D099 looks at selling from a manager's point of view: how buyers decide, how relationships are built and how a sales force is organized, led and motivated.
WGU's program guide describes it as covering the sales profession, customer relationship management and sales management functions. Students learn the sales process, the relationship between sales and marketing, and sales management responsibilities in both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) environments.
The course appears in the B.S. Marketing and B.S. Business Management programs. Students often know selling from experience; the challenge is linking it to management decisions and business goals.
Course at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| University | Western Governors University (WGU) |
| Code | D099 |
| Level | Undergraduate |
| Competency units | 3 |
| Subject area | Sales and sales management |
| Typical work | Concept study and applied scenarios (check your course page for the assessment format) |
What D099 Covers
| Competency (summarized) | What it means |
|---|---|
| Explain buyer-seller relationships in the sales process | Stages of selling and trust-based relationships |
| Explain how organizational buying supports business goals | How companies buy: buying centers, criteria and processes |
| Explain how CRM supports business goals | Using customer data to retain and grow accounts |
| Describe forming a sales force organization | Structure, size, territories and recruitment |
| Describe managing and motivating a sales force | Compensation, training, targets and performance review |
Key Concepts Explained
B2B Versus B2C Selling
B2C sales are usually faster, with individual buyers and smaller amounts. B2B sales often involve several decision makers, larger values, formal processes and long-term contracts.
The Buying Center
In organizational buying, several roles influence a purchase: users, influencers, buyers, deciders and gatekeepers. A salesperson who speaks only to the purchasing officer may miss the person who really decides.
Example: A firm selling cleaning equipment to hospitals meets the purchasing manager (buyer), but nurses use the machines (users), infection control staff set standards (influencers) and the facilities director signs off (decider). A sales plan addresses each role's concerns: ease of use, hygiene standards and total cost.
Sales Force Structure
Sales teams can be organized by geography, product, customer type or a combination. Geographic structures minimize travel; customer-based structures build deeper expertise in key industries.
Compensation and Motivation
Plans range from straight salary to straight commission, with combinations in between. Salary gives stability and supports relationship work; commission rewards results but can encourage short-term pushing.
Example: A rep earns a $40,000 base plus 5% commission on sales above a $300,000 quota. With $500,000 in sales, commission is 5% x $200,000 = $10,000, for total pay of $50,000. Managers adjust the mix to balance security and incentive.
CRM and the Sales-Marketing Relationship
CRM systems record contacts, opportunities and purchase histories. Managers use them to forecast sales, spot at-risk accounts and allocate effort to the most valuable customers.
Sales and marketing work best when aligned. Marketing generates and qualifies leads; sales converts and grows them. Shared definitions, such as what counts as a qualified lead, reduce friction and wasted effort.
Good answers connect CRM to business goals: higher retention, larger average order size or more accurate forecasts, rather than describing the software alone.
Typical Tasks and How to Approach Them
| Task type | What it tests | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Sales process scenario | Applying the stages | Walk through each stage with concrete actions |
| Organizational buying analysis | Buying center and criteria | Map each role and what it needs to hear |
| Sales force design | Structure and compensation choices | Fit structure and pay to the products and customers |
The Sales Process Step by Step
The first competency centers on the buyer-seller relationship within the sales process. A common model has seven steps:
- Prospecting for potential customers.
- Pre-approach research into the buyer's needs.
- Approach and first contact.
- Presentation focused on the buyer's problems.
- Handling objections.
- Closing.
- Follow-up to build the relationship.
In relationship selling, follow-up is not an afterthought. Repeat business and referrals depend on it, and it feeds the CRM data managers use for forecasting.
Where Students Get Stuck
- Treating B2B like B2C. B2B answers need multiple decision makers and longer cycles.
- Compensation without trade-offs. Explain what behavior each pay plan encourages.
- CRM as software only. Link it to retention and growth goals.
- Forgetting ethics. Pressure to hit quota can lead to misleading sales; address it.
Study Tips for D099
- Interview someone in sales about how their team is organized and paid.
- Make a comparison table of structures and compensation plans.
- Practice mapping a buying center for a product you know.
- Connect D099 to D077's selling and negotiation concepts.
How We Help with D099
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Frequently Asked Questions
The sales profession, buyer-seller relationships, organizational buying, customer relationship management, and forming, managing and motivating a sales force.
It appears in WGU's B.S. Marketing and B.S. Business Management program guides.
The group of people who influence an organizational purchase: users, influencers, buyers, deciders and gatekeepers.
Neither is always better. Commission rewards results; salary supports relationship work. Many firms combine both.
WGU uses objective assessments, performance assessments or both. Check your course page for the current format.
Yes. We can prepare a custom response on a similar scenario and explain each step.