How you’d get it
How you’d get this certificate
- Zavmo teaches you. You learn the units one-to-one with an AI tutor, on your own work.
- You register with an approved centre. That is a college, training provider or employer Institute of Sales Management has approved to offer this qualification. Zavmo is not an approved centre, so you register with them, not with us.
- The centre assesses, and Institute of Sales Management awards. A qualified assessor at the centre judges your evidence, and the certificate comes from Institute of Sales Management.
01What it is
The ISM Level 5 Diploma in Sales (RQF) develops knowledge and skills in sales management, including customer relationship management and sales forecasting. It is designed for individuals in sales roles who wish to enhance their expertise.
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. Zavmo teaches towards them on your own work, and work done here is recognised as prior learning under the agreements we hold.
Zavmo is not an awarding body, is not an approved centre, and is not affiliated with Institute of Sales Management. It does the teaching and the mapping. Institute of Sales Management sets this qualification and awards it, and a qualified human assessor makes the assessment decision.
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02The units
What each unit actually teaches you to do
Analysing the financial potential and performance of customer accounts Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll learn to analyse the financial potential and performance of customer accounts using financial tools and management accounting procedures. The unit covers assessing creditworthiness, prioritising accounts, and evaluating financial risks.
What you'll be able to do
- Use financial tools to assess new customer accounts.
- Use financial tools to prioritise new customer accounts.
- Use financial tools to measure the potential value of customer accounts.
- Follow the organisation's management accounting procedures when analysing customer accounts.
- Evaluate financial risks associated with customer accounts.
Analysing the marketing environment Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll analyse an organisation's marketing environment by conducting audits of internal, micro, and macro factors. They will evaluate the impact of these factors on the organisation and customers and recommend actions for the sales function based on SWOT analysis.
What you'll be able to do
- Conduct an audit of an organisation's internal environment
- Conduct an audit of an organisation's micro environment
- Conduct an audit of an organisation's macro environment
- Understand the impact of internal factors on own organisation
- Understand the impact of internal factors on customer's organisation
- Understand the impact of micro factors on own organisation
- Understand the impact of micro factors on customer's organisation
- Understand the impact of macro factors on own organisation
- Understand the impact of macro factors on customer's organisation
- Recommend actions for the sales function by conducting a SWOT analysis on own organisation's marketing environment
Bid and tender management for account managers Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit provides learners with an understanding of bid and tender management principles. You'll prepare, write, and tender bids, and learn how to follow up post-tender to address customer queries and enhance the likelihood of success.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the core principles of bid and tender management, including the key stages and processes involved
- Prepare thoroughly for a bid, including gathering information and developing a strategy
- Write a clear, concise, and persuasive bid document that addresses the customer's requirements
- Tender a bid to the customer in a professional and timely manner
- Understand how to follow up the tendering of the bid, including addressing any questions or concerns from the customer
Coaching and mentoring Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll develop understanding and practical skills in coaching and mentoring within organisations. The unit covers planning, delivering, and evaluating coaching or mentoring programmes, considering individual needs, ethical issues, and communication techniques.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the fundamental principles underpinning effective coaching and mentoring practices within an organisational context
- Plan a structured coaching or mentoring programme, taking into account individual needs and organisational objectives
- Deliver a coaching or mentoring programme, utilising appropriate techniques and communication skills to facilitate development
- Evaluate own coaching or mentoring practice, identifying areas for improvement and professional development
Customer Relationship Management Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll understand the role and benefits of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems within sales functions. The unit includes using CRM to develop sales strategies, manage customer interactions, and recommend improvements to system use.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the importance of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for a sales function in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.
- Use a CRM system to develop sales strategies and track progress.
- Use a CRM system to manage customer interactions and build relationships.
- Make recommendations for improvements to the use of an organisation's CRM system based on analysis of its effectiveness.
Designing, planning and managing sales territories Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit covers the principles of sales territory design, planning, and management, including factors influencing territory performance. You'll analyse market and competitor impacts, review and revise territory plans, and allocate resources to optimise sales coverage.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of sales territory design, planning, and management, including key considerations and best practices.
- Understand the various factors that can affect territory management, such as market conditions, competitor activity, and customer demographics.
- Review and revise territory plans based on performance data, market changes, and business objectives.
- Allocate resources effectively to sales territories, considering factors such as sales potential, customer needs, and travel time.
Develop and maintain professional networks Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit covers the principles of effective professional networking, including communication skills, building rapport, and trust. You'll identify relevant networks for career development and develop strategies to maintain and enhance these professional relationships.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of effective networking
- Identify professional networks for development
- Maintain professional networks
Develop working relationships with stakeholders Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll develop an understanding of effective working relationships with stakeholders, recognising different stakeholder groups and their needs. The unit covers collabouration scope, relationship development through communication and trust, and evaluation of stakeholder engagement.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the importance of developing effective working relationships with stakeholders within a professional environment.
- Understand different stakeholder groups and their varying needs and expectations.
- Determine the scope for collaboration with stakeholders, identifying mutual benefits and shared objectives.
- Develop productive working relationships with stakeholders through clear communication, active listening, and mutual respect.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of relationships with stakeholders, identifying areas for improvement and implementing strategies to enhance collaboration.
Developing a product portfolio Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll explore the principles and processes of product portfolio development, including market analysis and resource allocation. They will gain the ability to contribute to portfolio development and analyse existing product portfolios to inform decision-making.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles and processes involved in product portfolio development, including market analysis, product selection, and resource allocation
- Understand how to contribute effectively to the development of a product portfolio, providing insights and recommendations based on market research and customer feedback
- Analyse the existing product portfolio, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to inform future development strategies
Developing strategic relationships with major customers Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll understand the principles of developing strategic relationships with major customers, including benefits and challenges. They will be able to identify major customers, create mutually beneficial plans, implement strategies to meet shared objectives, and evaluate relationship outcomes.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of developing strategic relationships with major customers, including the benefits and challenges.
- Identify major customers based on defined criteria and develop mutually beneficial major customer plans.
- Develop strategic relationships with major customers by implementing agreed plans and fostering collaboration.
- Evaluate the success of strategic relationship activities against pre-defined objectives and plan for future activities based on the evaluation.
Encourage learning and development Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit introduces learners to the principles of learning and development, covering different learning styles and development methods. You'll support individuals' learning by providing resources and feedback, and evaluate the effectiveness of learning and development activities.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of learning and development, including different learning styles and development methods.
- Support individuals' learning and development by providing appropriate resources, guidance, and feedback.
- Evaluate individuals’ learning and development progress against agreed objectives and identify areas for further development.
Finance for sales managers Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll learn to calculate profitability ratios relevant to sales decisions, set and manage sales budgets, and understand bonus systems for sales teams. The unit also covers assessing customer creditworthiness to establish appropriate credit limits.
What you'll be able to do
- Calculate profitability ratios for sales-related decisions, such as pricing, promotions, and customer acquisition costs.
- Set a sales budget based on revenue targets, market conditions, and business objectives.
- Understand how to manage a sales budget effectively, monitoring expenses, controlling costs, and maximising return on investment.
- Understand the different types of bonus systems for sales team members and how to design a system that motivates performance and rewards achievement.
- Understand how to assess the creditworthiness of customers in order to set appropriate credit limits, minimising the risk of bad debt.
Leading a team Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit provides learners with knowledge of leadership principles, including effective communication, motivation, delegation, and building trust within teams. You'll learn to share vision, focus team efforts, create accountability, and maintain alignment with organisational goals.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the fundamental principles of effective leadership, including communication, motivation, and delegation.
- Build trust between self and team members through honesty, transparency, and reliability.
- Share own vision with the team, inspiring and motivating them to achieve common goals.
- Focus team members on completing tasks and achieving objectives by setting clear priorities, providing support, and removing obstacles.
- Create accountability in team members by setting clear expectations, providing feedback, and recognising achievements.
- Maintain alignment of own actions with the team and the organisation's overall goals and values.
Manage a budget Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit focuses on identifying financial requirements and setting budgets for projects, departments, or organisations. You'll learn to manage budgets by monitoring expenditure, controlling costs, reporting variances, and evaluating budgetary effectiveness.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to identify financial requirements for a specific project, department, or organisation.
- Understand how to set budgets based on identified financial requirements and organisational objectives.
- Manage a budget effectively by monitoring expenditure, controlling costs, and reporting on variances.
- Evaluate the use of a budget by analysing financial performance and identifying areas for improvement.
Manage events Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit covers the principles and practices of event management, including planning, organisation, execution, and follow-up. You'll develop skills in risk management, resource allocation, and ensuring successful event delivery.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the key principles of event management.
- Manage the planning phase of an event, including resource allocation and scheduling.
- Manage the execution of an event, ensuring smooth operation and problem resolution.
- Follow up after an event to evaluate its success and identify areas for improvement.
Managing responsible selling Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit provides learners with knowledge of the legal, regulatory, ethical, and social requirements relevant to sales activities. You'll understand how to manage sales functions in compliance with legislation and address issues of non-compliance.
What you'll be able to do
- Know the legal requirements pertaining to the sales function.
- Know the regulatory requirements pertaining to the sales function.
- Know the ethical requirements pertaining to the sales function.
- Know the social requirements pertaining to the sales function.
- Understand how to manage the sales function in a way that complies with relevant legislation.
- Deal with instances of non-compliance with legal, regulatory, ethical and social requirements.
Motivation and compensation for sales teams Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll study motivation theories and compensation strategies for sales teams, distinguishing between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. The unit includes reviewing existing motivation and compensation practices to identify improvements that enhance sales performance.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the key principles of motivation and compensation strategies for sales teams and individual sales representatives, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivators
- Review the existing motivation and compensation structures for own sales team, identifying areas for improvement and recommending changes to enhance performance and job satisfaction
Operational sales planning Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll explore how business and marketing strategies inform operational sales planning. The unit covers sales forecasting techniques, setting objectives and targets, writing operational sales plans, and managing their implementation to achieve organisational goals.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how the organisation's business strategies inform operational sales planning
- Understand how the organisation's marketing strategies inform operational sales planning
- Understand sales forecasting techniques
- Set objectives in a sales plan
- Set targets in a sales plan
- Write an operational sales plan
- Understand how to manage the implementation of the operational sales plan through the sales team
- Understand how to deal with variances to the operational sales plan
Planning and implementing sales and marketing strategy Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
It teaches you to understand sales and marketing strategy principles, strategic planning, and implementation processes. You'll explore aligning sales and marketing activities, analysing market trends, and executing sales and marketing plans within an organisation.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the key principles of sales and marketing strategy within an organisation
- Understand the components of strategic sales and marketing planning
- Understand the processes involved in the implementation of a sales and marketing strategy
- Understand the practical steps involved in the implementation of specific sales and marketing plans
Prepare specifications for contracts Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit covers the principles of preparing clear and comprehensive contract specifications. You'll learn to write detailed specifications including technical requirements, ensuring legal compliance and clarity to support contract fulfilment.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the fundamental principles that underpin the preparation of clear and comprehensive specifications for contracts
- Prepare detailed and accurate specifications for contracts, ensuring they meet the required standards and objectives
Recruitment, selection and induction practice Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll gain knowledge of recruitment, selection, and induction principles and theories, including legal and ethical considerations. The unit teaches you to recruit, select, and induct individuals into an organisation following established processes and best practices.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles and theories underpinning recruitment, selection and induction practice, including legal and ethical considerations.
- Recruit people into an organisation by advertising vacancies, managing applications, and conducting initial screening.
- Select appropriate people for the role by using a range of selection methods, such as interviews, assessments, and reference checks.
- Induct people into an organisation by providing them with the necessary information, training, and support to perform their role effectively.
Relationship management for account managers Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
It teaches you to build and manage relationships with accounts using networking and consultative selling techniques. You'll undertake stakeholder analysis and apply strategies to monitor, control, and enhance customer relationships effectively.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to build relationships with accounts
- Understand how to use networking in sales
- Understand how to use consultative selling
- Know when and how to undertake stakeholder analysis
- Understand how to monitor customer relationships
- Understand how to control customer relationships
Sales forecasts and target setting Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit provides learners with knowledge and skills to forecast sales and set targets effectively. You'll understand forecasting methods, relate forecasts to business strategy, and devise measurement activities to monitor sales performance.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the role of forecasting in relation to setting sales targets.
- Understand the forecasting methods used within own organisation.
- Forecast sales based on available data and market trends.
- Set sales targets and objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
- Devise measurement activities to monitor progress towards sales targets and objectives.
Sales forecasting and budgeting Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
It teaches you to understand the impact of sales forecasting on organisational planning and resource allocation. It covers internal and external factors affecting sales trends, forecasting techniques, and the importance of monitoring actual sales against forecasts alongside budgeting methods.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the impact of accurate sales forecasting on overall organisational planning, including resource allocation, production scheduling, and financial management
- Understand the various internal and external factors that may affect sales trends, such as economic conditions, competitor activity, and seasonal variations
- Understand the application of qualitative and quantitative techniques for forecasting sales, including trend analysis, regression analysis, and expert opinion
- Understand the importance of monitoring actual sales performance against forecast sales, identifying variances and taking corrective action as necessary
- Understand different budgeting methods used in sales, including top-down, bottom-up, and zero-based budgeting
Sales negotiations Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit covers the fundamentals of sales negotiations, including preparation, communication techniques, and closing methods. You'll learn to research customer needs, assess negotiating power, and conduct effective negotiations with customers.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the key elements involved in a successful sales negotiation, including preparation, communication, and closing techniques
- Prepare thoroughly for a sales negotiation, researching the customer's needs and developing a clear negotiation strategy
- Carry out a sales negotiation with a customer, applying effective communication and persuasion skills to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome
Salesforce organisation Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll study different salesforce organisational structures and their advantages and disadvantages. The unit covers aligning salesforce structure with business strategy, analysing internal and external factors, and using sales planning and trends to inform resourcing decisions.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to organise the salesforce to maximise efficiency and effectiveness
- Understand the internal and external factors that can affect the organisation of the salesforce, such as market conditions and company resources
- Use sales planning data and sales trends to inform salesforce resourcing decisions
- Review the salesforce structure and make recommendations for improvements
Understand the integrated functions of sales and marketing Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll understand how marketing strategy supports the sales function through lead generation, brand awareness, and competitive advantage. The unit includes marketing research methods, their application in sales, and using market analyses to align sales activities with marketing strategies.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how a marketing strategy supports the sales function by generating leads, building brand awareness, and creating a competitive advantage.
- Understand the different types of marketing research methods and their applications in sales and marketing.
- Understand how to use marketing research data to inform sales strategies, identify target markets, and improve customer engagement.
- Use market analyses to identify sales opportunities, assess market trends, and develop targeted sales approaches.
- Progress sales effectively through alignment with marketing strategies, ensuring consistent messaging and a unified customer experience.
Understanding customer accounts Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
This unit provides learners with knowledge of customer buying practices, support issues, and their organisation's unique business value. You'll learn how to prepare for customer procurement and use gathered information to plan and develop customer accounts effectively.
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the buying practices of customers within a specific market or industry.
- Understand common customer support issues and their potential impact on customer relationships.
- Understand your own organisation's unique business value proposition and how it differentiates from competitors.
- Understand how to prepare effectively for customer procurement processes, including tendering and negotiation.
- Understand how to use information gathered from customer interactions and market research to plan and develop customer accounts strategically.
Writing and delivering a sales proposal Real unit · Institute of Sales Management
You'll learn to develop, tailor, and deliver effective sales proposals. The unit includes structuring proposals for impact, employing communication techniques during delivery, and evaluating proposals to inform future improvements.
What you'll be able to do
- Develop a compelling and persuasive sales proposal that meets the customer's needs
- Deliver a sales proposal effectively to a customer, using appropriate communication techniques
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the proposal and identify areas for improvement
03The standards
The national standards these units are built against
What the job actually needs, in the words employers and awarding bodies already use for the work itself.
- Standard
Build productive relationships with advertising sales clients or agencies
- Standard
Determine selling priorities across a portfolio of products and services
- Standard
Determine the on-going potential of key customer accounts
- Standard
Develop Strategic Relationships with Major Clients
- Standard
Develop accurate and realistic advertising sales forecasts
- Standard
Develop and Manage Strategic Relationships with Major Customers
- Standard
Develop and maintain working relationships with stakeholders in social marketing programmes
- Standard
Develop strategic relationships with major customers
- Standard
Evaluate the Ongoing Financial Potential of Key Customer Accounts
- Standard
Manage Advertising Sales Territories
- Standard
Manage Internal and External Non-Client Relationships
- Standard
Manage sales territories or portfolios
- Standard
Manage sales territories or portfolios
- Standard
Monitor and control relationship management activities
- Standard
Monitor the financial performance of customer accounts
- Standard
Prepare and manage advertising sales budgets
- Standard
Review the ongoing financial performance of customer accounts
- Standard
Set targets and forecasting for sales
Showing 18 of 19 standards these units map to.
04Where it leads
The jobs these credits are mapped to
A qualification is never a dead end here. Each of these is a job record this qualification is a mapped route into.
- 1 record
- 1 record
- 1 record
- 1 record
- 1 record
- 1 record
Showing 6 roles, drawn from 163 job records mapped to this qualification. Near-identical records are folded together, and each row says how many it stands for.
Where this can lead
Bid Manager
This work can lead to shaping bid strategy on larger pursuits, or to managing a bid team.
See the whole journey05The credits
The credits, and who awards them
Level 5 credits are regulated, and they are awarded by Institute of Sales Management rather than by Zavmo. 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 have covered and what is next.
What you would be collecting
Analysing the financial potential and performance of customer accountsAnalysing the marketing environmentBid and tender management for account managersCoaching and mentoringCustomer Relationship ManagementDesigning, planning and managing sales territoriesDevelop and maintain professional networksDevelop working relationships with stakeholders
Each one is a real unit registered against this qualification.
How you’d practise it
You don’t watch this. You do it.
You are not assessed on remembering this. You are assessed on applying it, analysing it, evaluating it and producing something. So that is what the practice is: projects, role play and your own live cases, with a tutor in the room.
The Coach · your practice partner Illustration The Coach You have to open the conversation in “Sales negotiations”. Say the first line to me, exactly as you would say it to them.
You I wanted to have a quick chat about how things have been going recently.
The Coach That is the warning shot, and they will spend it worrying. Try the version that says what this is about in the first sentence.
- Rehearse the conversation Apply
“Sales negotiations” is a conversation before it is a document. You have it with Zavmo playing the other person, badly at first, then again once you know what you actually want to say.
- Pitch it Evaluate
“Analysing the marketing environment” gets practised as a pitch. You make the case out loud, Zavmo asks the question the room would ask, and you make it again.
- Bring your own plan Create
For “Designing, planning and managing sales territories” you bring the plan you are actually working on, not a case study. Zavmo pulls on the assumptions in it until the weak one shows.
- Draft the real one Create
You do “Analysing the financial potential and performance of customer accounts” on a real document of your own. Zavmo works on the draft you have to send anyway, so the coursework and the job are the same piece of work.
What you leave holding
The standards this credential builds, in the shape the product keeps them
Nothing here is marked learned. There is no learner on a public page, so the map shows what the qualification covers rather than what anybody has done.
ISM Level 5 Diploma in Sales (RQF)
- Build productive relationships with advertising sales clients or agencies
- Determine selling priorities across a portfolio of products and services
- Determine the on-going potential of key customer accounts
- Develop Strategic Relationships with Major Clients
- Develop accurate and realistic advertising sales forecasts
- Develop and Manage Strategic Relationships with Major Customers
- Develop and maintain working relationships with stakeholders in social marketing programmes
- Develop strategic relationships with major customers
How you would learn this
One to one, on the work you already do
A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.
A lesson from Analysing the financial potential and performance of customer accounts, one of this qualification's own units.
Applied to your work in any of these jobs
Which job do you mean?
Learners will develop skills to analyse the financial potential and performance of customer accounts using financial tools and management accounting procedures. The unit covers assessing creditworthiness, prioritising accounts, and evaluating financial risks.
How the thinking builds
- 1 Remember
- 2 Understand
- 3 Apply
- 4 Analyse
- 5 Evaluate
- 6 Create
It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time. Teaching towards this qualification begins when you subscribe.
Built for ISM Level 5 Diploma in Sales (RQF)
29 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by Institute of Sales Management.
- Analysing the financial potential and performance of customer accounts
- Analysing the marketing environment
- Bid and tender management for account managers
- Coaching and mentoring
- Customer Relationship Management
- Designing, planning and managing sales territories
and 23 more in the full unit list below.
Free tools
Want a read on where you stand?
Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.
Learned on your own work, taught one-to-one.
Everything you just read, learned one-to-one on the job you already do. Your free first module is Future Fluency, so you can see how the teaching works before you pay for anything.
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.
The title, level, credits, guided learning hours and unit learning outcomes on this page are taken from the Ofqual Register of Regulated Qualifications. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Where this data comes from.