It is our hope that this textbook will become a valued resource for students, professors, and emerging salespeople. We have written this textbook from the perspective of solidly experienced practitioners. As such, it is intentionally direct and to the point and free from “filler”. This is why we have subtitled it as “the essentials”.
This textbook is not designed to be an all-inclusive instructional aide for all types of selling. It is specifically designed for students that are evaluating a career in professional selling, being defined as the selling process that emerges between two companies in a business-to-business (B2B) interaction that will preferably result in a longer-term partnership. Obviously, a consultative approach can be used in applications other than B2B, particularly when professional services or high valued items are being exchanged, and the authors highly encourage the use of a consultative approach in these applications. The process emphasized in this book is described as a consultative process wherein the salesperson eventually becomes a trusted partner and consultant to the customer.
Steve is an accomplished businessman and educator. He has a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida, an MBA from the University of Virginia and a DBA from the University of Florida. As a Clinical Professor at UF’s Warrington College of Business, and having achieved substantial corporate and entrepreneurial success, he now teaches classes in sales, marketing, entrepreneurship and real estate. His areas of interest includes salesperson performance, salesperson influence, entrepreneurial firm development and entrepreneurial exit.
He was the recipient of the 2019-2020 Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award in the UF College of Business. He is Co-Director of UF’s Professional Selling Program and a member of the UF Faculty Senate. Additionally, he is a Faculty Adviser for the UF Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the UF Student Chapter of the American Marketing Association, GatorSLAM (a sales-oriented student organization), and several other student groups.
Prior to joining the faculty at UF, Steve had a successful corporate career that included senior executive positions at companies like Progressive Insurance, Anthem, Inc. and Great American Insurance Company. After early career assignments as an engineer and financial analyst, Steve became interested in the performance of salespeople. He began his sales management career in 1983 and has been managing a sales force and teaching professional selling in corporate, entrepreneurial and academic settings ever since.
As a part of his sales career progression, he received his real estate license in 2001 and spent several years as an M&A intermediary eventually resulting in the ownership of several entrepreneurial ventures. He joined Keller Williams Realty as the Co-Founder of Tufts Realty Associates, an Award-winning Atlanta-based luxury real estate team. Following his early success in luxury real estate, Steve became the Founder and Operating Partner of the Atlantic Partners Group of Keller Williams Realty offices, currently consisting of 12 locations and over 1200 real estate agents throughout North Florida. His real estate group was recently listed as one of the Top 100 largest real estate brokerages in the nation by REALTrends. He is a member of the KW University International Master Faculty, a Licensed Real Estate Broker in Florida and Georgia and a Licensed Real Estate Instructor in Florida. He is a Member of the National Association of Realtors, the Florida Association of Realtors and 5 Local Boards of Realtors in North Florida. He also owns part of a title company and various other ventures.
Steve is a proud native of Florida. He was born in Jacksonville and grew up on Merritt Island. He has 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys boating, travel, cycling, music and anything that puts him near the mountains or blue water. He and his wife Barbara reside in Gainesville, FL.
Part 1 - Introduction to Professional Selling
Unit 1.1 | Why Study Sales?
Unit 1.2 | The Evolution of Selling
Unit 1.3 | The Selling Context
Unit 1.4 | Sales Careers
Unit 1.5 | Selling Models
Part 2 - Foundational Knowledge For Salespeople
Unit 2.1 | Communication and Learning Principles
Unit 2.2 | Body Language
Unit 2.3 | Engaged Listening
Unit 2.4 | Elements of Trust
Unit 2.5 | Learning Methods
Unit 2.6 | Emotional Intelligence
Unit 2.7 | Credibility and Validity
Unit 2.8 | Personality
Unit 2.9 | Interpersonal Adaption
Unit 2.10 | Influence
Part 3 - The Selling Process
Unit 3.1 | Understanding Buyer Behavior
Unit 3.2 | Buying Process
Unit 3.3 | Prospecting
Unit 3.4 | Strategy, Planning, and Research
Unit 3.5 | Call Planning
Part 4 - The Customer Interaction
Unit 4.1 | The Importance of Questoining
Unit 4.2 | Telephone Sales
Unit 4.3 | Connection and Rapport
Unit 4.4 | Discovery and Needs Analysis
Unit 4.5 | Needs Satisfaction and Presentation
Unit 4.6 | Handling Objections
Unit 4.7 | Gaining Commitment
Part 5 - Managing Yourself in a Sales Role
Unit 5.1 | Goal Setting
Unit 5.2 | The Numbers of a Salesperson
Unit 5.3 | Time Management
Unit 5.4 | Territory Management
Unit 5.5 | Skill Development
Unit 5.6 | Career Development
Part 6 - Consultative Selling Partnerships
Unit 6.1 | Characteristics of a Salesperson
Unit 6.2 | Progressional of Partnership
Unit 6.3 | Establishing Mutual Goals
Unit 6.4 | Strategies to Build Alliances
Unit 6.5 | Quantifying Profit Improvement Initiatives
Unit 6.6 | Penetrating Higher Levels
Part 7 - Role of Social Media in Sales
Unit 7.1 | The Evolution of Sales Communication
Unit 7.2 | The Importance of Social Media in Sales
Unit 7.3 Developing in a Social Media Strategy