Institute of Sales Management · RQF Level 3
ISM Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Sales (RQF)
You don’t just earn this. You learn to use it, one-to-one, on your own real work.
- LevelRQF Level 3
- Total credits37
- Guided learning210 hours
- Units in this qualification29
Awarded by Institute of Sales Management · on the Ofqual register
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What you’ll learn
What each unit actually teaches you to do
The NVQ Diploma in Sales is for individuals working in sales roles. Learners will develop skills in areas such as developing sales proposals, time planning, and selling at exhibitions. Knowledge of buyer behaviour and assisting customers with finance is also covered.
These are the units Institute of Sales Management registers against this qualification. It is a catalogue, not a syllabus. Which of them you take depends on the combination the qualification requires, and that is set by the awarding body rather than by us. Every unit here is regulated, and every one you earn is yours to keep.
Assessing customers’ credit statusReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll understand the principles of assessing customer credit status. They will apply organisational credit policies to evaluate credit risk, make informed credit decisions, and monitor customers' credit status to manage financial risk.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of credit risk assessment.
- Understand the organisation's policies and procedures for assessing customer credit status.
- Understand the different sources of information used to assess customer credit status.
- Gather relevant information to assess the credit status of customers.
- Analyse customer credit information to determine their creditworthiness.
- Make recommendations regarding credit limits and payment terms based on the assessment of customer credit status.
- Monitor customer payment behaviour to identify potential credit risks.
- Take appropriate action to manage credit risks, in line with organisational policies and procedures.
Assisting customers in obtaining finance for purchasesReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit covers the conditions and criteria for obtaining finance for purchases. You'll learn to propose suitable financial options to customers and complete finance arrangements, including understanding credit history impacts and types of security required.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the conditions that must be met for customers to obtain finance for purchases
- Propose suitable financial options to customers based on their needs and circumstances
- Complete the necessary arrangements to secure finance for customer purchases, adhering to legal and organisational requirements
Building and retaining sales relationshipsReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
It teaches you to build and retain strong sales relationships. They will understand the benefits of customer loyalty, develop rapport, communicate effectively, and implement strategies to maintain long-term customer engagement.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the benefits of building strong sales relationships, including increased customer loyalty and repeat business.
- Understand the risks associated with neglecting sales relationships, including customer churn and negative word-of-mouth.
- Understand the importance of planning and investing in sales relationships to achieve long-term success.
- Build rapport with customers by demonstrating empathy and understanding their needs.
- Communicate effectively with customers to build trust and maintain positive relationships.
- Provide excellent customer service to build customer loyalty.
- Identify and address customer concerns to prevent customer churn.
- Implement strategies to retain existing sales customers, such as loyalty programmes and personalised offers.
Buyer behaviour in sales situationsReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll understand different models of buyer behaviour and their impact on the sales cycle. The unit develops skills to respond effectively to buyers at each stage of their decision-making process.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the impact of different models of buyer behaviour on the sales cycle, including factors such as motivation, perception, and decision-making processes.
- Respond effectively to the buyer at each stage of the decision-making process, adapting sales techniques and communication styles to meet their needs and concerns.
Communicate information and knowledgeReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
It teaches you to identify required information and assess its reliability for effective communication. You'll apply various communication techniques and methods, adapting them according to audience feedback to ensure clarity and understanding.
What you'll be able to do
- Identify the information required for effective communication and assess its reliability and validity
- Understand a range of communication techniques and methods, including verbal, non-verbal, and written communication
- Communicate information and knowledge effectively using appropriate techniques and methods
- Adapt communication techniques and methods in response to the target audience's feedback and understanding
Communicating using digital marketing/sales channelsReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
It teaches you to plan digital media use for specific messages and audiences. They will develop digital communication plans, ensure message accessibility and delivery, and monitor and evaluate responses to improve effectiveness.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to plan the use of digital media to communicate a specific message.
- Understand how to plan the use of digital media to reach a specific audience.
- Understand how to plan the use of digital media to reach specific recipients.
- Plan the use of digital media for a specific message, audience and recipients.
- Check that the digital message can be accessed by the intended audience.
- Check that the digital message can be delivered to the intended recipients.
- Monitor the response to digital activity.
- Evaluate the response to digital activity.
- Take corrective action based on the response to digital activity.
Complying with legal, regulatory and ethical requirements in a sales or marketing roleReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit provides learners with an understanding of legal, regulatory, and ethical requirements in sales or marketing roles. You'll identify relevant legislation and regulatory bodies and comply with organisational policies to ensure lawful and ethical practice.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the legal requirements relevant to a sales or marketing role.
- Understand the regulatory requirements relevant to a sales or marketing role.
- Understand the ethical requirements relevant to a sales or marketing role.
- Comply with organisational policies and procedures relating to legal requirements in a sales or marketing role.
- Comply with organisational policies and procedures relating to regulatory requirements in a sales or marketing role.
- Comply with organisational policies and procedures relating to ethical requirements in a sales or marketing role.
Contributing to the development and launch of new products and/or servicesReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit covers the product development process, enabling learners to identify key stages and describe associated activities. You'll understand the importance of market research and be able to contribute effectively to the development and launch of new products and/or services.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the key stages of the product development process, from initial concept to launch.
- Contribute effectively to the development and launch of new products and/or services within a defined role.
Develop, maintain and review personal networksReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll understand the benefits of networking and the importance of data privacy. They will develop and maintain a personal network of relevant contacts, review networking relationships, and manage risks associated with inappropriate networking behaviour.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the benefits of developing and maintaining a personal network of contacts, and the importance of adhering to data privacy regulations
- Develop a personal network of contacts by identifying and engaging with relevant individuals and organisations
- Review networking relationships to assess their effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement
Developing and implementing sales call plansReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit equips learners with the skills to develop and implement sales call plans. They will identify customer needs, prepare key messages and supporting materials, and conduct sales calls using effective communication to achieve objectives.
What you'll be able to do
- Develop a sales call plan that considers customer needs and objectives
- Undertake a sales call, applying effective communication and sales techniques
Developing and implementing sales support and customer service programmesReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll understand the purpose and benefits of sales support and customer service programmes. They will develop and implement these programmes to meet organisational needs and enhance sales and customer service performance.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the rationale for providing sales support programmes.
- Understand the rationale for providing customer service programmes.
- Develop sales support programmes to meet identified needs.
- Develop customer service programmes to meet identified needs.
- Implement sales support programmes effectively.
- Implement customer service programmes effectively.
Developing sales proposalsReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit develops learners' skills in writing, developing, and evaluating sales proposals. It covers persuasive writing techniques, analysing client requirements, and presenting solutions that meet client needs.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to write sales proposals that are clear, concise, and persuasive, and that meet the needs of the client.
- Develop sales proposals that address client requirements, outline proposed solutions, and detail pricing and timelines.
- Evaluate the proposal to ensure it meets the client's needs and objectives, and that it is competitive and commercially viable.
Lead and manage meetingsReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
It teaches you to prepare for, lead, and manage meetings effectively. You'll develop skills in setting objectives, creating agendas, managing discussions, chairing meetings, and completing post-meeting tasks to ensure productive outcomes.
What you'll be able to do
- Prepare effectively to lead a meeting, including setting objectives, creating an agenda, and distributing relevant materials.
- Manage meeting procedures efficiently, ensuring that discussions stay on track and that all participants have an opportunity to contribute.
- Chair a meeting effectively, facilitating discussion, managing conflict, and ensuring that decisions are made and documented.
- Undertake post-meeting tasks, such as distributing minutes, following up on action items, and evaluating the meeting's effectiveness.
Leading a sales or marketing teamReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
It teaches you to set SMART targets for sales or marketing teams. They will support team motivation and monitor and evaluate progress to ensure targets are met and team performance is effectively managed.
What you'll be able to do
- Set targets for the sales or marketing team that are specific and measurable.
- Set targets for the sales or marketing team that are achievable and relevant.
- Set targets for the sales or marketing team that are time-bound.
- Support the motivation of individual members of the sales or marketing team.
- Support the motivation of the sales or marketing team as a whole.
- Monitor the progress of the sales or marketing team against agreed targets.
- Evaluate the progress of the sales or marketing team against agreed targets.
Manage own professional development within an organisationReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll assess their career goals and personal development needs within an organisation. They will set specific work objectives, produce a personal development plan, and implement and monitor progress to support their professional growth.
What you'll be able to do
- Assess own career goals and personal development needs
- Set personal work objectives that align with career goals
- Produce a personal development plan with specific and measurable goals
- Implement and monitor own personal development plan, making adjustments as needed
Managing the induction and probation of sales staffReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll understand and manage the induction and probation processes for new sales staff. They will plan and oversee induction activities, provide necessary information, and monitor performance during probation periods.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the organisation's induction processes for sales staff, including relevant policies and procedures.
- Understand the organisation's probation processes for sales staff, including relevant policies and procedures.
- Plan and prepare for the induction of new sales staff.
- Manage the induction process for new sales staff, ensuring all relevant information is provided.
- Monitor the performance of new sales staff during their probation period.
- Provide feedback and support to new sales staff during their probation period.
- Make recommendations regarding the confirmation of new sales staff following their probation period.
Meeting customers’ after sales needsReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll investigate and address customers' after sales needs by gathering feedback, analysing issues, and providing appropriate support. They will review after sales processes to improve customer satisfaction and resolve complaints professionally.
What you'll be able to do
- Investigate customer after sales needs by gathering information on their experiences and requirements.
- Identify the root causes of customer after sales issues.
- Handle customers' after sales needs by providing appropriate solutions and support.
- Resolve customer complaints effectively and efficiently.
- Communicate clearly and professionally with customers regarding their after sales needs.
- Review the after sales process to identify areas for improvement.
- Make recommendations for improving the after sales process to enhance customer satisfaction.
Monitoring and managing sales team performanceReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit provides learners with knowledge of methods to monitor sales team performance using key performance indicators and performance management systems. You'll learn to provide feedback, coaching, and support to enhance individual and team results.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand different methods of monitoring sales team performance, including key performance indicators (KPIs) and performance management systems.
- Manage the performance of the sales team effectively, providing feedback, coaching, and support to improve individual and team results.
Negotiating, handling objections and closing salesReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit provides learners with knowledge and skills to handle objections, negotiate with customers, and close sales. You'll prepare for objections, apply negotiation techniques, and finalise sales agreements effectively.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand common customer objections encountered during the sales process.
- Understand different negotiation techniques used in sales.
- Prepare for potential customer objections by identifying likely concerns and developing appropriate responses.
- Plan a negotiation strategy to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome.
- Handle customer objections effectively by addressing concerns and providing solutions.
- Negotiate with customers to reach agreements that meet their needs and the organisation's objectives.
- Close the sale following negotiation by confirming the agreement and completing the necessary paperwork.
Obtaining and Analysing Competitor InformationReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll understand methods for validating competitor information and its importance in sales activities. They will obtain, analyse, and apply competitor data to inform sales strategies while recognising risks associated with inaccurate information.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand methods for validating information about competitors.
- Understand the importance of validating information about competitors.
- Understand how competitor information can be used for sales-related activities.
- Obtain competitor information for sales-related activities.
- Analyse competitor information for sales-related activities.
- Use competitor information to inform sales strategies.
Obtaining and analysing sales-related informationReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll understand the uses of sales-related information and develop skills to obtain and analyse data about customers, markets, and competitors. The unit covers tools and methods to interpret sales information to improve performance and identify new business opportunities.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the various uses of sales-related information in making informed business decisions.
- Understand how to use appropriate tools and methods to analyse sales-related information effectively.
- Obtain relevant sales-related information about customers, markets, and competitors from appropriate sources.
- Use appropriate tools and methods to analyse sales-related information to identify trends, patterns, and opportunities.
Organise the delivery of reliable customer serviceReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll plan and organise the delivery of reliable customer service by managing resources, defining roles, and establishing procedures for handling inquiries and complaints. They will also review and maintain service quality using recording systems.
What you'll be able to do
- Plan and organise the delivery of reliable customer service, considering resources and customer expectations
- Review and maintain customer service delivery to ensure consistent quality
- Use recording systems to maintain reliable customer service records and track customer interactions
- Understand how to organise the delivery of reliable customer service, including processes and procedures
Preparing and delivering a sales presentationReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll explore the preparation and delivery of sales presentations, focusing on audience analysis, setting SMART objectives, and structuring presentations. They will develop and deliver a coherent sales presentation with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the key factors to consider when preparing effective sales presentations, including audience analysis and objective setting
- Prepare a comprehensive sales presentation, incorporating relevant information and persuasive techniques
- Understand the principles of delivering engaging and impactful sales presentations, including verbal and non-verbal communication skills
- Deliver a sales presentation effectively, adapting to audience feedback and achieving desired outcomes
Pricing for sales promotionsReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll develop an understanding of price-based sales promotions, including their types, impact on sales volume and profitability, and associated risks. They will be able to justify promotional strategies, develop proposals, and evaluate the effectiveness of price-based promotions.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the different types of price-based promotions and their potential impact on sales and profitability.
- Justify the use of specific price-based promotions as part of a broader promotional strategy, considering factors such as target audience and market conditions.
- Develop clear and persuasive proposals for price-based promotions, outlining objectives, costs, and expected outcomes.
- Understand how to evaluate the effectiveness of price-based promotions using relevant metrics and data.
- Implement approved price-based promotions and evaluate their performance against pre-defined objectives.
Prioritising information for sales planningReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll understand sources and types of information relevant to sales planning, including internal and external data. They will conduct business audits and use sales information to support informed sales planning decisions.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand sources and types of information that support sales planning, including market research and competitor analysis
- Understand internal information that supports sales planning, such as sales data and customer feedback
- Carry out a business audit of the internal and external sales environment to identify opportunities and threats
- Use sales information to support the sales planning function, making informed decisions and setting realistic targets
Recruiting sales team membersReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit provides knowledge of the recruitment and selection process for sales team members, including legal requirements and best practices. You'll prepare recruitment materials, define job roles and criteria, and make informed selection decisions.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the recruitment and selection process for sales team members, including legal requirements and best practices
- Prepare for the recruitment and selection of sales team members, including defining job roles and creating selection criteria
- Make informed selection decisions for sales team members based on evidence gathered during the recruitment process
Selling at exhibitionsReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit equips learners with knowledge and skills to sell effectively at exhibitions. It covers assessing exhibition relevance, preparation, engaging customers, and evaluating personal performance at events.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to assess the relevance of exhibitions for the organisation, considering factors such as target audience, cost, and potential return on investment.
- Understand how to prepare for and sell effectively at exhibitions, including booth design, marketing materials, and sales techniques.
- Prepare for an exhibition, including planning logistics, training staff, and developing marketing materials.
- Sell effectively at an exhibition, engaging with potential customers, presenting products or services, and closing deals.
- Evaluate own performance at an exhibition, identifying areas for improvement and measuring success against objectives.
Support learning and development within own area of responsibilityReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
It teaches you to support learning and development within their area of responsibility. They will identify colleagues' learning needs, create a supportive environment, provide guidance, and evaluate learning outcomes to inform future development.
What you'll be able to do
- Identify the learning needs of colleagues in own area of responsibility through observation and feedback
- Understand how to develop a learning environment in own area of responsibility that encourages participation and growth
- Support colleagues in learning and its application to their roles, providing guidance and resources
- Evaluate learning outcomes and future learning and development needs of colleagues, providing feedback and recommendations
Time planning in salesReal unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll understand and apply time management techniques in sales roles. The unit includes planning and prioritising tasks, setting realistic goals, and evaluating time management effectiveness to improve productivity.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to manage and prioritise time effectively in a sales role, including setting goals, managing workload, and avoiding distractions.
- Plan own time effectively in a sales role, using time management techniques and tools to maximise productivity.
- Evaluate time planning in a sales role to identify areas for improvement and ensure that time is being used effectively to achieve sales targets.
The honest bit
You’ve started things before
Most courses were built for a room full of people who aren’t you. A cohort moves on whether or not your week allowed it, and by the third week the thing you’re behind on becomes the reason you stop opening it.
There’s no cohort here, and no timetable to fall behind. Before anything starts, Zavmo asks when you’re sharpest and how long you can realistically sit down for, then builds the sessions around those answers. A bad fortnight changes your pace. It doesn’t put you behind.
And you only pay once you start learning. Searching and planning are free, and you can cancel any time — so the cost of finding out is an afternoon, not a year.
Your passport
Every credit is a stamp you keep
Level 3 credits are regulated. They don’t vanish when a subscription ends or a website closes. They travel to any employer, and Zavmo keeps the map of what you’ve earned and what’s next.
Assessing customers’ credit statusAssisting customers in obtaining finance for purchasesBuilding and retaining sales relationshipsBuyer behaviour in sales situationsCommunicate information and knowledgeCommunicating using digital marketing/sales channelsComplying with legal, regulatory and ethical requirements in a sales or marketing roleContributing to the development and launch of new products and/or services
Each stamp is a real unit registered against this qualification.
Who’d teach you this
The Evidence Evaluator
Assessor
Helps you show what you can actually do, gathering the evidence that proves it as you learn.
Meet all twelve tutorsWhere this connects
Where these credits take you
A qualification is never a dead end here. See the jobs its credits open, the national occupational standards its units map to, and the future skills they quietly build.
ISM Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Sales (RQF)
- Assess Credit Risk and Means
- Develop strategic relationships with major customers
- Leveraging Information for Effective Sales Decisions
- Manage your own resources and professional development
- Monitor and evaluate information for sales planning
- Monitor and evaluate information to support sales planning
- Negotiate, Handle Objections and Close Sales
Where this can lead
Associate Marketing Legal Specialist
This Associate role is your first step into a fascinating and critical area. The opportunities to learn and grow are immense, and we're committed to helping you build a truly impactful career here at Zavmo.
See the whole journey →Opens the roleAssociate Marketing Legal SpecialistOne of the jobs this qualification is a route intoSee the role →Opens the roleMarketing Compliance CoordinatorOne of the jobs this qualification is a route intoSee the role →Opens the roleExhibition and Trade Shows SpecialistOne of the jobs this qualification is a route intoSee the role →Opens the roleExhibition SpecialistOne of the jobs this qualification is a route into · 1 near-identical record folded inSee the role →Opens the roleSenior Exhibition SpecialistOne of the jobs this qualification is a route intoSee the role →Opens the roleMarketing Legal SpecialistOne of the jobs this qualification is a route intoSee the role →Future FluencyAll ten future skillsSee how every unit is contextualised by the tenExplore →
Showing 6 roles, drawn from 30 job records mapped to this qualification.
Skills it covers
What the job actually needs. These are the standards the units are built against, in the words employers and awarding bodies already use for the work itself.
Assess Credit Risk and MeansDevelop strategic relationships with major customersLeveraging Information for Effective Sales DecisionsManage your own resources and professional developmentMonitor and evaluate information for sales planningMonitor and evaluate information to support sales planningNegotiate, Handle Objections and Close Sales
How you’ll actually learn this
One-to-one, on your own real work
A qualification is usually something done to you: sit the class, sit the exam, hope it sticks. Here it’s the opposite. You learn it one-to-one with a companion, on your own real work, and you keep going until you can use it, not just recall it.
One-to-one, on your real workNo lectures, no past-papers. Every unit is practised on the actual tasks your job throws at you, a tutor beside you, not a video in front of you.
Taught to the top, not the testMost courses stop at remembering. Your companion keeps climbing: analysing, judging, creating. That’s the part a machine can’t do for you.
Credits you keep, a map that continuesEvery unit is regulated and yours for good. The day you finish, Zavmo already knows the next role your new credits open.
Applied to your work in any of these jobs
Which job do you mean?
Learners will understand the principles of assessing customer credit status. They will apply organisational credit policies to evaluate credit risk, make informed credit decisions, and monitor customers' credit status to manage financial risk.
How the thinking builds
- Remember
- Understand
- Apply
- Analyse
- Evaluate
- Create
Built for ISM Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Sales (RQF)
29 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by Institute of Sales Management.
- Assessing customers’ credit status
- Assisting customers in obtaining finance for purchases
- Building and retaining sales relationships
- Buyer behaviour in sales situations
- Communicate information and knowledge
- Communicating using digital marketing/sales channels
and 23 more in the full unit list below.
One to one, not one to many
No two people run this the same way
A course is written once and handed to everyone. This is assembled around you, and keeps changing as it learns you. Five things it reads, and what each one changes.
- Your actual work Every unit is taught against a live piece of your own work, not a worked example from a textbook.
- What you already know The first conversation finds your starting point, so you skip what you can already do and spend the time on what you cannot.
- The conditions you learn under Not a learning-styles quiz. The evidence does not support those. The dimensions the research does back, read once and used to shape the plan.
- How far you got last time It picks up mid-thought. The tutor knows what you said, what you struggled with, and what it asked you to try.
- Which tutor suits the moment Twelve of them, each for a different kind of thinking. The one who walks you through a first idea is not the one who stress-tests it.
See how you learn, free. Eight questions, no sign-up. A directional taster; the diagnostic inside Zavmo goes deeper and keeps adapting.
Why it sticks
Most courses stop at remembering
There’s a well-known ladder of how deeply you learn something, called Bloom’s Taxonomy. Most courses get you up the first two rungs: you remember some facts, you pass a test, you forget it. Real skill lives at the top. Judging, deciding, creating. And this isn’t a generic ladder: every rung has a named Zavmo tutor who walks you up it.
- 6CreateThe Creative Catalyst
- 5EvaluateThe Evidence Evaluator
- 4AnalyseThe Analyst
- 3ApplyThe Coach
- 2UnderstandThe Connector
- 1RememberThe Builder
Where most courses leave you Where Zavmo takes you
Why this matters: AI can already remember and understand for you. What it can’t do is
take your real problem and judge the right call. So the only learning worth paying
for is the learning that takes you to the top. That’s exactly what a tutor doing it with
you, on your real work, is for.
The value
Why the companion is worth £70 a month
You’re not paying for the units. They’re regulated, and the same wherever you earn them. You’re paying for the one thing that decides whether you actually get there: a companion that makes them stick, on your real work.
That is one-to-one on this qualification, every day, on the work you already do, for £70 a month. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it. Billed monthly, cancel any time and billing stops.
Earned on your own work, taught to the top.
Everything you just read, learned one-to-one on the job you already do. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it.
Build my plan, freeNo card. See how this qualification maps onto your role and meet the tutors who’d teach it, free. The learning begins when you subscribe. It’s £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.