Sales represent the number of goods and products sold by a business in a particular period of time, and in other words, they are the ultimate source of revenue generation for a company to survive in the market. When a person or a company conveys their interest in a product or service being offered, they are willing to get ownership of it by paying an amount for it, and when the transaction is done between the two parties, a sale is made.

Marketing includes the processes of advertising, selling, and distributing products and services, and hence plays a vital role in supporting the sales of a business. Marketing is done successfully by drawing the attention and interest of the ideal customers toward the product.

What is the Role of Sales in a Business?

A key responsibility of sales includes follow-up, which means converting the leads generated by the marketing department into final customers.

Modern sales focus on building a good relationship between the buyer and the seller. An effective salesperson understands the needs of the customer and delivers their product to them by differentiating themselves from their competitors in a persuasive manner.

What is the Role of Marketing in a Business?

A marketer’s primary responsibility is to raise brand awareness.A sincere effort to build awareness of the product is an initial step in marketing.

Marketing helps maintain awareness and engagement after sales. An engagement effort builds a deeper consumer connection with the product and company.

Also Read: Sales and Marketing Management Course Online by IIM Kozhikode

What is meant by Sales Management in a Business?

Sales management is a process of planning, directing, and controlling the workforce to fulfil the common business objective. It involves recruiting potential candidates, enabling the sales team, and motivating the team members to perform their work efficiently.

A sales manager’s general responsibilities include the following:

• Running marketing campaigns: The initial step of the sales management process is to interact with the targeted customers. Extensive planning is done to communicate the benefits and uses of the product. The deeper the segmented marketing campaign, the more attention it grabs from potential customers.
• Goals: Achieving the goal of the company through sales management has a direct impact on the company’s business goals. Factors influencing the performance of sales management are the reduction in cost, the improvement in gross margin, and the increase in profit of the business. A regular examination of these factors helps the sales manager successfully reach their objectives.
• Ensuring substantial growth: management builds a clear understanding of each department and works for the welfare of all individuals and the contribution they can make to the organization.

Importance of Sales Management

• Ensures that the company meets the target
• Ensures that the company reaches its financial goal.
• Increases the productivity of the team
• Identify the areas for improvement.
• Provides effective feedback to the sales team.

What is Sales Promotion?

Sales promotion is a marketing strategy where the product is advertised using an attractive short-term initiative to increase the demand for and sales of the product. The objective of sales promotion is to create a market for new products, increase brand awareness, remain competitive in the market, and take products to a new market.

Sales promotion can be broadly divided into different categories:

Sales promotion to the target audience:

• Distributing free samples to raise brand awareness
• By offering free gifts to the customers, they may feel happy to get something extra at no cost.
• Selling bundled products at a lesser price compared to the price paid at a less frequent purchase.

Sales promotion to target traders

• Provide free point-of-purchase display units to retailers to increase sales.
• A special discount is given to sellers when they make a wholesale purchase.
• Gifts and concessions to wholesalers and retailers for ordering in bulk

Importance of Sales Promotion

• Creating brand awareness in new markets and with new customers
• Stabilizing sales volume and fulfilling short-term goals
• Stimulating demand for a product by offering great deals

Also Read: Advanced certificate in sales forecasting and demand planning

What is the importance of sales and marketing management in a business?

Sales and marketing management play an important role in business success. The three interrelated key functions of marketing management and sales management are sales maximization, profit maximization, and business growth. The qualitative aspect of sales and marketing concentrates on consumer attitudes and perceptions of a specific product or service.

The key functions of sales and marketing management are as follows:

• Market Research: It is a preliminary stage in the product development process. It is done to analyse market demand and growth prospects. It can measure the attitude of buyers, market intensity, features of the product, and pricing.
• Improvement in product efficiency: Ensuring a constant flow in the sales process is a prime function of sales management. converting the leads into buyers to improve efficiency.
• Product development and management: A key function of marketing management is good inventory. Choosing the right raw materials, fabrication, and other critical details are planned out with manufacturing units.
• Sales and Distribution: This step is vital to making consumers buy and consume the product. The marketing manager ensures that the product reaches the actual market and consumers through strong distribution channels like retailers and wholesalers.

Importance of Sales and Marketing Management

• Sales and marketing management begin with building the right product, setting an optimal price, and distributing it in the right locations.
• It encompasses customer service, marketing messages, and other sales efforts.
• Unlocking new business opportunities and winning the business.
• Helps the customer make a buying decision.

Benefits of Sales and Marketing Certification Course

A certification course in sales and marketing helps the student learn the basic concepts of the domain. The students seeking admission to certificate courses in sales and marketing must possess skills such as logical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and convincing skills. Being certified in a subject related to sales and marketing will help the candidate become a good company leader. There are many institutes and educational websites in India that offer sales and marketing management certification courses, which will give great recognition to interested candidates. Listed below are a few examples of certification courses:

1. Advanced certification by NMIMS Global Access School for Continuing Education:

NMIMS Global prepares the student to lead the future of marketing by helping them upgrade their marketing skills and strategies. They offer a 3- to 12-month digital marketing programme with certification that teaches about search engine marketing, social media marketing, digital marketing analytics, and digital marketing strategy.

The course equips the students with marketing automation, artificial intelligence-based marketing, and other marketing campaigns. NMIMS Global is a leader in professional and continuing education.

2. Postgraduate diploma in marketing management by IGNOU:

The online certification course is offered by Indira Gandhi National Open University with a minimum course fee. The duration of the course is from 1 to 3 years. It helps the student earn the certification and boosts their communication, creative thinking, analytical skills, and many more.

3. Advance certification in digital marketing and communication:

It is a certification from MICA in association with UpGrad. The course is designed for freshmen, traditional marketers, entrepreneurs, and sales professionals. It will help the candidates upskill in social media and content marketing, search engine marketing, and optimization, and offer job roles as associate business analysts, associate digital marketers, SEO specialists, and many more.

4. The advanced programme for senior marketing professionals at IIM Lucknow :

It is an 11-month programme for market-demand professionals to offer them advanced marketing skills and strategic and tactical knowledge in sales and marketing. The course prepares an individual for future challenges and will help them stand out from the competitors. It focuses on real business cases and networking opportunities and offers them effective marketing strategies with solutions.

5. Sales and Distribution Management on Swayam:

The course is taught by a professor at IIT Kharagpur. It is an eight-week course focusing on effective sales force management. The course is designed for anyone who is keen to improve their sales and marketing skills. The objective of the course is to provide a better understanding of sales management, with particular emphasis on a domain.

6. Management of Field Sales on Swayam:

It is a postgraduate-level course on sales management. The objective is to familiarise the students with methods of identifying opportunities and converting them into sales. The course is offered to professional sales and marketing executives, MBA students, and other desirous aspirants who are willing to build their careers.

A variety of certification courses are available to help professional qualifications and advance a career. After completing the certification course, students can go for jobs in various factors such as colleges, universities, government organizations, the retail sector, MNCs, the banking sector, the financial sector, etc., and hence apply for job positions such as sales manager, marketing manager, market analyst, marketing executive, sales professional, and associate professor.

Hence, it is advised to get a certification course to upskill the existing set of knowledge, thinking ability, leadership quality, growth opportunities, professional development, and managerial quality. Before applying for the course, please go through the eligibility criteria, as they vary from institute to institute.

All the best! I wish you a bright future ahead.

More Information:

Ultimate Guide to Career in Marketing

Understanding The A-Z of Sales And Marketing

Digital Marketing Career Scope, Jobs Opportunity & Salary in India