Institute of Sales Professionals - Academy

The UK is a hot bed of innovation, with the 4^th best rate of company start-up but drops to the 14^th best when looking at 5-year survival rates (OECD).

A critical success factor for companies, especially those in their early years, is how well they can gain market success – how good are you at selling your products and services?

Given the importance of effective selling, we have teamed with the Institute of Sales Professionals, to help our members access the full scope of business sales competency; to acquire both the hard and the soft skills, covering the knowledge, skills and behaviours that are needed to drive success in sales.

To help you acquire this know-how, we are providing discounted access to the Level 4 Knowledge Accreditation course to our members. This is a shortened version of the Level 4 Sales Apprenticeship Course that the ISP developed for Ofqual, allowing you to acquire a comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of sales in as little as 8 weeks (at a manageable few hours per week of study) and also have access to the ISP’s library of over 500 hours of video guides covering all aspects of sales, delivered by sales professionals.  This is a great opportunity for anyone in sales who has not had the benefit of receiving broad and good quality mentoring and guidance on selling.

The ISP academy in conjunction with techUK is offering:

Level 4 sales knowledge accreditation syllabus

This self-learning course focuses on the following elements of an end to end sales cycle –

SELF MANAGEMENT

continuous professional development

Discover why continuously developing your sales knowledge is critical for you, your customer and your career. You will also learn how to create an effective plan and successfully apply new learning.

sales planning

Explore the role planning has on your sales success, best practice in forecasting, and carry out a range of analyses to understand what’s happening with your clients and territories.

time management

One of the key challenges in sales is our relationship to time and priorities. This module looks at a range of models and advice that teach you how to prioritise and stay in control of your time.

proactivity

Habits...planning...initiative...this module shines a spotlight and what sales professionals need to know and do to stack the odds in their favour, day in, day out.

self-discipline

Managing yourself and your mindset is the first step to being a disciplined and effective sales professional. This module shares what expert sellers do to be their most effective each day, every day.

collaboration & teamwork

This module shows you how to build effective and diverse teams and how to avoid the pitfalls of failing to work together properly.

ethics & integrity

Without knowledge of the law, your employer’s policies and the ISP’ code, it can be all too easy to fall into unethical sales practices and inadvertently break trust and relationships. Explore our resources and keep on the right side of sales professionalism with this module.

CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS, ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT & SALES COMMUNICATIONS

customer knowledge

What makes your client tick? How do they communicate? What can we learn from case studies? Discover how knowing a little about your customer can make a big difference to the bottom line.

customer needs analysis

How to research clients and develop sharp questioning skills to find out exactly what they need, both obvious and hidden, and put these to use. Covers proven sales models such as SPIN.

customer engagement

Evaluate ways of building rapport with clients and communicating effectively (not just with words) to build and sustain warm and positive lasting relationships with clients.

digital selling

Now more than ever we need to know how to generate interest, build rapport and serve customers in online space. Explore cutting edge technological tools and approaches to selling online in this module.

NAVIGATING THE SALES PROCESS

propose & present solutions

This module uncovers proposal writing and effective presenting - online and offline - supporting you to impress clients with solutions that truly impress.

negotiating

Find out how to create win-win situations in sales negotiations by having professional, ethical and effective conversations that help you win deals.

closing sales

Learn how to spot a range of buying signals, how to advance sales conversations confidently at each step, and explore best practice in preparing to close a sale.

customer experience management

Uncover all you need to know about your product, your process and your people to ensure that your clients have a positive and thoroughly professional experience throughout every step of their customer journey.

COMMERCIAL ACUMEN, MARKETS AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

organisational knowledge

What makes a company? The brand, the stakeholders, its purpose and its values. Discover how understanding a client from these perspectives helps you to secure sales.

gathering intelligence

The more you know, the more you can target your offering to the right clients. In this module, we find and evaluate information about clients so that you can sell more and service better. 

resilience & self-motivation

Experiment with how self-awareness, your emotions and a growth mindset transform your effectiveness in sales relationships and influence how you “show up” daily and enjoy your role as a sales professional.

commercial & financial acumen

Deepen your understanding of commerce and finance as a business function and find out how knowledge of the numbers helps you to make sound business decisions as a sales professional.

product, service & sector knowledge

Experiment with factors that drive change in businesses, explore forces influencing sectors, and learn to analyse competitors so that you are confident knowing where your products and services sit for any client.

On successfully completing the course, you will receive an externally recognised qualification of achievement.

Email [email protected] to know the special discount you can avail to register for this accredited course.

Once you have a good knowledge of the elements of effective selling, you can take further, more in-depth modules from our curricula, as you feel you need.