Advanced Certificate in Sales & Marketing

Become an Asset to any Business

Every business or organisation needs to promote its products or services. They all rely on sales or funding to survive.

This intensive course of study in sales and marketing equips students with a valuable skillset which can be adapted to any work environment. Find out how to successfully promote what your company or organisation has to offer and how to enhance profitability through increased sales and revenue.

Train to be a Marketing Manager

Marketing Managers are responsible for all aspects of marketing, not just sales (Sales managers deal only with sales). In smaller businesses, the marketing manager may often also be the sales manager, but in large well structured organisations, the Marketing Manager could find themselves in charge of tasks as diverse as stock control and transport, packaging, general promotions, and after sales service, with one or several sales managers heading sales teams working under their direction.

Job Prospects and Opportunities

Graduates may seek work across a wide range of industries, in positions such as:

• Marketing Officer

• Sales Manager, Sales Representative

• Retail Manager

• Distribution Manager

• Marketing Manager

• Promotions or Public Relations Officer

• Freelance Marketing Consultant

• Customer Service Officer

• Small Business Owner/Operator

• Commission Salesperson ... etc

Learn to manage marketing of anything in any place, any time.

Modules

Note that each module in the Advanced Certificate in Sales & Marketing is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.

WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS COURSE

For this study bundle the following modules are included:

Marketing Foundations
The content the ten lessons is as outlined below:

1. Marketing and the Business What is marketing, and its significance, Considering alternative approaches to business & marketing, Alternative enterprises (eg. goods or services based, sole proprietor or partnership etc).

2. Scope of Marketing Understanding basic economics (eg. supply & demand); the difference between the potential market, available market, target market, and penetrated market for a product/service of your choice; Different advertising approaches, Controlling Growth, Improving Results in Business, etc

3. Target Marketing Understanding the market place; Stages that sellers move through in their approach to a market, What is targeting, Advantages of target marketing as compared to mass marketing and product-differentiated marketing

4. The Marketing Mix and Managing the Marketing Effort Product, price, place, and promotion; Affects and interactions between marketing and other operations of a business.

5. Product Presentation and Packaging Importance of product knowledge, Core, tangible and augmented products; Differences in packaging & presentation for different products.

6. Promotion Communication skills, Merchandising, Shop Floor Layout, Displaying Products, Signs, Understanding Selling and Increasing Sales, Sales Methods, Publicity Marketing,
   Structuring an Advertisement or Promotion, Advertising budgets, etc

7. Product Pricing and Distribution Pricing, Profitability Ratios, Increasing Turnover, etc

8. Customer Service Methods of assessing customer satisfaction; Significance of Customer Service; Different types of customers in the market place, and how best to approach each; Difference between selling, publicising, marketing and advertising, etc

9. Market Research The research process, What to research, Surveys, Developing and conducting a market research program, where to find useful statistics,

10. Organisations - Structures and Roles Business law; Financial Management, Business Structures, Business terminology, etc.

Business Studies

This course develops the skills necessary for managing a small business, or a department within a larger business. Developed by professionals with many years of experience, it covers a range of topics that will ensure your career in Management has a strong foundation.

There are 8 lessons as follows:

1. Establishment Procedures – aims to teach the student how to select appropriate procedures for the establishment of a small business

2. Management Procedures – teaches the student how to select appropriate procedures for the management of a small business

3. Communication in Business – how to develop procedures for communicating with suppliers and customers of a small business

4. Problem Solving – how to develop procedures for addressing problems in a small business

5. Staff Management – looks at how to plan the management of staff in a small business

6. Productivity – learn how to develop strategies for managing production in a small business or department within a larger organisation.

7. Financial Management – how to carry out different financial management tasks used in small business or department within a larger organisation

8. Marketing Techniques – Evaluation of marketing techniques used in business

Sales Management

For any company or organisation to have success financially it must have a desirable product. This product must be of need to a large proportion of the general public. Advertising, using all available media outlets, should get the message across. But the most important link after the manufacturing and advertising (marketing) is the salesperson/sales representative - The person who actually sells the product to the consumer. Without him, the financial/corporate world would come to a halt!

This course will take you from developing a strong personality (confidence and knowledge) through to communication, marketing, dealing with upper management, getting to know your product, the A B C of selling, the opening and closing or a sale, stress management, how to increase your company's profits, etc. The content of the nine lessons is as outlined below:

1. Developing Sales Concepts: Goods & Services, Ways of Managing Sales, Developing a Sales Concept, Planning Ahead, Understanding Selling, Understanding Buyers, Steps in the Sales Order, Increasing Sales

2. Developing Sales Relationships: Sales Methods, Presentation & the Selling Personality (personality traits of a salesperson), Communication skills and conversational selling

3. Sales Ethics: The Law and Ethics, Social Problems, Pricing, Deceit, High Pressure Sales, Poor Quality Products, Predetermined Obsolescence, The Impact of Marketing and Selling on Society, Public Responses to Modern Marketing Trends (eg. Consumerism, Environmentalism etc), Enlightened Marketing

4. Building Product Knowledge: Good & Bad Features (eg. Make/trade name; Model; Purpose or use; How & where it is manufactured; Materials used; Wholesale/retail price; Guarantees; Warranty; Spare parts (availability and location); Service Costs), Knowing the Competition etc.

5. Developing a Customer Strategy: Types of Buyers, Buyer Motivation, Difficult Buyers, Key Rules for Every Salesperson

6. Presentation Strategy Options: Displays (eg. Locating Your Displays For Best Results), Shop Layout, Trade Displays etc.

7. Closing a Sale: Difficulties with closing a sale & solutions, importance of the personal approach.

8. Managing Yourself: Time management, Territory management, Record Management, Sales Records, Stress Management

9. Managing a Sales Team: Building quality partnerships.
   

Sales Skills
There are twelve lessons in this course; as outlined below:

1. Presentation and selling: Personality. "Never judge a book by its cover." A wise old saying! but people who buy do make judgments especially about sales people. Dress and grooming are top priority in selling. As well you must learn how to develop a selling personality.

2. Communication and Conversational selling: Learn the art of written and verbal communication in easy to understand terms.

3. Marketing (Buyer analysis and motivation): Presentation of products to consumers and motivating them to buy.

4. Management (Hierarchy): Dealing with upper management; learn how to get your point across. How to be assertive and positive when dealing with your superiors.

5. Helping the Product Sell Itself

6. Know your product and pre planning: Through observation, reading and listening get to know your products (pre planning is essential in today's complex society).

7. Selling made as simple as A B C: The procedure of selling.

8. "The Opening" (getting the attention of the buyer): Creating the right atmosphere for a sale to take place.

9. "Closing a Sale" (overcoming objections): Buyers will tend to look else where unless a salesman can close a sale in an appropriate amount of time (learn the secrets).

10. "Stress Management": Learn the art of relaxation through stress management techniques.

11. The Law and Selling

12. Report Assessment Writing: The majority of sales persons need to have the ability and skill to write a condensed and accurate report on which management will comprehend and act upon.

Advertising and Promotions

There are ten lessons in this course, each requiring about 10 hours work by the student. This course is designed as a program to first help you understand the marketing world, then to assist you in making decisions and developing skills in marketing. Emphasis is placed on profitability and efficiency!

The content the ten lessons is as outlined below:

1. Analysing the Market

2. Target Marketing

3. Display and Display Techniques

4. Advertising and Promotions Strategy

5. New Product Development

6. Sales Techniques - General

7. Writing Advertisement

8. Electronic Marketing -Telephone & Email

9. Direct Mailing

10. Exhibitions & Shows

Marketing Systems

There are 10 lessons as follows:

1. Marketing Systems

2. Retailing Systems and Strategies

3. Wholesale Systems and Strategies

4. Product Presentation and Packaging

5. Negotiation Skills

6. Marketing Organisations

7. International Marketing I

8. International Marketing II

9. Analysing the Market

10. The Market Mix

Some of the Electives:

Publishing I
The content of each of the ten lessons is as outlined below:

1. The Publishing World: Nature & scope of publishing, types of publishers, how books are published, market research

2. Publishing Procedures & Techniques: Colour or black & white; film or digital imaging, types of printing, alternative ways of doing layout (eg. typesetting, paste up, electronic layout with Adobe products or MS publisher), comparing types of digital graphic files, printing costs, etc.

3. Desktop Publishing: Word Processing, Alternative publishing methods: Printing on a Computer Printer; Supplying a "Master" to a commercial printer, or publishing electronically (eg. Internet or CD)

4. Desktop Publishing: Software options, use of colour, black and white, use of graphics, putting it together, etc.

5. Illustration - Graphics: Line illustrations, cartoons, photos etc. Freehand work, Computer graphics, etc.

6. Illustration - Photography: Photographic Equipment & Materials; Composition; Development of Photographic Style, Portraiture, Posing for Photographs, Planning a Photo Session, Studio Photography, Fault Finding, etc.

7. Researching: Types of Research (Exploratory, Experimental etc), Primary & Secondary Data sources, Planning a survey, Conducting an interview.

8. Marketing in Publishing: Understanding marketing & publicity –what makes a publication succeed or fail, launches, press releases, etc.

9. Publishing Ethics & The Law: Public attitudes, accuracy of writing, bias, monopolies, media ownership concerns, etc.

10. Publishing Project: Here you actually publish your own work

Marketing Psychology

There are eight lessons in this module as follows:

1. People as Consumers: Understanding the types of psychological “rewards” gained by a person through buying. Distinguishing between consumers, customers and buyers?

2. Market Segmentation: Understanding market segments and applying the concept of target marketing.

3. Internal Influences –Perception & Personality: Consumer self image, difference threshold, trait theory of personality, etc.

4. Internal Influences –Motivation and Awareness: Customer satisfaction, the way complaints are dealt with, stimulus generalisation and stimulus discrimination, etc

5. Social Influences: Family Influences, Social groups, Developmental Influences, Peer Group Influences (Work and Leisure), Social Class and Culture

6. Consumerism: Deceptive advertising, sensitivity to consumer needs, variation between perception and reality.

7. Communication and Persuasion: Message Evaluation, Selection & Execution

8. Deciding to Buy: Why people shop, or do not shop; surveying the market place.

E Commerce

There are eight lessons in this module as follows:

1. Introduction: What is e-commerce, scope of e commerce. E commerce problems & advantages, security, using the internet, contract law, How different electronic payment systems work (eg. credit card, bank transfer etc)

2. Success & Failure: What makes a web site commercially successful? Relaxing with technology, what can go wrong, site visibility, interactivity of a site, etc

3. Promotional Strategies: Internet differences; Internet code of conduct, marketing management, target marketing, categories of url’s (search engines, ffa’s, directories etc)

4. Optimizing Web Site Potential: Monitoring visitors, Ground rules keep changing, Meta tags, Evaluation services, Submission services, etc

5. Increasing Web Site Exposure: Developing a marketing plan, Promoting a site, Forms of advertising, Types of Marketing (Affiliate marketing; Free Content Marketing; Drive in Marketing, Buzz Marketing and User Group Marketing.)

6. Automating Supply of Goods, Services and Cash flow: Ways to process payment; Ways to supply goods or services.

7. Managing Constant Change: Ways to keep information up to date, Resource Planning, Information Currency vs Cash Currency, etc.

8. Dealing with E Commerce Problems: Learning from mistakes (others & yours)

Statistics

Strengthen your scientific and life sciences career with this course in Statistics. If you want to develop scientifically-based research studies, this is your starting point. Learn how to interpret data sets, and how to prove your point based on scientifically proven methods.

There are 10 lessons as follows:

1. Introduction

2. Distributions

3. Measures of central tendency

4. The Normal curve and Percentiles and Standard Scores

5. Correlation

6. Regression

7. Inferential Statistics

8. The t Test

9. Analysis of variance

10. Chi square test

Project Management

Project Management is an invaluable tool used in all industries, and in all sorts of situations. It is relevant to a diverse range of projects, including technical, human resources, marketing, and more.
This is a compressed version of a much longer course, so it is highly informative, and great value for money.
It was developed by highly qualified professionals, with years of experience in their respective fields.

There are nine lessons as follows:

1. Introduction: Understanding what project management is, and what its applications might be.

2. Project Identification: Identification and defining projects which need management.

3. Project Planning: Developing a strategy and framework for the plan.

4. Project Implementation: Managers duties during implementation, developing a Preparation Control Chart, Regulating implementation.

5. Project Completion & Evaluation: Dangers in this stage, Steps in Project completion, Declaring a project sustainable, Developing an evaluation method.

6. Technical Project Management Skills: Preparing a proposal, budget control/management, steps in drawing up a post project appraisal.

7. Leadership Skills: Styles of leadership, leadership principles and methods.

8. Improving Key Personnel Skills: Listening skills, Negotiation skills, Conflict management.

9. Major Assignment: Developing full documentation for a project.

Event Management

This is a course designed to develop knowledge and skills in the planning and management of special events including gallery openings, festivals, exhibitions and sporting events.
It is also a very good starting point for people thinking in developing an Event Management career and wanting to try the waters first.

There are 9 lessons as follows:

1. Scope and Nature of Event Management

2. Developing the Concept

3. Physical an Human Resources

4. Project Logistics

5. Marketing an Event

6. Financial Management

7. Risk Management

8. Staging the Event

9. After the Event

To pass each of the above modules, you must complete all assignments satisfactorily, and sit an exam for each module. If you fail anything you are allowed to repeat the work.

Research project I

There are 7 lessons as follows:

1. Determining Research Needs

2. Searching For Information 

3. Research Methods 

4. Using Statistics

5. Conducting Statistical Research 

6. Research Reports

7. Reporting On A Research Project.

AFTER YOU COMPLETE THIS COURSE

There are all sorts of jobs that people need to fill in the world of marketing; from website programmers to retail sales assistants and marketing managers Together, these jobs combine and interact, to create a marketing system, which if harmonious; can be very effective.

This course is about understanding  the world of marketing and how to manage the different parts of a marketing system for optimum efficiency and effect.

Here are some of the jobs that you may find or work towards after graduating. 

Retail Salesperson
A sales person or shop assistant can be the first port of call for selling your goods and services. They may be the person who forms the closest relationship with your customers and clients. They will be the person that customers see when they come into your shop or office so it is important that retail staff are well trained, polite and fully aware of the products and/or services you offer.

Sales Manager
Sales managers may be the next line of management above sales representatives and sales people.  Whether you have sales managers will depend on how big your business is. You may operate as the manager of staff yourself if the business is smaller.

Marketing Officer
A marketing officer will be in charge of marketing products.  Some firms may not be large enough to have a marketing officer, so you may carry out marketing tasks yourself. If the firm is large enough, however, a marketing officer will be responsible for tasks such as:

• social media

• blogs

• advertising

• writing promotional materials, such as brochures, leaflets, newsletters

• eZines

• promoting products and services through websites, links and so on

For example:   Caroline is a marketing officer for an investment consultant. She is involved in preparing advertisements for magazines aimed at financial advisors. She also arranges adverts in magazines aimed at higher income earners and investors. Her work is heavily linked to the work of the promotions manager. In some organisations, the marketing officer may also work in promotions, but an organisation may also have a separate promotions manager.

Promotions Manager
A promotions manager tends to be responsible for both events and promotions. For example, they may arrange luncheons for potential customers, or offer the chance for customers to attend theatre events for free.  They might arrange a promotion like this - the first ten customers to buy this new TV will get a ticket to see XYZ Show.  

They may also be involved in preparing promotional materials, such as leaflets and brochures, and merchandise such as free pens, bags, t-shirts and so on.  Pharmaceutical companies often engage in these kinds of promotions, attempting to ply doctors with merchandise in the hope that they will respond by prescribing those particular medications.  Gardening tools, for example, labelled with a particular brand of anti-depressant, or backpacks with a medical badge sewn on the back.  

Advertising Representative
An advertising representative tends to sell advertising. They may approach businesses and ask them to advertise. They will also keep in touch with businesses that have already advertised and encourage them to advertise again. An advertising representative may sell advertising for print media, broadcast media and the internet.

Search Engine Optimisation Expert
A search engine optimisation expert (SEO Expert) ensures that a website uses the right keywords and metatags, the right links and also works to help the website to rise in the search engine rankings.

Social Media Manager or Community Manager
A social media manager or community manager is in charge of managing an organisation’s online media presence.  They are required to create a virtual community of specifically targeted contacts and using the social media tools available, market directly to those people with the aim of a campaign “going viral”.

This is a relatively new role in the world of marketing and can be quite well paid due to the potential reach of this type of marketing.  This role requires middling to advanced computer skills.  Graphic design and video skills are also highly advantageous