Level 4 - Sales and Marketing

The Business Environment
What comes to mind when you think of the word ‘environment’? You probably think of surroundings, and the conditions and influences of the surroundings. Similarly, the business environment refers to an organization’s surroundings – its external surroundings, as well as its internal surroundings.

Customers and Customer Service
This module starts by looking at customers and how they make decisions about their purchases. What factors do they think about when buying a chocolate bar, vegetables, a book, a refrigerator, or a house? How do businesses decide which company to use when buying a new computer system? Before you can start to market to people, you must have some clear ideas about how they think and understand the attributes and benefits they are looking for.

Marketing Mix
In marketing, a company is faced with two kinds of variables. First, there are the variables associated with the external environment; the environment surrounding the organization, made up of the macro-environment (the broad environment consisting of political, economic, socio-cultural, technological dimensions) and the micro-environment (the competitive structure of the industry in which the company operates). A company has no direct control of these external variables. The second set of variables contains operational variables; factors over which a company has full control.

Marketing and Sales Planning
Marketing and sales are fundamental to business, whatever the sector. In the private sector, it is accepted that marketing and sales planning are essential to achieve profitability and market success. In the public sector and in the charitable sector, the focus is not on profit making but on customer (or more broadly, stakeholder) satisfaction. Marketing is increasingly playing a key role in the non-profit sector to build awareness of issues and promote causes, taking the perspective of not just customers (recipients) but also donors.

IT in Business
There is clear evidence that Information Technology provides competitive advantage, whatever the business sphere an organization operates in. To gain advantage, managers must know how IT can be used in internal and external processes to deliver better value to the end customer.

Managing and Using Marketing
This module will provide you with a comprehensive introduction to marketing. It is intended to be relevant to the management and operation of organizations in many different areas of the economy, including those which do not operate for profit.

Customers and Their Needs
The aim of modern marketing is to identify and then satisfy each customer’s needs and wants. This is often done by building relationships with customers and using these relationships to create a two-way communication between the two parties. The customer communicates his or her preferences, and the business communicates information about products that will satisfy the customer’s needs and wishes.

E-marketing Communications
The success of the World Wide Web and the proliferation of the Internet and associated technologies have revolutionized the way organizations conduct their business. The most apparent change has been the support provided through technology to a number of traditional operations, such as sales, communications, customer services, and marketing.

High Performance Sales
An organization’s success depends on a number of factors including its operations, its marketing strategy, its human resource management, and its sales. One of the most common criteria used for assessing the organization’s success is sales growth. This is an indication that the organization manages to maintain its existing customers but also attract interest followed by sales from new markets.

Marketing Strategy
How then do organizations develop strategies in a complex marketing environment? How do they assess opportunities and threats? Which markets and segments do they target and why? Which market positions play to an organization’s strengths? What product portfolio should be maintained for long-term value? These are some of the questions we shall address.

Students have access to multiple support systems throughout their learning journey. All of these are accessible through the student dashboard. Students will have access to the following:

Blogs: We periodically create blogs relevant to our students and courses.

Webinars: Students have access to live webinars, covering lessons within the modules, as well as a bank of previously recorded lessons.

E-books: We provide students with an extensive library of online e-books covering a range of subjects.

Interactive Forums: Students are able to connect with their peers in order to ask questions or share resources they may find useful.

Tutors: A team of dedicated tutors are available for personal online tutoring sessions.

External Resources: A bank of links to relevant external resources is available and updated regularly.

Online Tests: Multiple-choice tests are provided within the online modules to help students assess their own learning.

Student Advisors: Advisors are available via telephone, email, or the online chat option. They are available to answer queries relating to learning or any technical difficulties that students may encounter.

Completing the Level 4 Diploma in Sales and Marketing prepares students for entry-level positions in sales, marketing, and related fields. It also provides a solid foundation for further study, such as progressing to a Level 5 Diploma or other advanced qualifications in marketing, sales management, or business.

Once you’ve completed your online Level 4 & 5 Sales and Marketing course, you have the opportunity to complete a third-year top-up degree programme, known as a ‘BA top-up’, from a wide range of UK universities.

Students can apply to any university offering the BA top-up, and you can choose to study for your degree either online or in-person on campus.

Coventry University
Business Management and Leadership BA (Hons)– London Campus
Business Management and Leadership BA (Hons)– Coventry Campus
Marketing Management BA (Hons)

Northampton University
BSc (Hons) in International Accounting
BA (Hons) Marketing Management

University of Derby
BSc (Hons) Business and Management

University of Hertfordshire
BA (Hons) Business Administration

University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN)
BA (Hons) Business Management

University of Hertfordshire
BA (Hons) Business Administration (Top-up) (Online)

Middlesex University
BA Honours Business Management (Marketing)

Edinburgh Napier University
BA in Business Management
BA in Business and Enterprise
BA in Sales Management

University of Sunderland
BA (Hons) Business and Management

University of Cumbria
BA (Hons) Global Business Management
BA (Hons) International Business Management