Communication, Influence & Sales Techniques

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Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Paid Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Certificate Available
Effort

9 hours
Sessions

Self-Paced
Level

Intermediate
Subtitles

English

Found in

Part of

B2B Sales Negotiation: Leveraging AI

Overview

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Develop the communication and influence skills needed to succeed in modern B2B sales. In this course, you’ll learn how to build trust with clients, communicate value clearly, and guide sales conversations with confidence. The course focuses on practical techniques such as active listening, persuasive storytelling, and structured sales communication that help sales professionals connect with stakeholders and influence decisions. You’ll explore proven approaches for building rapport, identifying client needs, and presenting solutions in a way that highlights business value. Through guided exercises and real-world sales scenarios, you’ll practice framing messages, responding effectively to client concerns, and adapting your communication style for different audiences. What makes this course unique is its focus on communication strategies used in complex B2B environments. Instead of focusing only on theory, you’ll learn how to apply communication techniques in real sales interactions, helping you strengthen relationships, improve client conversations, and move deals forward more effectively. These skills form the foundation for advanced negotiation, sales strategy, and relationship management covered later in the program.

Syllabus

Master Active Listening: Recognize Active Listening Behaviors That Build Trust

You will identify key active-listening behaviors such as paraphrasing, asking open-ended questions, and summarizing to strengthen trust and engagement during buyer interactions.

Master Active Listening: Capture and Summarize What the Buyer Actually Said

You will analyze a discovery call and produce a clear, structured summary that accurately reflects the buyer’s stated needs and priorities.

Engage with Storytelling: Why Stories Win: Structure That Sticks

In this module, you will examine why structured stories outperform feature-based pitches in sales conversations. By breaking down the situation–struggle–solution framework and linking it to buyer psychology, you will build a clear mental model for how narrative shifts perception, attention, and recall.

Engage with Storytelling: From Framework to Pitch: Writing a Customer Success Story

In this module, you will apply storytelling principles to craft a concise, persuasive customer success story for a sales conversation. You will focus on translating the situation → struggle → solution framework into a 200-word narrative that demonstrates customer value, credibility, and relevance. Through guided examples, hands-on drafting, and a single extended Coach dialogue, you will refine your story for real-world delivery and buyer impact.

Negotiate Collaboratively: Choosing the Right Negotiation Style in B2B Contexts

In this module, you will learn how to diagnose B2B negotiation scenarios and determine whether a competitive or collaborative approach is most appropriate. Using real-world business cases, you will apply a structured diagnostic framework to evaluate relationship value, strategic importance, and long-term impact, ending with a clear decision-making method you can use before any negotiation.

Negotiate Collaboratively: Conducting a Structured Collaborative Negotiation

In this module, you will move from diagnosis to execution by applying a structured collaborative negotiation checklist in a realistic B2B scenario. You will learn how to open with shared purpose, uncover underlying interests, design value-expanding trade-offs, and guide the conversation toward mutual agreement, ending with a practical role-play that demonstrates your ability to create sustainable, win-win outcomes.

Sell on Value: From Feature-Benefit to Outcome-Value Framing

In this module, you learn how to distinguish between features, benefits, and measurable business outcomes, and why outcome-value framing strengthens executive negotiations. You practice converting feature-based messaging into quantified business impact statements.

Sell on Value: Crafting a Measurable Value Proposition

In this module, you will learn how to structure a value proposition centered on measurable outcomes. You apply a practical framework to rewrite product messaging so it clearly demonstrates financial, strategic, and executive-level impact.

Build Client Rapport: Recognize Rapid Rapport Techniques

In this module, you explore how rapport is formed quickly in client conversations and why early connection shapes trust and engagement. You identify three rapid-rapport techniques—mirroring, small-talk alignment, and shared experiences—and reflect on how these behaviors influence first impressions. By the end of the module, you will be able to list and recognize rapport-building techniques used in effective sales openings.

Build Client Rapport: Demonstrate Rapport in the Opening of a Client Meeting

In this module, you apply rapport-building techniques in simulated first-meeting scenarios. You focus on opening conversations naturally, choosing appropriate techniques, and establishing connection without wasting time. By the end of the module, you will be able to demonstrate rapport within the first two minutes of a client interaction.

Adapt Communication Styles: Recognizing Communication Styles in Sales Conversations

In this module, you will explore four common DISC-style communication profiles used in B2B sales. The lesson focuses on recognizing behavioral cues and language patterns so sales professionals can quickly adapt their approach in real conversations.

Adapt Communication Styles: Adapting Your Message for an Analytical Buyer

In this module, you will practice adapting sales communication for Analytical buyers by revising real emails. Emphasis is placed on clarity, structure, data use, and credibility—all critical to gaining trust and supporting decision making.