DISTANCE LEARNING MARKETING CERTIFICATE

Suitable for anyone wanting to work in marketing management or supervision.

• Study in your own time and at your own pace.
• Learn more about business operations, marketing, advertising and promotions.
• Study with our excellent tutors!

• CORE STUDIES - four units of compulsory subjects for all students Office Practices, Management, Business Operations and Marketing Foundations.
• ELECTIVE STUDIES - stream units for the development of knowledge in a chosen specialisation or industry sector.  Sales Management, Advertising & Promotions, and Marketing Systems.
• PROJECT - a management in the workplace project of 200 hrs (see below).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.

Why Study the Course?

• Build networking (develop contacts within an industry)
• Improve your ability to communicate with colleagues
• Develop problem solving skills
• Expand awareness and develop creativity
• Develop attributes that set you apart from others in your industry
• Motivate you, build confidence, and more

According to some authorities, success is actually only affected about 20% by your knowledge and intelligence.

Our school works at helping you in a holistic way, to develop all of the things
mentioned above, in a way that relates to the discipline you are studying; and
in this way, giving you the capacity to apply yourself to unanticipated problems,
to understand new information as it emerges, to see and seize on new opportunities
as they reveal themselves, and to continue to grow your abilities within your discipline
as you progress through life after study.

What Does Each Module Cover?

Office Practices
Develops basic office skills covering use of equipment, communication systems (telephone, fax, etc) and office procedures such as filing, security, workplace organisations.
The course consists in eight lessons where these subjects are developed.

1. The Modern Office

2. Communication Systems

3. Interpersonal Communications

4. Phone Skills

5. Writing Letters and Other Documents

6. Computer Applications

7. Office Organisation and Procedures

8. Health and Safety in the Office

Business Operations

The aim of this course is to provide you with the building blocks for a successful career in business planning and operations. Covering topics such as business law, the money market, taxation, business plan writing and mistakes to avoid, it is a solid foundation, developed by highly qualified and experienced professionals.
Develops knowledge of basic business operations and procedures (eg. types of businesses, financial management, business analysis, staffing, productivity) and the skills to develop a 12 month business plan.

There are 6 lessons as follows:

1. Introduction
   • Business law
   • types of businesses
   • starting a business
2. Finance
   • Liquidity
   • The money market
   • terminology
   • insurance
3. Financial Records
   • Simple Bookkeeping procedures
   • cash flow
4. Financial Management
   • Taxation
   • costing
   • budgeting
   • investing
5. Business Planning Developing a 12 month business plan.
6. Mistakes to avoid
   • Reasons for business failures
   • profitability
   • improving productivity

Management

Make sure your management style is grounded in the 'tried and true'. This course outlines management theories and procedures, problem solving and decision making tactics, staff management, supervision, recruitment and workplace health and safety.
Developed by professionals with a substantial amount of industry experience, it is the perfect foundation for a successful career.

There are 6 lessons as follows:

1. Introduction & Organizational Structures
2. Management Theories & Procedures
3. Problem Solving & Decision Making
4. Management Styles & External Influences
5. Employing People & Interview Skills
6. Staff Management

Marketing Foundations.

Develops a broad understanding of marketing and specific skills in writing advertisements, undertaking market research, developing an appropriate marketing plan and selling. The course consists in ten lessons, as follows:

1. Marketing and the Business What is marketing, and its significance, Considering alternative approaches to business & marketing, Alternative enterprises (eg. goods or services based, sole proprietor or partnership).
2. Scope of Marketing Understanding basic economics (eg. supply & demand); the difference between the potential market, available market, target market, and penetrated market for a product/service of your choice; Different advertising approaches, Controlling Growth, Improving Results in Business.
3. Target Marketing Understanding the market place; Stages that sellers move through in their approach to a market, What is targeting, Advantages of target marketing as compared to mass marketing and product-differentiated marketing.
4. The Marketing Mix and Managing the Marketing Effort Product, price, place, and promotion; Affects and interactions between marketing and other operations of a business.
5. Product Presentation and Packaging Importance of product knowledge, Core, tangible and augmented products; Differences in packaging & presentation for different products.
6. Promotion Communication skills, Merchandising, Shop Floor Layout, Displaying Products, Signs, Understanding Selling and Increasing Sales, Sales Methods, Publicity Marketing, Structuring an Advertisement or Promotion, Advertising budgets.
7. Product Pricing and Distribution Pricing, Profitability Ratios, Increasing Turnover, etc
8. Customer Service Methods of assessing customer satisfaction; Significance of Customer Service; Different types of customers in the market place, and how best to approach each; Difference between selling, publicising, marketing and advertising.
9. Market Research The research process, What to research, Surveys, Developing and conducting a market research program, where to find useful statistics,
10. Organisations - Structures and Roles Business law; Financial Management, Business Structures, Business terminology.

STREAM UNITS

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.

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

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.

2. Retailing Systems and Strategies: Procedures, stages & concepts, Scope and types of retail systems (eg. mail order, chain stores, farm & factory shops, Franchises, Telephone selling).

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 and more.

5. Negotiation Skills: Selling in different marketing environments require different approaches, varying factors (eg. culture).

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

7. International Marketing I: Agencies, Partnerships, Joint ventures, Overseas branches, Degrees of export marketing, Pitfalls, The global marketplace.

8. International Marketing II: Differences between different countries.

9. Analysing the Market: Studying trends and staying current, Advertising cost benefit, Problem of quick success

10. The Market Mix: Mission statements; Strategic planning; Target‑profit planning; Marketing systems audit. 

PROJECT

This is the final requirement that you must satisfy before receiving your award. There are various options available to you to satisfy this requirement, including the following:

Option 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.

Option 2.

Workplace Projects I and II. These each involve a series of 3 Problem Based Learning projects. With problem-based learning, students are assessed on their ability to go through a problem solving process.

Research shows that PBL gives the learner greater long-term benefits than traditional learning, and many successful and progressive universities around the world use it in their courses. Graduates of PBL courses advance faster and further in their careers.  

• Other benefits of PBL:
• Develops critical and creative thinking;
• Creates effective problem-solvers;
• Increases motivation;
• Encourages lateral thinking;
• Improves communication and networking skills;
• Is based on real-life situations.

Option 3,

If you do not work in the relevant industry, another option is 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.

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 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.

Who are our tutors?

Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “The School” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.

Sample Course Notes

Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well. We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis. If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.

What learning method should I choose?

We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Enrolment” box above, then “Learning Methods.”

How Long will it take to complete the course?

This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.

Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”

What Do Our Students think of us?

If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.

I don’t think this is the right course for me.

If you’re not sure about this course, then why not look at our wide range of other courses. Click on the “Courses” box above.

You may also wish to design your own course to fit in with exactly what YOU want. To do so, click on the “Enrolment” box, then “Design your Own Course”.

If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk

Recognition and Accreditation

For more information on our recognition and accreditation, click on “The School”, then “Recognition”.

Who is ACS Distance Education?

If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”

 *This course is internationally accredited through I.A.R.C*