Sales Management

Study this Sales Management course and learn the skills to build your company's profit and your own.

Course Code: BBS102
Fee Code: S3
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification
Get started!

LEARN TO MANAGE SALES
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! 
 
SELLING MORE IS NOT THE SAME AS MORE PROFIT!
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.
 
LEARN TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS

Lesson Structure

There are 9 lessons in this course:

  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.

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

  • Explain how a sales concept reflects and aids the marketing goals of an organization.
  • Identify key ways to develop good sales relationships with customers and others.
  • Identify ethical and legal considerations in sales.
  • Explain the importance of product knowledge and what it includes.
  • Explain the role of a developed customer strategy and how to create one.
  • Identify elements of good product presentation.
  • Explain the stages of a sale and how to achieve results.
  • Describe the importance of self-management to sales success.
  • Identify and explain key methods for managing a sales team.
  • Identify and explain key methods for managing a sales team.

Good Marketing Management Begins with Good Staff

A marketing manager is only as good as the staff they have, and one of the most important attributes for moth the manager and their personnel, will be their ability to communicate clearly and in a way that engages customers and persuades them to buy.


Marketing success is often made or lost by language skills.

Everything from websites and social media, to advertisements and face to face selling, involves using words.  If you choose the right words, marketing is more effective. A poor choice of words on the other hand, can result in diminished effectiveness.


Words Must Fit the Customer


Words need to be chosen to be appropriate to the people you are communicating with.  As we said in the last chapter, wrong spellings for a country (behaviour or behavior, or pants in the UK and America), can result in lost opportunities or misdirected advertising on search engines.


Who are you speaking to?

The first thing you need to do in any marketing campaign is to identify your target market.

If you know your target market you can tailor the language you use to fit that market.  You want as much information about that target market as possible in order to communicate directly with them. 



Language Style is Critical 

The language style is affected by not just the words you choose but also how you use them.  

Language can be concise or verbose, formal or informal, subtle or forthright. 

The tone of language can be loud or soft. It is obvious how the spoken word might be loud or gentle; but even written words can appear loud (e.g. If they are underlined, written in capitals or made bold).  Your typography should reflect your message and be appropriate to your target market. 
 

Communication is a Two Way Street

Create systems to foster feedback. Follow up customers after the sale (after sales service), to get a better and more up to date understanding of your market. You need to know and understand who is buying off you today, in order to best predict who might buy off you tomorrow.

Develop listening skills (or surveys) – listen to what your customers have to say. Why did they buy from you? Where did they find you? If you find that 10% of your customers are coming from social media, but you are spending 5% of your time on it, then it is a good trade off. But if you are spending 50% of your time writing blogs and only 2% of sales come from blogs, then it is not such an effective use of your time.

Getting feedback is not very valuable if you are unwilling to hear what is being said to you.  You must be willing to listen to this feedback and act on it if there is enough evidence to support it, in order to improve your business and thus increase your sales.

Watch out for feedback that is out of character, or not normal. Sometimes feedback can be influenced by other things; and you need to take that into account. People who complain, become negative or aggressive are sometimes justified, but at other times their opinions can be influenced by other things that are happening in their lives. If they have had a recent bad event, then they may take that anger out on you and complain about you or your services. If someone does complain about you on public social media platform, then ask them in public for the exact problem and discuss what you can do to rectify it. 

For example, a customer may complain that they sent in an order five weeks ago and you have not sent the product. This looks bad and other potential customers are seeing this on social media. But if you can reply and say that you tried to deliver the parcel, but they had given the incorrect address and you have been unable to contact them by phone, this more clearly justifies why you have not sent the product and also that you have been trying to sort it out. 

If a person is on a high in their life, they may be excessively complimentary about the service you give them.  A marketing professional needs to make a realistic assessment of feedback they get; and should be sceptical of contradictory or out of the ordinary feedback; both positive as well as negative.  

Either way, regularly engaging with feedback is not only good practice, but a good way to keep an eye on the performance of your business.  


Cross Cultural Communication

If you are communicating with people from cultures other than your own you need to learn something about those cultures, and then be sure that the message you are sending is the same message that is being received. In today's world, this is becoming an increasingly important aspect of marketing; with business becoming increasingly globalised, every year. Where once retailers competed with nearby shops; they now compete with international online retailers. Even many service industries that would previously hire people close to home, are now outsourcing work internationally.

Globalisation has created competition; but it also allows you to do business internationally; and if you can communicate with "internationally" effective language; you may do better in a global market than you might have ever hoped to do in a more restricted local market place.



Words Can Help You Sell

Certain words have been effective marketing words for a very long time; and irrespective of any changes that occur in how we communicate with people; these words are likely to remain largely effective for a long time to come.  Examples include:

  • Quality
  • Service
  • Value
  • Guarantee
  • Free
  • Sale
  • Discount
  • Bonus
  • Offer

If you can build these words into advertisements, brochures, websites, emails, conversations, or any other communications; they have the potential to trigger a positive response from a potential customer.

 

WHERE TO AFTER YOUR STUDIES?

Sales managers who understand the full sales process, know how to supervise and manage a team and can work to deadlines and budgets and make sure that their team does the same, are in big demand. Show your company that you are serious about advancing into a sales manager's role or learn more about how to manage a sales team. Expand your skills if you are already managig a team.

This course is relevant over all industries:  is there is a product to sell and a team to manage, then this course will be of benefit.

Start your studies here with ACS and our experienced industry savvy team of tutors.

Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.

How can I start this course?

You can enrol at anytime and start the course when you are ready. Enrolments are accepted all year - students can commence study at any time. All study is self paced and ACS does not set assignment deadlines.

Please note that if a student is being assisted by someone else (e.g. an employer or government subsidy), the body offering the assistance may set deadlines. Students in such situations are advised to check with their sponsor prior to enrolling. The nominal duration of a course is approximately how long a course takes to complete. A course with a nominal duration of 100 hours is expected to take roughly 100 hours of study time to complete. However, this will vary from student to student. Short courses (eg. 100 hrs duration) should be completed within 12 months of enrolment. Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards (eg. over 500 hours duration) would normally be completed within 3 -5 years of enrolment. Additional fees may apply if a student requires an extended period to complete.
If a student cannot submit their assignments for 6 months to ACS, they should advise the school to avoid cancellation of their student
registration. Recommencement fees may apply.

Simply click on the ENROL OPTIONS button at the top of this screen and follow the prompts.

You can see the course price at the top of this page. Click 'enrolment options' to see any payment options available.

You can pay by Credit Card, PayPal, Afterpay or bank transfer.

Yes! We have payment plans for most courses. Click 'enrolment options' to see the available payment plans.
We also have Afterpay that will allow you to pay for your course or payment plans in four instalments (if you are in Australia).


What do I need to know before I enrol?

There are no entry requirements that you need to meet to enrol in our courses, our courses are for everyone.
If you are under 18, we need written permission from your parent/ guardian for your enrolment to continue, we can arrange that after you have enrolled.

You don’t need to purchase any additional resources to complete our courses.

We aim to teach you the essentials without you having to purchase any specific computer program.
We recommend that you have access to a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, so that you can easily complete and submit your assignments.

You sure can. We are here to help you learn whatever your abilities.

Yes, if you are enrolling in a Certificate or Advanced Certificate, you might be eligible for credits if you have evidence of your previous studies or relevant experience. More information is here.

We recommend that you are able to browse websites, send emails and conduct online research. You will need to be able to type and submit your assignments.
If you have limited computer skills, we can make special arrangements for you.

This is possible, it depends on the institution. We recommend that if you would like to use our courses that you contact the institution first. Our Course Handbook is a good resource for this.

Our courses are written in English and we only have English speaking academic staff. If you can read and complete your assignments in English, our courses are ideal for you.

Our courses are designed to build knowledge, hands on skills and industry connections to help prepare you to work in the area, running your own business, professional development or as a base for further study.

This course has been designed to cover the fundamentals of the topic. It will take around 100 hours to complete, which includes your course reading, assignment work, research, practical tasks, watching videos and anything else that is contained in the course. Our short courses are a great way to do some professional development or to learn a new skill.

It’s up to you. The study hours listed in the course are a rough guide, however if you were to study a short course (100 hours) at 10 hours per week, you could finish the course in 10 weeks (just an example). Our courses are self-paced, so you can work through the courses in your own time. We recommend that you wait for your tutor to mark and return your assignment before your start your next one, so you get the benefits of their feedback.

The course consists of course notes, videos, set tasks for your practical work, online quizzes, an assignment for each lesson (that you receive feedback from your tutor from) and ends in an exam (which is optional, if would like to receive the formal award at the end), using our custom built Learning Management System - Login.Training.

Our courses are designed for adults to gain professional development and skills to further their careers and start businesses.

Our custom online learning portal allows you to conduct your learning online. There may be practical tasks that you can do offline. You have the option of downloading your course notes or print them to read later.

There is also the option to pay an additional fee for printed course notes and or USB (availability limited to location and deliverability).

Yes, if you don’t have access to the internet, you can receive the course as paper notes or on a USB stick for an additional fee. We can also make alternative arrangements for you to send your assignments to us.

We offer printed notes for an additional fee. Also, you can request your course notes on a USB stick for an additional fee.

Yes, your tutor is here to help you. Simply post any questions you have in your login.training portal or contact the office and we can pass on a message to your tutor.

We are more learning focussed, rather than assessment focussed. You have online quizzes to test your learning, written assignments and can complete an exam at the end of the course (if you want to receive your certificate). You will not receive a pass/ fail on your course work. If you need to add more details on your assignment, we will ask you to resubmit and direct you where you need to focus. If you need help, you can ask your tutor for advice in the student room.

Each module (short course) is completed with one exam.

Exams are optional, however you must sit an exam if you would like to receive a formal award. You will need to find someone who can supervise that you are sitting the exams under exams conditions. There is an additional cost of $60 incl. GST for each exam.
More information is here

There are practical components built into the course that have been designed to be achieved by anyone, anywhere. If you are unable to complete a task for any reason, you can ask your tutor for an alternative.

When you complete the course work and the exam and you will be able receive your course certificate- a Statement of Attainment. Otherwise, you can receive a Letter of Completion.

You can bundle the short courses to create your own customised learning bundle, Certificates or Advanced Certificates. More information is on this page.

Yes, our courses are built to be applicable for people living anywhere in any situation. We provide the fundamentals, and each student can apply their own unique flair for their own interests, region and circumstances with the one-on-one guidance of a tutor. There is also a bit of student directed research involved.

Employers value candidates with industry skills, knowledge, practical skills and formal learning. Our courses arm you with all of these things to help prepare you for a job or start your own business. The longer you study the more you will learn.

ACS has an arrangement with OAMPS (formerly AMP) who can arrange Professional Indemnity from Australian and New Zealand graduates across all disciplines. Ph: 1800 222 012 or email acs@oamps.com.au.


Who are ACS Distance Education?

ACS Distance Education have been educating people for over 40 years.

We are established and safe- we have been in education for over 40 years.
We are focused on developing innovative courses that are relevant to you now and what you will need to know in the future.
We are focused on helping you learn and make the most of your experience.
You can enrol at any time, you can work on your course when it suits you and at your own pace.
We are connected to many industry bodies and our staff participate in continuous improvement and learning activities to ensure that we are ahead of what learning is needed for the future.

Our courses are not accredited by the Australian Government. However many of our courses are recognised and held in high regard by many industry bodies.

Our courses are written by our staff, who all have many years experience and have qualifications in their speciality area. We have lots of academic staff who write and update our courses regularly.


How do I enrol my staff/ sponsored students?

Yes, you can do a request for a bulk enrolment and request an invoice on our Invoice Request Form

We can prepare an invoice, quote or proforma invoice. Simply complete your details on our Invoice Request form

We can arrange bulk discounts for your course enrolment, please get in touch with us to discuss your needs.

Yes, we have many students who are in locked facilities, such as prisons or hospitals. We can cater by also offering paper notes at an additional cost.


What if I have any more questions or need more information?

We can assist you to find the right course for your needs. Get in touch with us via email (admin@acs.edu.au) call on +61 7 5562 1088 or complete our course advice form.


What if I change my mind?

Please get in touch with studentservices@acs.edu.au if you would like to be removed from our mail list.

If you would like ACS Distance Education to delete your information at any time (whether you are a customer or a prospective customer), please contact our privacy officer and we will process this ( admin@acs.edu.au ).

If students require a reproduction of their certificate, an electronic copy can be provided at a cost of AUD$35 incl GST. Printed copies are not available.




Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

Kate Gibson

Kate has 12 years experience as a marketing advisor and experience as a project manager. Kate has traveled and worked in a variety of locations including London, New Zealand and Australia. Kate has a B.Soc.Sc, Post-Grad. Dip. Org Behaviour (HR).

Sarah Edwards

Over 15 years industry experience covering marketing, PR, administration, event management and training, both in private enterprise and government; in Australia and the UK.

Denise Hodges

Promotions Manager for ABC retail, Fitness Programmer/Instructor, Small Business Owner, Marketing Coordinator (Laserpoint). Over 20 years varied experienced in business and marketing. More recently Denise studied naturopathy to share her passion for health and wellness. Denise has an Adv.Dip.Bus., Dip. Clothing Design, Adv.Dip.Naturopathy (completing).





Tutors

Meet some of the tutors that guide the students through this course.

Gaynor Hartley

Dip.Hort.Sc., Cert.Tiss.Cult., MAIH

Lyn Quirk

Lyn has 35 years of experience in the Fitness, Health and Leisure Industries. She has a string of qualifications that are far too long to list here; being qualified and registered to teach, coach or instruct a wide range of different sports and other skills.

Lyn established and managed Health clubs at three major five star resorts on Australia's Gold Coast, including The Marriott. She was a department head for a large government vocational college (TAFE), and has conducted her own aquafitness business for many years. Lyn has among her other commitments worked as a tutor for ACS for almost 10 years, and over that time, participated in the development or upgrading of most courses in her fields of expertise.

Yvonne Sharpe

Over 30 years of experience in horticulture, education and management, Yvonne has travelled widely within and beyond Europe, and has worked in many areas of horticulture from garden centres to horticultural therapy. She has served on industry committees and been actively involved with amateur garden clubs for decades.

Need Help?

Take advantage of our personalised, expert course counselling service to ensure you're making the best course choices for your situation.


I agree for ACS Distance Education to contact me and store my information until I revoke my approval. For more info, view our privacy policy.

>