If you are new to sales and wish to gain a formal practical qualification demonstrating your knowledge, skills, behaviours and competence of working in a sales professional role, the APS Diploma in Sales Professionalism could be right for you. The qualifications are suitable for individuals working in, or hoping to work in, a variety of selling and sales representative roles, with selling to clients, customers and businesses as a major component of their role.

By achieving the qualification learners will cover the required essentials of selling and sales representation at this level. The core units cover the extremely important areas of; product knowledge, winning business, proposals and negotiation, sales presentations and selling. The range of optional units allows learners the scope to choose those areas most relevant to them, as follows; finding/generating opportunities, planning sales activities, sales territory management, keeping and developing business, leveraging resources and professional performance.

To achieve the Diploma in Sales Professionalism, delegates must successfully complete the following units:

  • Undertake sales presentations and demonstrations

  • Negotiating, handling objections and closing sales

  • Generating new opportunities and prospects

  • Monitor products/services for cross-selling and up-selling

  • Planning Sales Activities

  • Obtain and analyse sales related information

  • Using Sales technology systems

  • Ethical, legal and professional requirements and development

Course Details

Entry Requirements

This level of study is perfect for those who are in their first sales role or who are aspiring to work in a sales environment. Delegates to not have to have any formal training to start studying at this level.

What will you learn?

With the Diploma in Sales Professionalism, you will undertake four compulsory units and for elective units and fulfil the learning outcomes below:

Undertake sales presentations and demonstrations

  • Be able to establish required elements of sales presentations / demonstrations
  • Be able to develop sales presentations / demonstrations
  • Be able to deliver sales presentations / demonstrations

Negotiating, handling objections and closing sales

  • Be able to plan for negotiations, handling objections and closing the sale
  • Be able to handle and deal with objections
  • Be able to negotiate with customers for mutual benefit
  • Be able to appropriately close the sale

Generating new opportunities and prospects

  • Be able to contact prospects for lead generation
  • Understand and gain prospects interest in sales opportunities
  • Be able to establish prospects desire through features and benefits
  • Be able to convert prospects and qualify leads

Monitor products/services for cross-selling and up-selling

  • Be able to review sales delivery progress
  • Be able to complete sales delivery procedures
  • Be able to use sales delivery information for cross-selling and up-selling

Planning Sales Activities

  • Be able to use information for planning sales activities
  • Be able to produce sales activity plans
  • Be able to monitor and control sales activity plans
  • Be able to evaluate sales activity plans

Obtain and Analyse Sales Related Information

  • Understand the need for sales related information
  • Be able to obtain sales related information
  • Be able to use tools and methods to analyse sales related information
  • Be able to evaluate the usefulness of sales related information

Using Sales Technology Systems

  • Understand how to use sales technology systems information for sales activities
  • Be able to maintain and update sales technology systems
  • Be able to monitor and evaluate sales technology systems

Ethical, Legal and Professional Requirements and Development

  • Understand relevant laws and regulations affecting selling
  • Understand the requirements of selling ethically
  • Be able to recognise required qualities, skills and behaviours for sales role
  • Be able to produce a professional development plan

How long will the course take?

The Diploma in Sales Professionalism can be completed in 6 – 12 months if delegates are working full time and studying part time.

What is included in the fee?

When you sign up for the Certificate or the full Diploma, you will receive the following:-

  • Online access to the academic material via our Online Learning system
  • Access to our online, email and telephone support team
  • Personal Assignment tutor with telephone and email support

As part of your support, we will pay for your APS Membership and assessment fees for your first year of study.

Free access to:

  • Free access to the Marketing Foundation Programme worth £200, to give you a basic marketing theory overview
  • Free access to the Customer Experience Award of the Certificate in Professional Marketing qualification
I recently completed my CIM Diploma with Oxford College of Marketing and had a great experience with them. Their online learning facilities are fantastic and I would recommend them to anyone looking to complete a CIM qualification.