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Coursera

Sales Skills: Build Trust And Influence Buyers

via Coursera

Overview

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This course introduces the core principles of challenger-style selling and insight-led communication that help sales professionals influence buyer thinking early in the sales process. You will learn how to communicate value clearly, build trust quickly and use behavioural psychology to guide productive sales conversations. Through practical frameworks and real-world examples, you’ll strengthen your ability to ask diagnostic questions, uncover buyer motivations and create constructive tension that encourages customers to rethink problems and explore better solutions. You’ll also learn how persuasion principles, social selling and messaging strategies can support more effective prospecting and early-stage deal development. Designed for sales professionals and client-facing roles who want to influence conversations with greater credibility and confidence, this course provides the mindset and tools needed to progress opportunities without pressure-based tactics. By the end, you will be equipped to engage buyers more effectively and prepare for the coaching and decision-guidance techniques developed in the next course.

Syllabus

  • Sales Skills: Value Creation, Buyer Confidence And Deal Momentum
    • In this module, you’ll develop the essential sales skills required to engage buyers confidently and create value early in the sales process. You’ll learn how to prepare for sales conversations, understand buyer motivations and communicate your value with clarity and credibility. Through practical techniques, you’ll strengthen your ability to build trust, guide discussions and maintain momentum through key stages of the deal. This module provides a strong foundation for running effective, professional sales interactions in modern selling environments.
  • Sales Execution: Influence, Commercial Value And Sustained Growth
    • In this module, you’ll focus on executing sales conversations with greater commercial impact and strategic intent. You’ll learn how to influence decision-making, manage objections and create outcomes that support long-term value and growth. By applying structured approaches to negotiation, pricing and deal progression, you’ll strengthen your ability to close effectively while protecting relationships and commercial outcomes. This module supports confident sales execution and helps you drive sustainable results across a range of sales scenarios.
  • Sales Skills: Learn Proven Sales Techniques To Confidently Close More Deals
    • This module expands your foundational skills by introducing practical, repeatable techniques you can apply during live sales conversations. You’ll learn how to guide buyers through their decision-making process, reframe resistance without pressure and use confidence-based communication to strengthen commitment. The module also focuses on behavioural techniques that increase momentum, reduce hesitation and help prospects feel secure moving forward. By building on the fundamentals from Module 1, this module equips you to handle real-time challenges and positions you for deeper trust-building work in the next stage of the course.
  • Business Psychology: Use Persuasion Techniques To Influence Consumer Behaviour
    • This module explores the psychology behind why customers make decisions — and how ethical persuasion can shape their buying choices. You’ll examine cognitive biases, emotional triggers and behavioural patterns that influence consumer responses. Using relatable examples, you’ll learn how to apply principles such as social proof, framing, scarcity and reciprocity to enhance your marketing and sales impact while maintaining trust. By the end, you’ll understand how to motivate action and design more compelling customer experiences.
  • Business Psychology: Build Trust In Sales And Close Deals With Confidence
    • In this module, you’ll discover how trust functions as a psychological catalyst in sales interactions. You’ll explore techniques for building credibility, strengthening rapport and reducing perceived risk for prospects. The module also reveals why emotional intelligence, authenticity and consistent communication are essential for long-term customer relationships. By applying these principles, you’ll learn to create an environment where prospects feel understood, supported and ready to move forward. This trust-based foundation prepares you for strategic negotiation and stakeholder-influence skills.
  • Sales Skills: Leverage The Power Of Social Media To Engage Prospects And Generate More Leads
    • This module teaches you how to activate social channels to generate higher-quality leads and accelerate complex deal cycles. You’ll learn how to position your expertise online, initiate meaningful prospect conversations and create content that attracts the right buying groups. These techniques support the multi-stakeholder engagement frameworks introduced in C218, ensuring your pipeline aligns with the strategic opportunities you’re now able to manage. This sets the foundation for the structured proposal and procurement work covered next.
  • Sales Skills: Master The Sales Funnel To Optimise Your Winning Sales Process
  • Sales Strategy: Apply Modern Insight To Succeed In Changing Markets
    • In this module, you will build a strong strategic foundation for selling during periods of economic uncertainty and change. You’ll explore how sales thinking has evolved, why traditional approaches often fall short and the behaviours required to succeed in modern B2B environments. Through frameworks such as the Inspiring Challenger, PEST analysis and market-force analysis, you’ll learn how to create insight, position expertise and tailor your message to customer priorities. By the end of this module, you’ll understand how strategic insight and informed challenge enable sales professionals to inspire customers, shape thinking and prepare the ground for more complex buying decisions.
  • Sales Control: Navigate Buying Decisions And Drive Deal Progression
    • In this module, you will focus on navigating customer decision-making and taking greater control of complex sales opportunities. You’ll learn how buying decisions are made across multiple stakeholders, how to map and influence decision-making networks and how to align your approach across the wider account team. The module also develops your ability to manage sales momentum, assertiveness and commitment using structured control techniques. By the end, you’ll be equipped to guide opportunities forward with confidence, strengthen deal progression and apply practical control strategies that support success in later modules on enterprise engagement and pipeline management.
  • Business Psychology: Adopt Proven Negotiation Techniques To Get What You Want
    • This module introduces the core negotiation strategies needed to influence outcomes while maintaining strong professional relationships. You’ll learn how to prepare effectively, identify interests, manage tension and structure proposals in a way that benefits both sides. Through psychological principles and practical negotiation frameworks, you’ll strengthen your ability to navigate difficult conversations and secure mutually beneficial agreements. Building on the trust and communication skills from earlier modules, this section prepares you to negotiate with confidence in more complex internal and cross-functional environments.

Taught by

The Expert Academy

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