Sales Manager training: Head of School Rolf Schmalz shows the specializations, job opportunities and career options
Who are you and what do you do for a living?
My name is Rolf Schmalz and I am the owner of Art of Formation - Weiterbildung WBA. We offer extra-occupational adult education in the field of business administration. I myself have been running professional development courses for over twenty years and have been doing so full-time since 2017. Today, our school has 160 students and 35 lecturers. Thanks to our good didactic concept, we have a very good success rate - including for sales manager training. This also includes a maximum of 15 students per class.
Who is the Sales Manager course suitable for?
Training to become a sales manager with a federal diploma is suitable for people who have several years of front-line sales experience in customer service (at least six years) and three years of management experience. This course is less suitable for people who work in retail or specialist retail, where customers come into the store. The examination tests knowledge of industrial companies or service companies, and retail or specialist retail employees lack the necessary reference here.
What kind of people does this training suit?
The Sales Manager course is suitable for people who can approach people openly and have a sensitive feel for their counterparts during negotiations. A great deal of imagination is required to design customer-specific solutions. A high degree of flexibility is also required when dealing with customers in sales.
What opportunities do graduates have after completing this sales training?
If you graduate as a sales manager, you have a good chance of being able to lead a sales team.
What do students learn in the sales manager course?
During the further training to become a sales manager with a federal diploma, students learn business administration with a strategic approach. The focus of this further training is also clearly on specializing in sales.
What different specializations are there for sales managers?
There are now two possible specializations for the Sales Manager qualification:
- Sales management
- Key account management (support for major customers for system solutions, i.e. companies with several thousand employees - large contracts that take a long time to manage)
What are the classic careers of key account managers?
Those who complete the sales manager course with a specialization in key account management are then predestined to lead a team of key account managers in large companies, regardless of industry. These are often financial institutions or telecommunications companies that use key account managers to look after their major customers.
Why should prospective students opt for the WBA continuing education program?
If you opt for a WBA sales manager training course, we offer a fixed price that includes all costs. There is also a learning guarantee, i.e. if you achieve learning success during the course but do not pass the federal examination, you can attend the course for a further year free of charge. The knowledge gained from previous courses is integrated into the respective further training course. Small classes with a maximum of 15 students create an efficient learning atmosphere with interactive exchanges.
What is expected in terms of preparation and follow-up in addition to the Sales Manager course?
We expect people who attend our sales manager training course to make time for it in their private and professional lives. You need to rethink your time management for this type of training and continuously complete the tasks at hand in order to stay on the ball. Anyone who notices that they are falling behind with the material must take immediate action to ensure that they are always up to date. This is the only way to keep up to date and supplement knowledge.
Are there regular learning assessments?
Learning assessments are a very important tool during sales manager training. On the one hand, to measure the performance that students are able to call up and to demonstrate the corresponding understanding of the interrelationships. On the other hand, for the training institute to uncover any problems or shortcomings. In such cases, we rework unclear content with additional lessons free of charge. This is the only way to ensure that all areas of activity as a sales manager work together perfectly.
How much does the sales manager course cost?
Anyone wishing to complete the Sales Manager diploma course must expect to pay CHF 15,000 - excluding federal examination fees.
Is the training offered by Weiterbildung WBA up to date?
Weiterbildung WBA has a very special online training concept for sales manager training. Two thirds of the lessons take place online. A study by the University of Zurich has shown that there is absolutely no loss for adults in online lessons compared to face-to-face lessons. On the contrary, there is even greater concentration in the transfer of knowledge. We work with the Skype system, which is very easy to use. Lecturers speak directly to the students via the screen, a camera or a special visualizer. This gives the participants at the screens a real classroom feel. Exam preparation for the federal sales manager exam takes place in small classes at the Zurich, Winterthur, Gossau, Bern, Spiez, Emmen and Muttenz locations. The final touches for the federal examination can then be trained there in close proximity to the customer.
What are the salary prospects as a sales manager?
Sales managers who do a good job and benefit from commissions sometimes earn almost more than store managers. Good people in this area are in demand and also have very good earning potential. A key account manager can additionally optimize their salary with good orders that they bring into the company.
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