MOOC: How to Revolutionize Sales Training

It’s highly likely that when you approached your HR department to request training, for yourself or your sales team, they brought up MOOCs. Four letters that probably seemed to come out of nowhere.

This strange acronym stands for “Massive Open Online Courses.” Now, you can take courses from Harvard, Yale, HEC, and many others, all from your couch.

These online courses, free and open to all, allow anyone to access content of their choice on a wide variety of topics such as management, finance, economics, and more, based on videos distributed on dedicated platforms.

MOOCs: Of Significant Interest to a Sales Director

The value of MOOCs for a Sales Director is clear. They enable them to stay informed about marketing, societal, and digital trends that can help in defining a sales strategy or customer approach.

However, for Tiphaine Duchet, Digital Pole Director at Carewan, a consulting firm specializing in the human dimension of transformation support, MOOCs are not necessarily optimal for the operational training of sales professionals. This stems from their origin: “Universities favor a theoretical, conceptual approach, focusing on prospective and global themes, far from operational realities,” she notes.

MOOCs: Practical Information

You don’t necessarily need to have gone to ENA to take a MOOC. It couldn’t be simpler. You just need to log in to dedicated platforms (like Coursera, in French, or edX and Udacity, in English) before choosing your course and registering.

Most of the time, these courses are free, except in certain cases where the platform will ask for a few tens of euros for certification.

The courses span several weeks. During this period, videos are published at regular intervals. You are not required to watch them live; you can log in whenever you wish. One of the major advantages of MOOCs, along with their almost free nature, is their flexibility.

MOOCs also have a participatory dimension; between each course session, participants may have exercises to complete (knowledge tests, case studies, etc.) to help them progress more quickly.

Tiphaine Duchet specifies that “this type of learning requires unwavering regularity and commitment.” The videos to watch and exercises to complete take time, “between two and four hours per week,” estimates the specialist, who recommends following only one MOOC at a time.

The Best Sales MOOCs

Sales professionals will find numerous MOOCs available, whether they wish to advance in their career or satisfy their curiosity.

Here is our selection:

1 . “Boost Your Sales Performance”:

Increasing revenue is the goal of every business leader. This training program covers topics such as preparing for your next sales meeting with clients, effective prospecting to secure an appointment, or winning a tender.

This MOOC, offered by the Passeport pour Développer website, will enable you to train to increase your revenue without compromising your margins and profitability.

2. “Sales Force Management”

The IAE Montpellier School of Management offers a MOOC in French on sales force management.

This training consists of course videos, practical exercises, quizzes, surveys, and assessments.

3. “Management Strategies for Sales Directors”

Because traditional management methods no longer enable you to boost your sales team’s performance, learn the principles of sales coaching and help your sales professionals shift their perspectives.

This course will teach you how to gain the trust of your collaborators and create a culture of excellence within your sales organization.

4. “Psychology of Negotiation”

Offered by edX, this training will allow you to delve into the psychological mechanisms at play in negotiation situations.

5. “Who Are Your Customers”

A course based on case studies of MIT entrepreneurs. Through several stories, this MOOC will teach you the techniques to identify who will buy your product and why they will do so. These are essential questions to answer to best adapt your sales strategy.

6. “What Can You Do for Your Customers”

This course complements the previous MOOC. One thing as important as finding new customers is creating a product that will solve their problems. Through several entrepreneur case studies, you will learn how to address your customers’ challenges, establish a clear value proposition, and understand the competition.

Don’t hesitate any longer; go back to school right now, but from the comfort of your living room!

If you know of other interesting MOOCs, please let us know in the comments.