donald C. Kelly & Dr. BJ Allen - 46
    Oct 7 2026
    A student can know how to cold call, write an email, and run through a sales pitch. But would a sales manager actually want to hire them?In this episode Dr. BJ Allen and I compare notes from our experience working with sales teams, recruiters, and college students.Why Grit Matters More Than Sales TacticsSales is hard, and students need to know that before they enter the profession. Recruiters want people who can handle difficult situations, hear “no” repeatedly, and keep their confidence and energy.Summer sales gives many students a tough introduction to selling. They may knock doors for hours, face rejection all day, and deal with difficult situations. While that experience is very different from B2B sales, recruiters value it because it can show that a student has grit.The real value of that experience is not simply knowing how to sell pest control or solar. It is proving that you can keep working after hearing “no” again and again.Grit can also be developed in the classroom. Teaching students about growth and fixed mindsets, helping them understand their “why,” and giving them challenging experiences can prepare them for the pressure of professional selling.Why Recruiters Want People Who Can FailOne of the best interview questions discussed in the episode is simple: “Tell me about a failure you’ve had.” The answer can reveal far more than a perfect success story.Saying that you have never failed may suggest that you avoid risk, experimentation, and difficult situations. Sales managers need people who are willing to try something, learn from what happens, and try again.The important part is not the failure itself. Recruiters want to know what went wrong, what the candidate could have done differently, and what they learned from the experience.The same principle applies after someone gets hired. Strong salespeople do not spend all their time blaming the lead, the company, the product, or management. They look at what they could have done better and use the lesson to improve.Why Creativity Can Help a Candidate Stand OutSales teams can give new reps a playbook, but they still need people who can think beyond it. Creativity can help a salesperson find new ways to reach prospects when the usual emails and calls are not working.One example involved using LinkedIn in a more creative way. Instead of relying only on calls and emails, a salesperson used videos, posts, comments, and LinkedIn voice messages to create more opportunities.Creativity also matters when students are looking for jobs. A candidate who sends a LinkedIn video or finds an unexpected way to introduce themselves can give a recruiter a reason to remember them.One student even sent a dozen donuts with a note explaining why the company should hire him, with each donut representing a reason to consider him. The point was not the donuts. It was showing that he could think differently.Why Curiosity Matters to Sales ManagersCuriosity is another trait worth looking for when hiring salespeople. Curious people are more willing to try new things, ask questions, experiment, and learn from what happens.A curious candidate does not need to have every answer before joining the team. They need to show that they are willing to learn and figure things out.This is especially important because many of the technical parts of sales can be taught on the job. A company can teach its process, tools, messaging, and products. It is harder to teach someone to care about learning and improving.That is why sales educators should look beyond tactical skills. Teaching students how to make calls and write emails matters, but developing the mindset behind those actions can have a much bigger impact on their careers.What Recruiters Really See in Sales StudentsSales recruiters are not always looking for students who already know how their company sells. They are often looking for people with the qualities that will help them learn and succeed inside the company.Grit, curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to fail can tell an employer that a student has the foundation to grow. The tactical parts of the job can then be taught.This also changes what professors should focus on. A sales curriculum does not need to perfectly copy one company's sales process to prepare students for work.The goal is to help students develop the qualities that allow them to adapt when the company, product, buyer, market, or sales process changes.How to Help Students Stand Out in a Crowded Job MarketA strong resume may not be enough when recruiters are reviewing large numbers of candidates. Students need to find ways to show what makes them different.Creative outreach can help. A thoughtful LinkedIn video, a personal message, or an unusual but relevant introduction can show initiative before the student ever gets an interview.The best creative ideas are connected to the candidate's value. The goal is not to be strange for the sake of being memorable. It is to give the recruiter a ...
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    12 min
  • From Keurig to The Classroom: Three Things Students Must Know About Professional Selling | Christopher Stevens - 45

    From Keurig to The Classroom: Three Things Students Must Know About Professional Selling | Christopher Stevens - 45
    Sep 30 2026
    What if “no” is actually where the sale begins?Chris Stevens spent almost 50 years in sales, including time at Procter & Gamble, Keurig, and Anheuser-Busch. Now, he brings those lessons into the classroom, where he teaches future salespeople that selling is less about pushing a product and more about understanding people, building trust, and learning how to keep going when things do not work the first time.This conversation breaks down three things every student needs to understand about professional selling: the reality of sales, the human side of selling, and how professors can build those lessons into a sales curriculum.Why the First No Is Where Selling BeginsA “no” does not always mean the buyer does not want what you are selling. It may mean they need more information, need something explained differently, or have not yet seen enough value in the offer.The example of Aaron Judge puts rejection into perspective. Even the leading hitters fail more often than they succeed, which means salespeople need to understand that setbacks are part of the work rather than proof that they are bad at selling.The real job is to make a compelling case for how the product or service can add value to the buyer’s business. That requires understanding the buyer’s needs instead of simply repeating what is in the sales presentation.This mindset also changes how students approach objections. The goal is not to avoid hearing “no.” It is to learn how to ask better questions, find the real issue, and keep the conversation moving.Why Follow-Up Is a Sales SkillMany salespeople give up long before the buyer is ready to make a decision. The sales follow-up numbers discussed in this episode show a huge gap between how often salespeople contact prospects and where many sales actually happen.The lesson is bigger than sending more emails. Consistent follow-up is about building a relationship and earning enough trust for the prospect to keep the conversation going.Students also need to learn how to follow up without becoming repetitive. The focus should be on staying useful, understanding the prospect, and giving the relationship a reason to continue.The same idea applies beyond sales. Building relationships takes time, and strong salespeople learn how to stay connected instead of disappearing after the first few attempts.Why Sales Is a Human SkillSelling cannot be reduced to automation, AI, scripts, or techniques for getting people to buy. The strongest examples in this episode point back to something much simpler: human connection.One classroom exercise makes that lesson practical. Students are asked to perform at least 75 minutes of service, from helping someone with a resume to cleaning up around campus. The goal is to get them thinking about someone other than themselves.Handwritten thank-you notes are another part of the lesson. Students write a personal note to someone who has made a difference in their lives, creating a direct experience of what genuine connection can look like.The lesson from Joe Girard takes this even further. His sales success was tied closely to the relationships he built with customers and prospects, including the handwritten cards he sent to stay connected.Why Your Story Can Matter More Than Your ResumeSalespeople often focus on their experience, achievements, and qualifications when trying to build credibility. But a personal story can create a stronger connection because it gives people something they can relate to.The stories shared in this episode show why setbacks matter. Sales success at Procter & Gamble, Keurig, and Anheuser-Busch often came from dealing with problems, overcoming objections, and continuing after things went wrong.That same lesson applies to students. A career is rarely a straight line, and future salespeople need to learn how to handle rejection, failure, and unexpected turns without letting them define what happens next.Storytelling also helps people connect beyond the transaction. The right story can make a customer, prospect, student, or colleague see the person behind the title.How Professors Can Teach Sales Beyond the TextbookTeaching sales is different from simply working in sales. Professors have to help students apply ideas in real situations, especially when many students are dealing with constant pressure from social media, technology, and other distractions.Real-life examples can make those lessons easier to understand. Live case studies, business owners, coaches, and other people who have faced setbacks can show students what professional selling actually looks like outside the classroom.Students also need room to learn in ways that match who they are. The discussion around introverts challenges the idea that every student needs to learn or participate in exactly the same way.The goal is to give students practical experiences that help them discover their strengths. Sometimes that means stepping into unfamiliar places, trying new things, and giving ...
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    24 min
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
Ancora nessuna recensione