Competence Development

1
Competence Development
Business Development
These are the courses provided by Ascl within
each of the competence development programs.
Marketing Workshop
Project Management
Discover the way Ahead
Sales Competence Development
The Solution Selling Process
Selling the Business Case
Advanced Sales Academy
The Sales Call
Business Letters and Proposals
Negotiating Good Business
Business Presentation Workshop
Working with Projects
Simply Click on any title to see a specification
for this course.
2
The Solution Selling Process
2 Days
Course Objectives

• Discover the Process for Solution Selling.
• Understand the main marketing process.
• Know the main areas of knowledge and skills
  required
• Develop your own plans to develop your sales
  competence

This course is intended for all Sales and Sales
Support staff, and is also suitable for other
staff involved in Customer facing activities.
Course Content
There are no pre-requisites for this course.

• Solution Selling
• People involved in a Decision
• Benefit Categories
• Self Assessment - Sales Professionalism
• Marketing Processes
• Competence Development for Sales Executives

Training Techniques
Tutor lead discussion using student workbooks,
short group activities and a competitive quizzes
between small teams. Participants are provided
with copies of PowerPoint overheads and A5 Key
Point Reminder Sheets.
3
Selling the Business Case
2 Days
Course Objectives

• Discover the Process for Solution Selling.
• Understand the main marketing process.
• Know the main areas of knowledge and skills
  required
• Develop your own plans to develop your sales
  competence

This course is intended for all Sales and Sales
Support staff, and is also suitable for other
staff involved in Customer facing activities.
There are no pre-requisites for this course.
Course Content

• Business Basics
• Financial Accounting
• Business Ratios
• Management Accounting
• Business Benefits
• Financial Project Appraisal

Training Techniques
Tutor lead discussion using student workbooks,
short group activities and a competitive quizzes
between small teams. Participants are provided
with copies of PowerPoint overheads and A5 Key
Point Reminder Sheets.
4
The Sales Call
Course Objectives

• Set call objectives and plan a sales call.
• Develop their skill in questioning and listening
  techniques.
• Make new customer contacts and effective call
  openings.
• Gather relevant information to determine needs
  and qualify.
• Develop a sales strategy.
• Sell benefits, use sales aids and resolve
  objections.
• Summarise and close sales calls professionally

2 - 3 Days
This course is intended for sales staff. It
could also be useful for other staff in customer
facing activities.
Participants should have attended Business
Benefits.
Course Content

• Preparing to sell
• Questioning and Listening
• Making the Initial Approach
• Getting Information and Qualifying
• Decision Strategies
• Establishing Need and Selling Benefits
• Resolving Objections
• Closing on Agreement

Training Techniques
Tutor lead discussion using workbooks, group
planning exercises and student role-plays. Audio
Cassette dialogue is used to stimulate analytical
discussion.
5
Business Letters and Proposals
Course Objectives

• Recognise the importance of letters and proposals
  for a successful sales campaign.
• Have improved their ability to write readable
  text.
• Use checklists and examples to support continual
  Development in sales writing ability after the
  course.
• Develop compelling written arguments based on the
  business case for investment.
• Develop well structured Business Proposals and
  responses to RFPs

2 Days
The target group are sales staff, but the course
could also be useful for other staff in customer
facing activities.
Course Content
Participants will need knowledge of the sales
process, and the business benefits their
solutions can provide to their customers.

• The role of the Sales Letter
• Producing effective documents
• Approach Letters and Mail-shots
• Building the Case in Writing
• Reports
• The Sales Proposal

Training Techniques
Student workbooks will be provided to support
group discussion sessions. Activities will
include group work, and individual practical
writing exercises assessed by peers. "KeyPoint"
check-lists are provided for use after the
course. Audio Cassette dialogue is used to
stimulate analytical discussion.
6
Course Objectives
Negotiating Good Business

• Recognise where a sale moves into negotiation.
• Avoid getting into negotiations wherever
  possible.
• Understand the importance of preserving margins.
• Value negotiating variables in terms of time,
  place, quantity, quality, cost
• Be able to plan for a negotiating session.
• Develop appropriate strategies and tactics.
• recognise the people issues involved.

2 Days
This course is intended for sales staff. It may
also be suitable for project and support staff in
customer facing activities. Note that this is
specifically a Sales Negotiating course rather
than general negotiating.
Course Content

• Ways of reaching agreement
• Avoiding negotiation
• Qualities of a good negotiator
• Strategy and tactics
• Phases in a negotiation
• Negotiating with people
• Negotiating business variables

Participants should have attended Business
Benefits, and The Sales Call.
Training Techniques
Student workbooks will be provided to support
group discussion sessions. Activities will
include group work, and individual practical
writing exercises assessed by peers. KeyPoint
check-lists are provided for use after the
course. Audio Cassette dialogue is used to
stimulate analytical discussion.
7
Business Presentation Workshop
Course Objectives

• Plan the structure and contents of a business
  presentation.
• Plan the logistics of the event.
• Use appropriate techniques to handle an
  interactive presentation.

2 Days
This course is specifically intended for Sales
and Marketing staff. (Marketing Assistants,
Assistant Marketing Managers and Marketing
Managers.)
Course Content

• Setting objectives for the presentation
• Planning the presentation
• The stagger through
• Full presentation role-play
• Presentation de-brief

Participants should of attended Financial
Selling, The Sales Call and, ideally,
Business Letters and Proposals. It is also
important that participants read the pre-course
instructions and come prepared with sufficient
information to do a realistic presentation,
ideally to one of their current prospects.
Training Techniques
Tutor lead discussion with student workbooks.
Small group working for stagger through of
presentation. Then a set of full presentation
role-plays where Participants are doing their
presentation, or observing others from a number
of checklist, whilst role-playing a particular
decision maker or recommender function in the
buying process.
8
Working with Projects
Course Objectives

• Sell the overall project process of helping their
  customers develop their business.
• Use project management and time management
  concepts in their own work.
• Work with project staff to achieve a smooth hand
  over from sales.
• Understand how to initiate projects with sound
  policy for change control.
• Sell additional services during a customer
  implementation.
• Sell better, profitable business by working
  closely with the Project Team.

2 3 Days
This course is specifically intended for Sales
and Projects staff.
Students should have attended The Sales Call or
Customer Service.
Course Content

• The Project life cycle
• Planning for Quality, Cost and Time
• Project Implementation
• Management Skills
• People Change Management
• Project Completion
• Future personal development requirements

Training Techniques
Group discussion and brief group exercises using
student workbooks. Activities are based around a
realistic project scenario.
9
Account Marketing Plans
Course Objectives
2 Days
On completion of this course students will have
developed plans to develop their sales into large
existing Customers.
The course is intended for experienced sales
staff, or to follow the main sales training
programme.
Course Content
Students either have a number of years practical
experience, with a sound understanding of the
sales process, or would have completed the main
Sales courses and had at least 6 months practical
experience in selling to customers.
Students develop in outline their own Account
Marketing Plans using a template provided on
diskette (with appropriate discretion if
attending an open course).
Training Techniques
Role-play and presentation exercises with
checklists and debrief.
10
Advanced Sales Workshop
Course Objectives
2 Days
On completion of this course participants will
have developed their ability to sell solutions
through a series of practical exercises.
The course is intended as a follow-up for staff
who have completed the main sales training
programme. They should attend at least 6 months
after their initial training.
Course Content
The course includes a series of structured
role-plays, with student taking the part of
seller and buyer. The role-plays simulate the
participants actual customer situations,
following group work where participants draw up
probable buying criteria for a typical customer.
The course also teaches Sales Campaign Planning.
Participants either have a number of years
practical experience, with a sound understanding
of the sales process, or would have completed the
main Sales courses and had at least 6 months
practical experience selling to customers.
Training Techniques
Role-play and presentation exercises with
checklists and debrief.
11
Sales Management
Course Objectives

• Coach their staff in the field to develop
  competence.
• Help apply what their staff have leant from the
  other courses in this catalogue.
• Be able to complete an effective monthly review.
• Apply leadership and motivation theories.
• Undertake field sales training activities.
• Structure and deploy their staff according to an
  overall plan.

5 Days
No Pre-requisites for this course
This course is principally intended for Marketing
and Sales Management personnel, and for staff
intended to take up these positions. It can also
be run as a more general Management course.
Course Content

• The job of Management
• Planning and Organising
• Measuring and Controlling
• Leading and Motivating the Team
• Coaching the Team
• Recruiting and Appraising staff

Training Techniques
Tutor led discussion with tutor workbooks, group
work and role-plays. The course is supported
with a set of managers checklists.
12
Marketing Workshop
Course Objectives

• Complete the development of a marketing plan
• Understand relevant major trends in todays IT
  market
• Segment their market for brand and innovative
  products
• Develop concise Vision and Mission statements for
  their teams
• identify the key players in their market
• Position their offerings in relevant markets
• Describe their market offerings and their main
  differentiators
• Set strategies that take account of product,
  routes to marketplace, price, promotion, people,
  processes and physical evidence
• Help the business sales teams develop Account
  Marketing and Sales Campaign Plans for major
  customers
• Link market communications activities to the
  marketing plan objectives
• Implement their recommendations and manage
  customer and staff relations.

2 Days
A general understanding of business and their
market.
This course is intended for staff involved in
Marketing Planning activities.
Course Content

• The Market Environment
• Sources of information, Market Research and
  Segmentation
• Gathering Competitive Information and Competitor
  Analysis
• Differentiating your Offering
• The Marketing Plan - Positioning and Strategies
• The Pricing Plan
• Marketing Communications
• Developing Business Edge

Training Techniques
The course is in the style of a workshop around
Tutor led discussion, with group work and
workbook documentation. Pre-recorded dialogue is
used to stimulate discussion.
13
Project Management
Course Objectives

• Detail the overall project process that helps
  complete projects to the necessary quality
  standards within time and budget for both
  technical and people implementations
• Recognise where to use project management tools,
  such as MS Project
• Achieve a smooth hand over from sales and manage
  customer expectations
• Understand how to initiate projects with a sound
  policy for change control
• Identify opportunities and/or sell additional
  services during a customer implementation
• Sell better, profitable business by working
  closely with the Sales Team

5 Days
Ideally students should have attended Solution
Selling or The Sales Call.
This course is specifically intended for Sales
and Projects staff.
Course Content

• The Project life cycle
• Planning for Quality, Cost and Time
• Project Implementation
• Management Skills
• People Change Management
• Project Completion
• Future personal development requirements

Training Techniques
Group discussion and brief group exercises using
student workbooks. Activities are based around a
realistic project scenario.
14
Discover the Way Ahead
Course Objectives

• Reinforce or introduce the companies objectives
  and strategies
• Help the employees understand how they can help
  achieve these
• Agree the competences they need to have to do
  this
• Identify likely training requirements to develop
  these
• Help the employee to own these as their own
  development objectives
• Agree self help strategies and training courses
  to develop appropriate competences

1 Day
This course works well as an element of the
induction of new staff. Particularly alongside
existing staff either as an introduction or
reinforcement of the companys strategy and how
this effects the employees
Course Content

• What makes successful people
• Who are the companys stakeholders
• How do we aim to satisfy them all
• What will we gain as individuals
• What will this mean we have to give
• What will we have to be competent at
• Owning our own development

This course is specifically intended for the
whole team of a division or business.
Training Techniques
Group discussion and brief group exercises using
student workbooks. Introduction to self
development and time management techniques. The
overall objective of the course is to align the
employees development with the objectives of the
business and allow them to realise their own
responsibility for this development.