Chief Sales Officer (CSO)

During the course, you will learn how to develop digital sales strategies, analyze markets and optimally serve customer needs along the customer journey. You will make targeted use of AI, CRM systems and sales controlling and train in sales, negotiation and customer loyalty. In addition, leadership modules, new work and agile leadership skills will strengthen you so that you can successfully lead teams, optimize processes and actively shape digital change in sales.
  • Certificates: Chief Sales Officer (CSO)" certificate
  • Additional Certificates: Certificate "Digital sales and distribution management"
    Sales management" certificate
    Digital Leadership" certificate
  • Examination: Praxisbezogene Projektarbeiten mit Abschlusspräsentationen
  • Teaching Times: Full-time
    Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. (in weeks with public holidays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:10 p.m.)
  • Language of Instruction: German
  • Duration: 12 Weeks

Digital distribution and sales management

Digital market strategies, customer journey and AI (approx. 5 days)

Fundamentals and future fields in digital sales

Trends in digital sales: platform economics, social commerce, omnichannel sales

Market analysis and competition: market positioning (USP), SWOT and buyer behavior

Target group analysis and persona development

Customer centricity and customer journey mapping

Digital sales strategies and sales channels

Use of digital tools for market analysis and competition monitoring

Support for research, idea development and strategy work using AI-supported tools


Successful selling and customer relationships (approx. 4 days)

Practical skills for the digital sales process

Structure and phases of the digital sales process

Sales psychology: needs analysis and buying motives

Conducting conversations in digital sales situations

Social selling and digital relationship management

Digital tools for preparing sales meetings and presentations

AI-supported analysis of customer needs and meeting preparation


New customer acquisition and acquisition - existing customer care (approx. 4 days)

Digital strategies for acquiring new customers

Inbound and outbound sales approaches

Lead generation and lead qualification

Sales funnel and pipeline management

AI-supported lead analysis and prioritization of sales opportunities

Key account management and strategic customer development

Sales pitches: structure, presentation and argumentation

Benefit argumentation and value selling

Differentiating features in competition

Conducting negotiations: principles, phases and price negotiations

Closing the sale and follow-up in digital sales

Customer experience (CX) & complaint management

CRM systems: use for customer management and care

Digital systems for sales automation and customer analysis


Sales controlling and law (approx. 4 days)

Success measurement and performance in sales

Sales controlling: objectives, tasks and instruments of sales controlling

Key figures and evaluation of sales data

Digital systems for reporting and forecasting

AI-supported sales forecasts and data analyses

Competition, trademark and commercial agency law

Drafting contracts: general terms and conditions (GTC) and relevant contractual elements

EU product safety regulation: General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)

Data protection in digital sales (GDPR)


Project work (approx. 3 days)

To consolidate the content learned

Presentation of the project results

Sales management

Strategy and digital marketing (approx. 4 days)

Foundation for sustainable sales management

Market analysis and trends: digitalization and USP

Customer centricity and customer journey

Channels and lead management: multichannel and omnichannel

Marketing-sales alignment

Collaboration between sales, marketing and customer success

Sales funnel and pipeline management

Digital tools and AI for market analysis and strategy


Sales performance and organization (approx. 5 days)

Efficient management and structuring of sales

Sales strategy 4.0

Organization and processes in sales

Territory and partner management

Controlling and KPIs

Data-driven sales and performance management

Sales forecasting and pipeline management

Forecast methods (bottom-up / top-down) and deal evaluation

CRM strategy and management of CRM systems

Customer management

AI-supported sales analyses and forecasts

AI for forecasting, lead scoring and sales management


Leadership and psychology in sales (approx. 4 days)

Core competencies for employee management and team dynamics

Leadership role and change in sales

Motivation and sales psychology

Employee development in sales

Feedback discussions and performance management in sales

Team dynamics and conflict management

Leading at a distance (remote leadership)


Personnel, negotiation and law (approx. 4 days)

Skills for recruiting, closing deals and legal security

Recruiting and onboarding in sales

Employee development and promotion

Consulting and solution sales

Negotiation and closing strategies

Presentation and communication

Sales law, GDPR and compliance


Project work (approx. 3 days)

To deepen the content learned

Presentation of the results

Digital Leadership

Challenges of the digital transformation (approx. 2 days)

Digital leadership - big picture

Differentiation between leadership - digital leadership - digital business leadership

VUCA environment/BANI environment

Consequences of digitalization for the market and competition

Customer expectations in the digital age


Challenges in leadership (approx. 4 days)

Leadership - basics

Motivating employees and getting to know employee participation models

Employee expectations in the digital age

The role of the manager in digital change

Emotional intelligence as a key competence

Determining your own level of digital maturity

Agile leadership in digitalized environments


New Work/Agile Leadership (approx. 2 days)

Work 4.0 - the foundations of a new world of work

The new requirements for self-organization and self-management

Team collaboration in digital times

Forming, leading and developing teams

Virtual leadership

Networking and knowledge management with digital systems


Digital change in the company (approx. 2 days)

Selection and introduction of suitable digital processes, methods and tools

Change and transformation, ambidextrous organization (ambidexterity)

Dealing with employee skepticism during change processes

Determining the digital maturity level of an organization


Artificial intelligence (AI) in the work process/application of key technologies (approx. 2 days)

Presentation of specific AI technologies in the professional environment

Possible applications and practical exercises (prompts)

Effects of generative AI on work

Getting to know and understand blockchain, smart contracts, Internet of Things (IOT), AR/VR

Big data: collecting, analyzing and evaluating data


Business models, goals, strategies, key performance indicators and KPIs (approx. 3 days)

Analyze, plan and design value creation processes and business models

Define key performance indicators for process control

Successfully defining and measuring key performance indicators (KPIs)

Introducing objectives and key results (OKRs) as a new, more agile target system


Project work (approx. 5 days)

To consolidate the content learned

Presentation of the project results



Changes are possible, the course content is updated regularly.

After completing the course, you will be able to plan digital sales strategies in a targeted manner and implement them operationally. You will analyze markets, develop personas and design customer-oriented measures along the customer journey. You will rely on CRM systems, sales controlling and in-depth knowledge of sales psychology, conversation management and customer loyalty. You will also strengthen your leadership skills: you will be able to define key figures, coach teams and select suitable employees, enabling you to successfully contribute as a specialist or manager in modern, digitally networked working environments.

Employees and prospective managers from all areas who would like to work in sales management in the future, as well as managers who are involved in digitally networked, global work structures and would like to successfully support processes and employees there.

This course qualifies you for a career in sales or distribution and therefore for positions in all companies with a sales department.

Your meaningful certificate provides a detailed insight into the qualifications you have acquired and improves your career prospects.

Didactic concept

Your lecturers are highly qualified both professionally and didactically and will teach you from the first to the last day (no self-study system).

You will learn in effective small groups. The courses usually consist of 6 to 25 participants. The general lessons are supplemented by numerous practical exercises in all course modules. The practice phase is an important part of the course, as it is during this time that you process what you have just learned and gain confidence and routine in its application. The final section of the course involves a project, a case study or a final exam.

 

Virtual classroom alfaview®

Lessons take place using modern alfaview® video technology - either from the comfort of your own home or at our premises at Bildungszentrum. The entire course can see each other face-to-face via alfaview®, communicate with each other in lip-sync voice quality and work on joint projects. Of course, you can also see and talk to your connected trainers live at any time and you will be taught by your lecturers in real time for the entire duration of the course. The lessons are not e-learning, but real live face-to-face lessons via video technology.

 

The courses at alfatraining are funded by Agentur für Arbeit and are certified in accordance with the AZAV approval regulation. When submitting a Bildungsgutscheinor Aktivierungs- und Vermittlungsgutschein, the entire course costs are usually covered by your funding body.
Funding is also possible via Europäischen Sozialfonds (ESF), Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) or regional funding programs. As a regular soldier, you have the option of attending further training courses via Berufsförderungsdienst (BFD). Companies can also have their employees qualified via funding from Agentur für Arbeit (Qualifizierungschancengesetz).

We will gladly advise you free of charge.

0800 3456-500 Mon. - Fri. from 8 am to 5 pm
free of charge from all German networks.

Contact

We will gladly advise you free of charge. 0800 3456-500 Mon. - Fri. from 8 am to 5 pm free of charge from all German networks.