Institute of Commercial Management | Qualification Subject

Sales & Sales Management

ICM Professional Diploma Unit

Part One – Sales Perspective

Development and Role of Selling in Marketing

  • Background
  • The nature and role of selling
  • Types of selling
  • Image of selling
  • The nature and role of sales management
  • The marketing concept
  • Implementing the marketing concept
  • The relationship between sales and marketing

Sales Strategies

  • Sales and marketing planning
  • The planning process
  • Establishing marketing plans
  • The place of selling in the marketing plan

Consumer and Organisational Buyer Behaviour

  • Differences between consumer and organisational buying
  • Consumer buyer behaviour
  • Factors affecting the consumer decision-making process
  • Organisational buyer behaviour
  • Factors affecting organisational buyer behaviour
  • Developments in purchasing practice
  • Relationship management

Part Two – Sales Technique

Sales Responsibilities and Preparation

  • Sales responsibilities
  • Preparation

Personal Selling Skills

  • The opening
  • Need and problem identification
  • The presentation and demonstration
  • Dealing with objections
  • Negotiation
  • Closing the sale
  • Follow-up

Key Account Management

  • What is key account management?
  • Advantages and dangers of key account management
  • Deciding whether to use key account management
  • The tasks and skills of key account management
  • Key account management relational development model
  • Global account management
  • Building relationships with key accounts
  • Key account information and planning system

Relationship Selling

  • From total quality management to customer care
  • From JIT to relationship marketing
  • Reverse marketing
  • From relationship marketing to relationship selling
  • Tactics of relationship selling

Direct Marketing

  • What is direct marketing?
  • Database marketing
  • Managing a direct marketing campaign

Internet and IT Applications in Selling and Sales Management

  • Overview of internet and IT applications in selling and sales management
  • The internet
  • Customer relationship management
  • Sales management applications of IT
  • Applications of IT in retail sales and marketing

Part Three – Sales Environment

Sales Settings

  • Environmental and managerial forces impacting sales
  • Sales channels
  • Industrial/commercial/public authority selling
  • Selling for resale
  • Selling services
  • Sales promotions
  • Exhibitions
  • Public relations

International Selling

  • Introduction
  • Economic aspects
  • International selling at company level
  • Cultural factors in international selling
  • Organisation for international selling
  • Pricing
  • Japan – a study in international selling

Law and Ethical Issues

  • The contract
  • Terms and conditions
  • Terms of trade
  • Business practices and legal controls
  • Ethical issues

Part Four – Sales Management

Recruitment and Selection

  • The importance of selection
  • Preparation of the job description and specification
  • Identification of sources of recruitment and methods of communication
  • Designing an effective application form and preparing a shortlist
  • The interview
  • Supplementary selection aids

Motivation and Training

  • Motivation
  • Leadership
  • Training

Organisation and Compensation

  • Organisational structure
  • Determining the number of sales people
  • Establishing sales territories
  • Compensation

Part Five – Sales Control

Sales Forecasting and Budgeting

  • Purpose
  • Planning
  • Levels of forecasting
  • Qualitative techniques
  • Quantitative techniques
  • Budgeting
  • Budget determination
  • The sales budget
  • Budget allocation

Salesforce Evaluation

  • The salesforce evaluation process
  • The purpose of evaluation
  • Setting standards of performance
  • Gathering information
  • Measures of performance
  • Appraisal interviewing

Example Candidate Response Booklet

Example Candidate Response (ECR) Booklets are a source of crucial information for Centres and Candidates as they use real candidate responses. We ask Senior Examiners to comment on five or more responses in terms of why the mark was awarded with commentary about how to improve the answer (if necessary).

Recommended Reading

Main Text:

Lancaster, G & Jobber, D. (2009)Selling & Sales Management, 8th ed. Upper Saddle river NJ: Financial times/ Prentice Hall.

Indicative Text:

Alternative Text and Further Reading: