Qualification: ADVANCED CERTIFICATE IN APPLIED MANAGEMENT (MARKETING) VBS001

If you want to start getting serious about learning skills to begin a career in business management with a focus on marketing, this course is a great place to start!

This course is internationally accredited through I.A.R.C.
Designed to train people for supervisory or managerial positions in a "specific" industry sector. The Advanced Certificate in Applied Management involves the areas of work:

CORE STUDIES - five units of compulsory subjects for all students. This involves at least 250 hours.
ELECTIVE STUDIES - stream units for the development of knowledge in a chosen specialisation or industry sector. This involves at least 250 hours of study.
PROJECT - a management in the workplace project of 200 hrs involving approved work experience in a small business.The project specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study.

Open Learning Course for Marketing Managers

Learn how to promote, sell, and market goods and services
Learn to manage a sales team, sales office and PR campaign
Work as a marketing manager, sales executive, sales manager, PR officer
Get a job, advance a career, improve a business

COURSE STRUCTURE

Course contents are as follows:

Duration: 900 hours

CORE UNITS

1. OFFICE PRACTICES
Develops basic office skills covering use of equipment, communication systems (telephone, fax, etc) and office procedures such as filing, security, workplace organisations, etc.

2. BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Develops knowledge of basic business operations and procedures (eg. types of businesses, financial management, business analysis, staffing, productivity, etc) and the skills to develop a 12 month business plan.

3. MANAGEMENT
Develops knowledge of management structures, terminology, supervision, recruitment and workplace health and safety.

4. MARKETING
Develops a broad understanding of marketing and specific skills in writing advertisements, undertaking market research, developing an appropriate marketing plan and selling.

STREAM UNITS

Module 1. SALES MANAGEMENT

This course contains nine lessons, as follows:

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 issues, 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), enlightened marketing
4. Building Product Knowledge

Good & bad features (considering factors such as make/trade name; model; purpose or use; how & where it is manufactured; materials used; wholesale/retail price; guarantees; warranty; spare parts availability; service costs);

knowing the competition.

5. Developing a Customer Strategy

Types of buyers, buyer motivation, difficult buyers, key rules for every salesperson

6. Presentation Strategy Options

Planning and locating your displays for best results); shop layout; trade displays;

7. Closing a Sale

Difficulties with closing a sale & ways to overcome them; importance of a personal approach;

8. Managing Yourself

Time management; territory management; record management; sales records; stress management

9. Managing a Sales Team

Strategies for building quality partnerships.

Module 2. ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS

The course contains ten lessons, 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

Module 3. MARKETING SYSTEMS

The course is divided into 10 lessons. Here is some of what each lesson covers:

1. Marketing Systems

What makes up a marketing system, types of marketing systems, competition and monopoly, oligopoly, globalisation, internet marketing, supply systems, logistics networks, etc.

2. Retailing Systems and Strategies

Procedures, stages & concepts, Scope and types of retail systems (e.g. mail order, chain stores, farm & factory shops, Franchises, Telephone selling etc).

3. Wholesale Systems and Strategies

Cooperatives, Agencies, Regulated Systems, Marketing Boards, Agricultural marketing,

4. Product Presentation and Packaging

Packaging, Labelling, Display, Signage, Merchandising & shop layout, Core, tangible and augmented product, Product mix, etc

5. Negotiation Skills

Selling in different marketing environments require different approaches, varying factors (e.g. culture).

6. Marketing Organisations

Distribution Enterprises, Marketing Agents, Advertising Agencies, Market Research Organisations, Sales organisations, etc., Marketing tasks, Marketing strategies, Value adding etc.

7. International Marketing I

Agencies, Partnerships, Joint ventures, Overseas branches, Degrees of export marketing, Pitfalls, The global marketplace, etc

8. International Marketing II

Differences between different countries.

9. Analysing the Market

Studying trends and staying current, Advertising cost benefit, Problem of excessive success, etc

10. The Market Mix

Mission statements; Strategic planning; Profit planning; Marketing systems audit, etc

INDUSTRY PROJECT OR WORK EXPERIENCE

This is the final requirement that you must satisfy before receiving your award.

There are two options available to you to satisfy this requirement:

Alternative 1.

If you work in the industry that you have been studying; you may submit a reference from your employer, in an effort to satisfy this industry (ie. workplace project) requirement; on the basis of RPL (ie. recognition for prior learning), achieved through your current and past work experience.

The reference must indicate that you have skills and an awareness of your industry, which is sufficient for you to work in a position of responsibility.

Alternative 2.

If you do not work in the relevant industry, you need to undertake a project as follows.

Procedure for a Workplace Project

This project is a major part of the course involving the number of hours relevant to the course (see above). Although the course does not contain mandatory work requirements, work experience is seen as highly desirable.

This project is based on applications in the work place and specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study.

Students will design this project in consultation with a tutor to involve industry based activities in the area of specialized study which they select to follow in the course. The project outcomes may take the form of a written report, folio, visuals or a mixture of forms. Participants with relevant, current or past work experience will be given exemption from this project if they can provide suitable references from employers that show they have already fulfilled the requirements of this project.

For courses that involve more than 100 hours, more than one workplace project topic may be selected. For example, 200 hours may be split into two projects each of 100 hours. This will offer the student better scope to fulfill the needs of their course and to meet the number of hours required. Alternatively, the student may wish to do one large project with a duration of 200 hours.

Students will be assessed on how well they achieve the goals and outcomes they originally set as part of their negotiations with their tutor. During each 100 hours of the project, the students will present three short progress reports. These progress reports will be taken into account when evaluating the final submission. The tutor must be satisfied that the work submitted is original.

If the student wishes to do one large 200 hour report, then only three progressive reports will be needed (however the length of each report will be longer).

HOW DO YOU FIND STAFF FOR A SMALL START-UP BUSINESS?

Getting the right sales or marketing staff in a start up business is critical. Failing at this is one of the main reasons why start ups fail. Without sales, any business will fail; and without effective marketing staff, there will be significantly fewer sales; even if every other part of the business is operating perfectly.

You need to do three things:

Know how to find and identify potentially good staff
Know how to train them to do the job you need done
Be prepared to quickly discard anyone who is not performing

It can be difficult to find and choose employees to work in the business you manage or own. Making a hasty decision can be worse in the long run because of the costs which go into advertising, interviewing, recruiting and training. Also, if employees are salaried, severance pay will be needed if you make a mistake and need to fire the employee. There are, then, further costs of finding a replacement. Even freelance workers and contractors can take considerable time and resources to hire, and train if necessary. It is, therefore, important to give the process considerable thought.

For smaller businesses, there are different types of skills and qualities which an employer might look for. Smaller businesses are usually looking for people who can do a range of tasks and who are able to work effectively in less bureaucratic environments. For instance, the right type of employee or contractor needed might have:

Broad general skills - highly specialised staff may not be needed til later
Flexibility - the hours needed for work might be part time or casual
Autonomy - it may be preferable to have workers who can work unsupervised
Willingness to job share - often staff members may swap roles and all be able to undertake all roles
Good interpersonal skills - staff and management generally have closer working relationships

Many of the initial employees in start-ups may be found through networking and asking friends or acquaintances about possible employees. Once the business gets off the ground advertising may be needed as slightly more specialist employees are sought. Often employees also act as a good source of personnel recruitment through recommending others. This is because they are only likely to recommend workers who they think will do a good job rather than risk their own reputation at work

If you know how to market things; and how to manage marketing: you will be a commodity that is valuable and in high demand in the world of commerce.