Welcome
In recent years there has been an increase in sales training and staff development opportunities for Sales Executives. These courses have been delivered by management training companies who specialise in the generic requirements of a particular industry. Leeds Metropolitan University is pleased to have agreed an exciting partnership with Advance, an established sales management training company with over 30 years of experience. The Diploma is the first of its kind in that it brings both theoretical and practical issues together to help the development of the necessary skills required by today's business development executives. The programme is designed to meet any requirements that a company may need so that future progress is assured.
Professor Claudio Vignali PhD
Head of CIRCLE (Centre for International Research, Consumers, Locations, Environments)
The Leslie Silver International Faculty
Leeds Metropolitan University
Introduction
The majority of organisations are relatively poor at doing what matters most – selling products and services. Yet without sales there is no revenue. Without sales there is no business.
Of course world class operations exist but world class sales operations are few and far between, which can leave serious if not fatal gaps in many organisations:
· We operate in a demanding marketplace with increasing competition and economic pressures
· Only the strong will survive and prosper
· Sales performance is key to this survival
· Sales performance is the lifeblood of every commercial organisation which is why it now sits at the top of many boardroom agendas.
Salespeople usually have good knowledge of the business in which they work. They are well trained in the products and services they offer. But all too frequently they lack some of the selling and sales management skills needed to generate excellent levels of revenue at optimum costs of selling.
The Professional Diploma in Strategic Sales offers those who recognise the importance of sales excellence the opportunity to maximise performance in a format that can be applied immediately to generate results fast.
For a detailed description of the Diploma, read on, or to view a briefer description:
Go to the Leeds Metropolitan University Web Site
Diploma course overview
The Professional Diploma in Strategic Sales is the first of its kind within the UK and is a vocational award. It follows a unique approach. Results are measurable and last for life. It aims to improve the overall performance of those individuals operating within a sales environment by offering high quality sales training. No other course combines over 30 years of commercial experience with business theory and proven market research.
Additional key features:
· Over 20,000 people across a variety of public and private organisations have already benefited from the approach offered within the Diploma
· The Diploma was developed closely with industry partners and provides the necessary skills to help professional sales people and managers bring precision to their roles
· Content is based on extensive front line sales and management experience coupled with sound theory and market grounded research
· Customised versions of the Diploma can be developed depending on individual needs and requirements
· Recognising the diversity of today's world, the course can be delivered to meet the needs of any culture
· The Diploma is relevant for individuals working within large or small scale organisations.
How organisations will benefit
Results will be immediate. Course sponsors will see a speedy return on investment because individuals will complete a mini assignment within each unit of the Diploma (see section below on units). Each assignment will be relevant to their organisation and deliver immediate business value.
On-going benefits include:
- Increased sales and profits, through:
o Improved competitive edge
o Improved customer loyalty
o More profitable account development
o More sales opportunities
- Improved sales processes which are:
o More productive
o More effective
o Less wasteful of sales resources
o Lower cost
- Ability to attract, retain and grow professional sales people and managers, delivering:
o Higher skills
o Improved sales performance
o Higher sales force satisfaction and morale
o Lower attrition.
How individuals will benefit
The Diploma will help individuals develop a better understanding of the business and sales environment in which they work. Overall, it will increase individual sales performance and provide all the necessary tools to those who want to survive, grow and lead in today's environment.
The diploma will explore many different sales environments:
- Short sales cycle vs long sales cycle
- Product sales vs service sales
- Selling a policy vs selling a product
- Selling to Government vs selling to commercial organisations
- Selling a commodity vs selling an added value product
- Creating new markets vs aiming for market share.
Graduates from this award will be able to:
- Manage different types of sales to a successful conclusion, from the more straightforward to complex, strategic level campaigns
- Develop and implement key account management strategies to maximise revenue opportunities
- Utilise the planning, verbal and business skills and competencies required for strategic sales and key account management
- Understand and use different selling models and adopt the appropriate selling styles for those models
- Transfer the skills learnt into any business environment.
For the duration of the programme, Diploma course delegates will have access to the University’s Support Services, including an extensive library (both on and off line), Skills for Learning materials and mentoring.
Who should enrol on the course
- Salespeople and managers who have experience of selling goods and services at junior/middle management level
- Experienced customer facing business development people and business owners who are personally involved in selling
Candidates should have a good understanding of sales at an operational level and have the desire to sell or manage the sale of larger projects at a strategic level.
Key facts about the Diploma
- Level 3 course carrying an equivalent of 45 CPD credits
- There are two main elements to the Diploma: Core Element and a Reflective Practice Assignment element
- Four units, two contact days per unit over four to six months
- Time included for induction and personal planning
- Four work-based mini projects plus a main assignment
- Independent study – two to three hours per week
- Duration – 12 months
- CPD credits can go towards further study opportunities.
Course content
The course consists of four units:
- Advanced Marketing for Salespeople
- Effective Communication at a Senior Level
- Strategic Selling for Major Projects
- Policy Selling to Develop Existing Customers.
Advanced Marketing for Salespeople
Content
· Target market identification for new products
· Launch programme planning
· Marketing campaign creation and implementation
Learning outcomes
Delegates will have developed skills in pipeline management to achieve more accurate forecasting and a better understanding of how to plan for and achieve more ambitious sales targets and conversion rates. They will also have formulated breaking in strategies and practised cold calling techniques. Delegates will be able to:
· Research and investigate potential markets for new products
· Develop go to market strategies, processes and documentation
· Create innovative marketing campaigns using the appropriate modern techniques.
Effective Communication at a Senior Level
Content
· The business issues that are most important to different levels of management
· Differentiating between priority issues affecting Business to Business, Business to Consumer, Public Sector and Private Sector management
· Holding effective sales meetings with senior executives and those at a lower level within organisations.
Learning outcomes
Delegates will have learnt how to articulate the benefits of their products and services to senior executives in a language that they understand. They will be able to:
· Fully comprehend and utilise the major different selling styles and understand in which circumstances each would be appropriate
· Examine, analyse and understand the reasons why the key elements of senior level sales meetings are essential to maximise the chances of a positive outcome
· Analyse the requirements associated with presenting a case at a sales meeting with senior executives and contrast these with those relevant to meetings at lower levels in an organisation
· Create, plan and hold effective sales meetings with a senior level executives, applying knowledge, theories and principles to complex products or services in real situations.
Strategic Selling for Major Projects
Content
· Planning and implementing campaigns for complex sales to large organisations
· Incorporating an effective qualification process that analyses the chances of winning and signals early any issues that may negatively impact the outcome
· Preparing persuasive proposals that incorporate detailed business cases.
Learning outcomes
Delegates will understand the phases of major sales and what activities are required at each phase. They will have learnt how to qualify their chances of winning throughout the process, especially how to deal with the politics that will impact the end result. Delegates will be able to:
· Analyse major sales opportunities in organisations across different business sectors
· Produce and implement effective sales campaign plans detailing how to win the sale, covering the political issues amongst all the stakeholders, and complete with detailed event timetables, business cases and persuasive proposals.
Policy Selling to Develop Existing Customers
Content
· Creation of a strategic account management and development process
· Development of strategic account visions, and the crafting and implementation of plans necessary to realise those visions
· Building relationships with accounts in order to be well placed to win new business opportunities
· Establishing your organisation as the supplier of choice.
Learning outcomes
Delegates will have learnt how to win the account – not just the next deal – by focussing on building and implementing account strategies and plans and managing their account relationships. They will be able to:
· Analyse the customer’s business strategy and demonstrate how their products and services meet its needs and directly support achievement of its business goals and objectives
· Dissect the complex politics and decision making processes of large organisations and use that knowledge creatively to broaden access and influence
· Organise and implement plans to develop existing customers and clients to their full potential
· Develop and implement strategies that lead to achieving supplier of choice or preferred supplier status.
All units
Each unit focuses on specific skills that delegates need to meet the challenges its subject matter brings, but all use generic skills that they will develop as they progress through the learning. Contact days include role plays which help develop various aspects of verbal skills, such as uncovering business and personal needs, making presentations effectively and asking for commitments from the prospect or customer. Planning skills are essential to all units, as is the ability to analyse and solve problems.
Developing these and other generic skills adds to the benefits delegates will derive from the diploma programme as a whole. They combine with the specific skills that apply to each unit to equip them to use world class sales operations skills and sales processes. They will be able to bring their knowledge and experience of their market, environment, products and services into a variety of sales situations professionally and to maximum effect.
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For more information:
Go to the Leeds Metropolitan University Web Site
Call us on 0845 125 9098
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