NFC in Marketing and Sales Fundamentals
Build introductory marketing and sales skills for a small business.
About the course
Build introductory marketing and sales skills for a small business. You will understand customer needs, explain an offering clearly and keep accurate records of simple selling activities.
What you'll learn
Describe a customer group and its needs.
Explain the benefits and price of an offering accurately.
Prepare a simple promotional message.
Conduct a respectful sales conversation.
Record a transaction and review customer feedback.
Requirements
Prepare with relevant school learning, practical numeracy, English communication and basic digital skills. BMIT must confirm admission, progression, recognition of prior learning and approved practical requirements.
Course content
The complete subject sequence below moves from foundations to specialist application. Stages show learning progression. Practical work and the final project draw together the subjects studied.
3 learning stages 8 subjects
1Stage 1: Foundations4 subjects
2Stage 2: Core subjects3 subjects
3Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application1 subjects
Subjects in this programme
The complete subject sequence below moves from foundations to specialist application. Stages show learning progression. Practical work and the final project draw together the subjects studied.
8 subjects are listed below with a short description of each. The Subject descriptions tab contains the learning outcomes, topics, practical tasks and assessments.
Stage 1: Foundations
- Business Communication. Prepare purposeful communication for colleagues, customers and decision makers. You will organise evidence, adjust tone for different audiences and check whether a message leads to the intended action. Examples include multilingual workplaces, professional correspondence and short management reports.
- Digital Business Skills. Use everyday digital tools to organise business information accurately. You will build reliable spreadsheets, manage documents and share work responsibly. Activities address uneven connectivity, accessible communication and the protection of personal information in small organisations and public offices.
- Marketing Foundations. Understand how organisations identify customers and design an offer suited to their needs. You will distinguish segmentation, targeting and positioning, then connect product, price, distribution and communication decisions. Cases include small enterprises, public services and regional consumer markets.
- Customer Service Management. Design and review service interactions from the customer's perspective. You will identify expectations, handle complaints constructively and use feedback to improve performance. Activities consider multilingual communication, accessibility and the practical constraints facing service teams across face-to-face and digital channels.
Stage 2: Core subjects
- Sales and Account Management. Plan professional selling around customer needs and reliable follow-through. You will prepare for sales conversations, develop proposals and manage an account pipeline. Activities connect sales targets with ethical claims, accurate records and the quality of the relationship after an order is placed.
- Product and Pricing Management. Manage an offer across its life cycle and develop a defensible pricing approach. You will examine product portfolios, customer value and cost constraints, then compare price structures. Cases connect pricing decisions with competition, distribution relationships and transparent communication to customers.
- Entrepreneurship and Small Business. Develop an enterprise idea through customer evidence, resource planning and a realistic operating model. You will examine owner responsibilities and compare routes into business. Activities address informal and formal markets, limited finance and the need to test assumptions before expansion.
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
- Integrated Business Research Project. Investigate a defined business problem by combining knowledge from several management subjects. You will frame a useful question, gather appropriate evidence and compare feasible responses. The final report explains the recommendation, implementation implications and limitations of the enquiry rather than claiming certainty.
Assessment and practical learning
- Customer and pricing exercises.
- Role-play sales conversations.
- A small promotional and transaction portfolio.
Practical application
Prepare a proposed sales activity for a fictional local product. Create a clear offer, practise a conversation, issue sample records and review feedback without requiring learners to spend money or sell real goods.
Subject descriptions
Select a subject to read its learning outcomes, main topics, practical task and assessment.
Stage 1: Foundations
Business Communication
Prepare purposeful communication for colleagues, customers and decision makers. You will organise evidence, adjust tone for different audiences and check whether a message leads to the intended action. Examples include multilingual workplaces, professional correspondence and short management reports.
Learning outcomes
- Write a concise business report
- Record decisions and assigned actions
- Present evidence for a defined audience
Main topics
- Audience and purpose
- Professional correspondence
- Report structure
- Meeting records
- Presentations
- Intercultural communication
Practical task
Produce a report, meeting record and five-minute briefing about a service problem.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Digital Business Skills
Use everyday digital tools to organise business information accurately. You will build reliable spreadsheets, manage documents and share work responsibly. Activities address uneven connectivity, accessible communication and the protection of personal information in small organisations and public offices.
Learning outcomes
- Build a checked spreadsheet
- Organise retrievable business documents
- Apply appropriate access permissions
Main topics
- File organisation
- Word processing
- Spreadsheet formulas
- Presentations
- Collaborative working
- Privacy and access
Practical task
Create a shared office information pack with formulas, document versions and access instructions.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Marketing Foundations
Understand how organisations identify customers and design an offer suited to their needs. You will distinguish segmentation, targeting and positioning, then connect product, price, distribution and communication decisions. Cases include small enterprises, public services and regional consumer markets.
Learning outcomes
- Identify a customer segment
- Develop a positioning statement
- Prepare a basic marketing plan
Main topics
- Customer needs
- Segmentation
- Targeting
- Positioning
- Marketing mix
- Marketing planning
Practical task
Design a marketing plan for a locally relevant product or service.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Customer Service Management
Design and review service interactions from the customer's perspective. You will identify expectations, handle complaints constructively and use feedback to improve performance. Activities consider multilingual communication, accessibility and the practical constraints facing service teams across face-to-face and digital channels.
Learning outcomes
- Map a customer journey
- Resolve a simulated complaint
- Recommend a service improvement
Main topics
- Service expectations
- Customer journeys
- Communication
- Complaint handling
- Service recovery
- Feedback measures
Practical task
Create a customer service standard and analyse a set of fictional complaints.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Stage 2: Core subjects
Sales and Account Management
Plan professional selling around customer needs and reliable follow-through. You will prepare for sales conversations, develop proposals and manage an account pipeline. Activities connect sales targets with ethical claims, accurate records and the quality of the relationship after an order is placed.
Learning outcomes
- Conduct a structured sales conversation
- Prepare a customer proposal
- Maintain an accountable sales pipeline
Main topics
- Prospecting
- Sales preparation
- Needs analysis
- Proposals
- Negotiation
- Account follow-up
Practical task
Complete a sales role-play and a documented account development plan.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Product and Pricing Management
Manage an offer across its life cycle and develop a defensible pricing approach. You will examine product portfolios, customer value and cost constraints, then compare price structures. Cases connect pricing decisions with competition, distribution relationships and transparent communication to customers.
Learning outcomes
- Evaluate a product portfolio
- Calculate a pricing option
- Justify a price decision
Main topics
- Product portfolios
- Life cycles
- New products
- Cost-based pricing
- Value-based pricing
- Price adjustments
Practical task
Prepare a product and pricing review using a supplied market and cost dataset.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Entrepreneurship and Small Business
Develop an enterprise idea through customer evidence, resource planning and a realistic operating model. You will examine owner responsibilities and compare routes into business. Activities address informal and formal markets, limited finance and the need to test assumptions before expansion.
Learning outcomes
- Assess an enterprise opportunity
- Construct a business model
- Prepare a feasible start-up plan
Main topics
- Opportunity identification
- Customer discovery
- Business models
- Start-up resources
- Small business controls
- Business planning
Practical task
Test a small venture idea and submit a business plan with evidence of customer needs.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
Integrated Business Research Project
Investigate a defined business problem by combining knowledge from several management subjects. You will frame a useful question, gather appropriate evidence and compare feasible responses. The final report explains the recommendation, implementation implications and limitations of the enquiry rather than claiming certainty.
Learning outcomes
- Frame a researchable business problem
- Analyse relevant evidence
- Defend a feasible recommendation
Main topics
- Problem definition
- Research ethics
- Evidence collection
- Analysis
- Recommendations
- Implementation evaluation
Practical task
Complete an individual business investigation and present the resulting improvement proposal.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Instructors
