LEARNER GUIDE

Implement sales and marketing strategies

(115845)
NQF Level: 4
5 Credits

Learner Guide: 115845

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Learner Guide
Before you get started
Dear Learner,
This Learner Guide contains all the information to acquire all the knowledge and skills
leading to the unit standard:

Title: Implement sales and marketing strategies

US No: 115845

NQF Level: 4

Credits: 5

The full unit standard is attached. Please read the unit standard at your own time. Whilst
reading the unit standard, make a note of your questions and aspects that you do not
understand, and discuss it with your facilitator.
This Learner Guide contains all the information, as well as the activities that you will be
expected to do during the course of your study.
Please keep the activities that you have completed and include it in your Portfolio of
Evidence.
Your PoE will be required during your final assessment.

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Contents

Before you get started.......................................................................................................1

The Learning Experience...............................................................................................3
What is Assessment all about?............................................................................................4
Module 1.................................................................................................................................5
1.

Interpret a sales or marketing strategy........................................................................5

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SO 1....................................................................................13

Module 2...............................................................................................................................15
2.

Implement a sales or marketing strategy..................................................................16

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SO 2....................................................................................25

Module 3...............................................................................................................................27
3.

Monitor the sales or marketing strategy....................................................................27

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SO 3....................................................................................34

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The Learning Experience

The Purpose: This unit standard is intended for persons who are required to interpret and
implement a sales and marketing strategy, monitor the progress and implement corrective
measures during the sales and marketing activities.
People credited with this unit standard are able to:
1. Interpret a sales or marketing strategy.
2. Implement a sales or marketing strategy.
3. Monitor the sales or marketing strategy.

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What is Assessment all about?

Assessment takes place at different intervals of the learning process and includes various
activities. Some activities will be done before the commencement (Baseline) of the
program whilst others will be done during programme (Formative) delivery and other after
completion (Summative) of the program.

You will be assessed during the course of your study. This is called formative
assessment.

You will also be assessed on completion of this unit standard. This is called
summative assessment.

Before your assessment, your assessor will discuss the unit standard with you. The
assessment experience should be user friendly, transparent and fair. Should you feel that
you have been treated unfairly, you have the right to appeal. Please ask your Assessor
about the appeals process and make your own notes.
Your activities must be handed in from time to time on request of the facilitator and the
assessor. Sources of information to complete these activities should be identified by your
facilitator.
Pleas
e
Note

Please note that all completed activities, tasks and other items
on which you were assessed must be kept in good order as it
becomes part of your Portfolio of Evidence for final
assessment.
Enjoy this learning experience.

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Module 1
1. Interpret a sales or marketing strategy.
SO 1: Interpret a sales or marketing strategy.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing this module, the learner would be able to:
1. Obtain and read sales or marketing strategy to familiarise themselves with the
content and its objectives.
2. Analyse sales or marketing strategy and ask questions to clarify areas on nonunderstanding.
3. Develop implementation plan in line with objectives and tasks as listed in the sales
or marketing strategy.

1.1. Sales or marketing strategy is obtained and read to familiarise

themselves with the content and its objectives.
Small business owners who are concerned about their sales and marketing
capabilities could begin to see improvement by breaking down the term "sales
and marketing" into discrete, manageable elements. You end up with a checklist
that can be reviewed in order to prioritize areas needing improvement - a
checklist that will serve as the groundwork for an effective marketing.
No matter what business you work in, a "business as usual" mind-set will insure
your competitors are making more money than you are. Here are eight tips to
help you stand out from the competition so you won't find yourself stood up by
your customers.
Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "The great thing in life is not where we stand, but
what direction we are moving." No matter what business you work in, a "business
as usual" mind-set will insure your competitors are making more money than you
are. If you don't stand out from the competition you may find yourself stood up by

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your customers. Now more than ever you have to focus, improve, and possibly
even change what you do to attain, retain, and maintain customers.
1. Strategy 1. Think big and audit your time. No matter the size of your
business, place a mental image in your mind as if you are the largest and
most successful person in your industry. How much time is consumed by
routine office work someone else should be doing? Spend more time with
more important tasks such as marketing strategies, improving customer
relations, and implementing new strategies to expand your services.
2. Strategy 2. Be different and stand out from the competition.
3. Strategy 3. Build relationships with your customers. For each month that
goes by, customers lose 10% of their buying power. Create a customer
database and contact them on a regular basis. Mail them a postcard,
birthday card, sales flyer, newsletter etc. to keep your name, phone
number, and service on their mind.
4. Strategy 4. Collect E-Mail Addresses. Get permission from your
customers to use their E-mail address. Periodically send updates and
notices to your client list. As long as you have their permission and avoid
overuse, E-mail can be a powerful and inexpensive marketing tool.
5. Strategy 5. Hire top sales people. Successful businesses realize the
quality of their sales staff is critical to sustaining their growth in the
marketplace. A top salesperson can outsell an average one 4 to 1. Sales
people must understand their strengths and have a well-defined plan to
reach their potential. Many companies can provide you sales assessments
to both identify top candidates and develop currently employed sales
people.

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1.2. Sales or marketing strategy is analysed and questions are asked

to clarify areas on non-understanding.
Sales team complaining about low quality leads and marketing team unhappy
about the lack of sales follow up? This is a familiar situation in many businesses.
To drive significant results from your marketing, it's time to close the gap between
your sales and marketing objectives, and centralise their plans.
Our approach is to build an integrated strategy reflecting the stages of the
customer's buying journey through the sales pipeline, taking into account the
rates of conversion and time lag in decision making, and reflecting the
contributions of both sales and marketing to generating revenues and gaining
new customers.
Steps to building a sales and marketing strategy
1. Step 1: Business objectives - Define the business objectives and
direction which the sales and marketing strategies are supporting. Ensure
clarity and understanding.
2. Step 2: Target market - Broad customer segmentation completed,
including demographic profiles, purchasing behaviour, needs and value.
3. Step 3: Definition of solution - Define the solution offered to and desired
by customer segments, and range of services that should be offered.
4. Step 4: Strategic position - Against the key brand values and desired
outcomes by customers (for example: price, speedy turnaround, high
quality), define the position that the company should occupy within the
marketplace. Perform a Competitor Overview, comparing relative key
strengths and weaknesses to identify opportunities.
5. Step 5: Identify marketing objectives and alignment with sales
objectives - Based on the business objectives, customer
segmentation/value and percentage of repeat business, we will model the
number of new clients and customer retention rate required to achieve the
revenue objectives.
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6. Step 6: Marketing strategy - Broad strategic framework will be outlined,

including identification of key marketing channels, the objective behind
their use, and integration between channels.
Channels will include:

online

email

direct mail

events

social media

SEM

advertising

sponsorship

surveys.

7. Step 7: marketing plan and campaign development - A marketing plan

will be developed, to align with sales activities and overall business
objectives. A pipeline model will be used to determine the objectives for
each step of the individual campaigns, with specific goals for both sales
and marketing.
The individual campaigns will be integrated into a twelve month marketing
plan, including suggested timeframes and the responsibilities of marketing
and sales teams.

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1.3. Implementation plan is developed in line with objectives and

tasks as listed in the sales or marketing strategy.
Unlike a business plan, a marketing plan focuses on the customer. It is your plan
of action - what you will sell, to whom you will sell it, how often, at what price, and
how you will get the product to the buyer. It also covers what youll say about your
product or service, and where and when youll say it. Heres a closer look at
putting together a marketing plan that works.
1. Define Your Products Features, Benefits and Distribution: Describe
what the product or service does, how it works, what features it offers and
most importantly what problem it solves - people buy solutions. Describe
the products physical characteristics such as size, weight and color.
Define its benefits in emotional as well as functional terms. Know which
features and benefits of your product or service will appeal to different
market segments.
Give information on pricing, including whether and how you discount. Price
is not rigid; it may have a range and vary by market since it is based on
perceived value, cost structure, profit objectives and the competitions
pricing.
Describe your distribution process. The type of network you choose will
depend upon the industry, the size of the market and how your competition
distributes. Some of the more common channels include direct sales, OEM
(Original Equipment Manufacturer), manufacturer's wholesale distributors,
brokers, retail distributors and direct mail.
2. Profile the Competition and Identify Your Competitive Advantage:
Research the competition to find out their sales volume (dollars and units),
market share, key product attributes, pricing, specifically targeted market
segments, distribution strategy, positioning, key customers, customer
perceptions, etc.
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You must have a sustainable competitive advantage, so decide how your

product or service is different. Do you have patents, copyrights, a
proprietary process or technology, exclusive licenses or agreements? Are
you the first to market? Have you developed a core competency that would
be cost prohibitive for the competition to develop? Do you have the best
people or the best strategic partners? Analyze your strengths and
weaknesses versus the competition to determine your competitive edge.
3. Describe Your Target Market: Developing a profile of your target
customers is critical. You need to know who the buying decision makers
and influencers are.

If you're reaching out to businesses, describe which type, including

the industry, revenue level, location, job titles of purchase decision
makers/influencers and other important characteristics.

If consumers are your audience, describe their age, sex, income

level, geographical location, marital status and other relevant facts.
If possible, include psychographics, which offer insight into attitudes,
opinions, perceptions and beliefs. What are your customers buying
habits (where, when, why, how much, how frequently)? If you
identify several market segments, rank them in order of priority.

4. Research Trends and Marketing Issues: Identify key trends in the

marketplace and assess their impact on your product or service. You can
do this by consulting trade organizations, reviewing trade publications and
reading research reports. Examine the dynamics of the market, including
changing motivations, unmet needs and emerging segments that have
strategic importance. Use such tools as focus groups or surveys to gain
additional insight. By doing this, youll be able to prioritize which markets
offer the best opportunities.
5. Position Your Product/Service: Positioning is the complex set of
perceptions, impressions and feelings your product or service evokes in
your target market. Not only must your position be unique, relevant and
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credible, it must solve a problem or relieve a stress in order to be truly

effective. Positioning is communicated through product design, price
performance and marketing communications - all of which should have a
consistent approach. Certain segments may respond to different value
propositions and may require different positioning strategies.
6. Create a Communications Strategy: The goal of your communications is
to sell your product or service by creating awareness, delivering
information, educating the market and advancing a positive image.
Communications include everything from packaging to the visual look of
marketing materials, and from the message you convey to the media
vehicles you employ to the materials used by your sales force and the
attitude of your customer-service staff. Communications work best when
they portray a consistent and persuasive message.
7. Define Your Goals: Determine what you want to accomplish. Make your
goals challenging, but achievable. Do you want to increase sales, improve
market share, penetrate a new market segment, change a perception,
generate more store traffic, reduce customer complaints? Be specific and
make your objectives measurable. For example, by what percentage do
you want to increase or decrease sales?
8. Focus on Customer Retention: Customer retention is a matter of
business survival, as getting a new customer is five times more expensive
than retaining a current one. Use your successes with current customers to
attract new referral business, but also remember that not every customer is
worth keeping. You cannot be all things to all people. Sometimes you have
to let customers go, and refocus energies on those clients who are a better
fit for your business.
9. Develop a Budget: To develop a realistic budget, look at such things as
the type of product or service you offer (business-to-consumer or
business-to-business), your products lifecycle (launch, growth, maturity,
decline), and your competitors spending levels. Established business-tobusiness products and services can spend as little as 2% of their

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expenditures on marketing, while a consumer product or service that is

launching may have to allocate more than 20%.
10. Measure Marketing Effectiveness: Keeping track of results is the only
way to improve your marketing efforts. The key is determining which data
should be collected. Your marketing results may be measured in sales
(dollars or units), market share, store traffic, number of inquiries or reduced
complaint rates, along with other metrics. Tracking can also be based on
surveys that assess customer perception. Effective measurement lays the
groundwork for future plans.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SO 1

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Why is it important for an organisation to have a sales or marketing strategy?

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SELF ASSESSMENT
Concept (SO 1)

I understand this
assessment criteria

Questions that I still would

like to ask

1.

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2.
3.
4.

My Notes

Module 2
2. Implement a sales or marketing
strategy.
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SO 2: Implement a sales or marketing strategy.

Learning Outcomes:
After completing this module, the learner would be able to:
1. Determine and obtain merchandise required for the sales or marketing strategy
from approved suppliers or stores.
2. Identify promotional material requirements from the strategy and obtain them
within the required time frame.
3. Implement promotion according to strategy and own developed implementation
plans.
4. Update and train personnel on implementation of the promotion according to the
initial strategy.
5. Obtain and setup promotional material in line with initial strategy.

2.1. Merchandise required for the sales or marketing strategy is

determined and obtained from approved suppliers or stores.

romotional materials are a way for you to have your company logo and name in
front of your client, and anyone around your client, as much as possible. If you
use the right promotional items, your return on investment can be a jump in sales
and revenue. There are many different types of promotional materials beyond the
standard T-shirt or pen that you can use to market your business effectively.

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Coffee Mugs
A coffee mug is something that people will have at their desk all day long,
reminding not only themselves of your company, but also anyone else who sees
the mug. Think about how often people in your office head to the coffee machine
every day, and you get the idea of how powerful a marketing material the coffee
mug can be. Ceramic mugs with your company name and logo printed on them
are the most effective kinds to offer.
Umbrellas
An umbrella may not sound like an effective marketing item, but it can be
something that portrays a very positive image, if done properly. Get umbrellas
that feature your company logo and name as large as possible, so people will be
able to see it from far away. Umbrellas protect you from the elements. When your
company name is on an umbrella protecting someone, your company and the
umbrella itself may become a topic of conversation.
Keychains
People reach for their keys at least twice a day: when they start their car to leave
for work and when they start their car to come home. A keychain is something
that people will see frequently, and passengers in the car will notice it as well.
Add other features to the keychain, such as a bottle opener or a small flashlight,
to make it something that people will use more often. You could also include a
personal alarm on the keychain.

Brochures
Brochures are used to introduce a companys products or services to their
targeted audience and potential customers. They can be designed to fit on one
folded sheet or as a small booklet. The variety in size allows them to be
extremely flexible; having the potential to provide a substantial amount of

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information to the viewer. Brochures can help with getting customers to follow a
specific call to action and aid in generating new business.
Flyers
Flyers are a relatively inexpensive form of advertising and are intended for mass
distribution. They are produced on a single sheet of paper and tend to inform or
promote more specific information such as a sale, special promotion or new
service/product.
T-Shirts
T-Shirts are a unique way of advertising a specific product, service, event or just
your company in general.
Posters
Posters are beautifully designed pieces promoting a specific product, service or
event. They can vary greatly in size, shape and style; providing as much or little
information desired.
Custom Packaging
Package design conveys the most important aspects of your product to
customers and allows it to standout from the rest.
Direct Mail/Email Campaign
Direct mail campaigns are a form of advertising providing customers with a wide
variety of information on your company, products and services offered. Mailings
can be sent out monthly, bi-weekly or even weekly. It creates a quick and easy
way to keep in touch with current and potential clients/customers. When using
email campaigns, we will also be able to provide you with a detailed report on
your campaigns success.
Custom Postcards

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Using an interesting image on one side to spark interest, postcards can easily be
mailed to provide customers with a quick bit of information promoting a specific
product, service or event.

2.2. Promotional material requirements are identified from the

strategy and obtained within the required time frame.
Giving out promotional products is a great way to keep your name in front of past
and potential customers. Use this advice to choose the best way to use
promotional items for marketing your business.
Connect Your Brand with Each Promotion
Almost any product under the sun can be turned into a promotional item, but
make sure the item you choose is connected in some way with your brand. If
youre a tech company, think branded card readers, USB mug warmers or smart
phone cases. Magnet clips, pizza cutters or tape measures might be the perfect
fit for a real estate business. Health care and hospitals could go with pill
dispensers, first aid kits or hand sanitizer. Choosing a product that reflects your
industry can help your customers connect with your brand.
Choose Functional Items
People keep promotional items that they can use. To successfully market your
brand, your promotional item has to be of some use to your consumer. Ink pens
tend to stick around in offices, and refrigerator magnets with helpful information in
addition to your branding (such as a directory of local numbers associated with
your industry.) If you have the budget, think about a bigger item thats used
frequently, like an umbrella or high-quality tote. Choose a product that feels like a
useful gift rather than a throw-away advertisement.
Go for High-quality Small Items
While it may be tempting to order 5000 pencils or plastic cups emblazoned with
your logo for next to nothing, think twice before placing that order. Choose
smaller (or smaller quantity) high-quality items in lieu of larger (or larger quantity)
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low-quality items. If you give away cheap or poorly-made promotional items,

people may associate the quality of the items with the quality of your business a
huge negative from a branding perspective.
Make it Pop
Promotional items should have a great design and colours, but should also be
unique and interesting. What products would you keep around? What would you
show to your friends? Eye-catching and unique promotional products are more
likely to stick around and be shown off, which increases the prominence of your
brand and the likelihood other customers will see it.
Consider Your Promotional Items Exposure
Along with being functional, tied to your brand, high quality and eye-catching,
your promotional item needs to have maximum exposure. Think about how long
your item can be used. Avoid perishable or food items because they will be gone
quickly. Fragile or glass items can break easily, and seasonal items may only be
used a short amount of time. Also stay away from extremely personal
promotional items. The goal of using promotional items to market your brand is so
that each piece can be seen and that wont happen if your promotional item is
tucked away in a cabinet or drawer!

2.3. Promotion is implemented according to strategy and own

developed implementation plans.
Small company promotions play many roles in marketing, designed to produce
certain desired effects. The methods used in achieving these effects may vary,
depending on a company's goals, priorities, markets and industries. Promotions
typically include advertising, publicity, sales promotions and other tactics. The key
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to producing results through promotions is ensuring that companies target the

right consumers -- those who are more apt to buy their products. Moreover, the
promotional message must be convincing and run frequently enough to achieve
the desired effects.
Increase Brand Awareness
Promotion merchandise increase brand awareness. More people tend to learn
about a particular company or its brands if they frequently see or hear about
them. New companies particularly have to advertise to apprise consumers who
they are and what they offer. This is true with local or even national companies,
as brand awareness can be measured by market, regionally or nationally. It can
take many months or even years for companies to build brand awareness levels
that match established competitors.
Provide Information
Small companies also use promotional merchandise to provide information.
Marketers may run press releases to apprise consumers that their products can
help certain ailments. A small consumer products manufacturer may use displays
and pamphlets to describe the benefits of a new service.
Build Sales and Profits
The primary objective in using promotional merchandise such as pamphlets, tshirts, mugs, umbrellas is to build sales. Promotions are designed to get people
to try products and services. Promoting high-quality products or services aims to
get customers to return and spend more money. Ultimately, companies use
promotions to build a loyal customer base, which leads to greater sales and
profits.

2.4. Personnel are updated and trained on implementation of the

promotion according to the initial strategy.

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A quality sales and marketing training program is important for a number of

reasons. Well-planned training sessions will make new employees feel welcome,
establish company values and objectives, and set trainees on the road to
developing as effective sales and marketing representatives of the company.
Training programs can also benefit company veterans; refresher courses can
reinvigorate long-term staff and keep them up to date on the latest trends and
developments in the industry.
Product Knowledge
In-depth knowledge of the products and/or services you sell should be central to
any sales and marketing training program. A solid product foundation will include
pricing memorization, a benefits review and competitive advantage analysis.
Often companies will distribute in-depth product and pricing information guides to
new employees for review on their own time; group training sessions may then
focus on drills, information tests and simulated sales meetings.
Sales Skills
Many salesmen and women will develop their own style of meeting and greeting
potential customers, and this is important to building genuine relationships and
strong selling networks. However, there are many foundational sales techniques
that can and should be emphasized with employees new to the profession, such
as developing effective ice breakers, mirroring the customer, handling objections,
assuming the deal and rehashing. No matter what their level of previous sales
and marketing experience, all employees new to the company should be exposed
to a basic foundational sales script; this will keep them on track and help them
develop the flow of their sales conversation.
Organization
Effective sales representatives are busy all the time, and they will often be
managing dozens of things at once. That said, a misplaced application, lost
phone number or incorrect address can result in lost sales. Organization is
essential to effectively manage a busy sales schedule. Many sales and marketing
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training programs teach effective organization habits, and some establish

systems to encourage organization, such as times of day for handing in
completed applications, rules for ordering marketing material in binders, and
inquiry boards to post questions for the marketing department or upper
management.
Mentoring
An effective technique for training a new sales employee is to pair him or her with
an experienced company sales representative for a few days. This allows the
new trainee to see the sales process first-hand, which will likely expose a few
points of learning that were missed in simulated training sessions. It also supports
the development of a professional relationship between the new employee and
one of the sales leaders in the company, which is important for moral and future
support.

2.5. Promotional material is obtained and set up in line with initial

strategy.
Any business that is looking to build awareness in the marketplace needs
branded promotional items. However, the amount of options available can be
overwhelming. Here are some quick tips that can serve as guidelines when
picking your next promotional product.
1. Items That Reflect Your Business When selecting a promotional item,
whether its a t-shirt or a tumbler, think about what would best reflect your
business and target audience. You want the item to always be in view and
your logo to stand out. Thinking about the number of times an item will be
used is also an important consideration. A good example would be a gym
offering a promotional drinking squeeze bottle. The item will stand out
during a workout with the logo prominently displayed.
2. Get Trendy - Be forward-thinking about what is trending right now in the
marketplace. This will leave a great impression on clients and give you a
cutting-edge image. Look at what products are hot in the marketplace,
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such as computer tablets. Finding a top-notch case or stylus pen could be

the exact promotional product needed to showcase your brand and the
image you are looking to promote.
3. Quality Before Quantity - The old saying you get what you pay for can be
very true in promotional products. The goal is to find products that are of
higher quality and will be used longer, so your companys brand will have
greater exposure. Taking advantage of buying products with a higher
quality level will increase the consumers opinion and create an opportunity
to showcase your business logo or message for a longer period of time.
4. Serve Your Purpose - Like an advertisement, your purpose is to serve the
intended business goal and catch the users attention. You can think of a
promotional product in the same manner. Are you trying to generate
general awareness? Is the product for your top-end clients? Are you a new
company that is trying to catch the attention of consumers with something
fun and exciting? Start with your intended goal in mind to choose a
promotional product and this will also help dictate your budget.
5. Consult a Pro - As a decision maker in your company, its your job to work
with the proper promotional product professionals to learn what is available
and how an item will look when finished. Talking with an expert in the
promotional products industry can save you countless hours of research,
thousands of dollars and the stress of choosing the wrong promotional
product. Relying on their expertise will help you avoid the pitfalls of a trial
and error approach and will help get you on the right track to selecting a
winning promotional product.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SO 2

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Describe how you would implement a sales or marketing strategy in your

organisation.
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SELF ASSESSMENT
Concept (SO 2)

I understand this
assessment criteria

Questions that I still would

like to ask

1.
2.

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3.
4.

My Notes

Module 3

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3. Monitor the sales or marketing

strategy.
SO 3: Monitor the sales or marketing strategy.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing this module, the learner would be able to:
1. Check merchandise quantity to meet promotion duration and expected sales.
2. Identify promotional problems and implement corrective action in line with company
guidelines.
3. Monitor promotional sales against target and corrective action implemented in line
with objectives.

3.1. Merchandise quantity is constantly checked to meet promotion

duration and expected sales.
Promotional items have staying power - since most consumers keep branded
merchandise for an average of seven months. They also create brand loyalty and
serve as a visual reminder of your services and commitment to customer service.

Send past and current customers promotional items that they will use
and/or see on a regular basis, such as pens, magnets and calendars.

Consider seasonality. For instance, auto insurance agents could send ice
scrapers in the winter. Homeowners insurance agents could send out a
calendar with reminders to check the smoke detectors, change the furnace
filters, clean the gutters, etc.

While promotional items have been found to be an inexpensive way to market

insurance, those cost savings are negated with poor inventory management. If
you order too many promotional items, you run the risk of excess inventory that
becomes out-dated. If you order too little, you could miss an opportunity to reach
your customers.

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Outsourcing marketing efforts can save insurance agents valuable time and
money. By outsourcing marketing, agents can rest assured they will always have
access to promotional items and that their marketing message will be
personalized and aligned with their brands.

3.2. Promotional problems are identified and corrective action

implemented in line with company guidelines.
Remember the days when a company would print their company logo on
everything? Pens, mouse pads, mugseven socks! Remember when your
holiday gift was a delightful gift bag that included a pen, a shirt, and a candy bar
all with the company logo? Its not quite as over-the-top as some companies
used to make it but promotional products are still a key part of a companys
advertising strategyand they should be when done right.
Here are some tips regarding choosing and using promotional products with your
business.
What to Give Away
Almost anything you can think of can be turned into a promotional item. Some of
the more common and most successful promotional items include:

Pens and other writing instruments

Apparel (t-shirts, hats, outerwear, etc.)

Food

Water bottles

Reusable shopping bags

Calendars

Logo or No-go?

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You probably assume that every promotional item should have your company
logo on it. After all thats the point of advertising, right? Not necessarily.
Sometimes personalizing the item for the client makes more sense. Putting a
good customers name on a ballpoint pen, water bottle, or reusable shopping
bag ensures they will use it and tell others where they got it. By the way, a
small company logo is OK; just make sure the customers personal identification
is prominent.
Clothing Caution
The caution against logos on items goes double for t-shirts, hats, and so forth.
You love your company and the logo that goes with it. Unless you are a truly
beloved brand, think Nike chances are your customers will not relish the
thought of wearing a ball cap with your logo on it.
If, however, you can include a logo with a catchy original slogan, you might have
a winner. Examples from the past include We Try Harder (Avis).
Environmental Targeting
Its probably not what you think it is. Environmental targeting means to give items
that will be used in the environment where decisions that involve your product or
service will be made.
For example, if you operate an online business, give out mouse pads or flash
drives items that will be used when decision makers are at their computers
thinking about placing an order.
Avoid Short Shelf Life
Try to select items that will be around for a long time. In other words, instead of
an imprinted pad of sticky notes, go for a holder that can be used repeatedly.

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One exception to the short shelf life rule is food. At certain times of the year
major holidays a promotional gift of food is welcome and appreciated.
Logos Can Be Winners
Your employees, on the other hand, working trade shows or county fairs, should
be outfitted in matching shirts, hats, or whatever else is appropriate for the
setting. That is a smart use of logo emblazoned clothing and serves the
advertising purpose without looking forced.
Another place you can use clothing with logos is with your best customers. They
have that love attachment to your brand and will truly appreciate the special
recognition you give them by presenting them with branded clothing.
Reward Referrals
Another area in which a logoed item works well is when someone has given you
a referral. Reward the referral with the company brand and they will feel as if
they are special. Again, choice of more than one item would be best.
Choice is King
If possible, let customers select a promotional item assuming it is not
personalized from several you have available. Someone who wants and needs
a pen will actually use it. The customer or prospect who could use an envelope
opener will select that.
Give Something Get Something
When you give a promotional item to a customer or prospect, you set up an
expectation that often makes them want to do business with you. You dont have
to say anything or make a big deal of it, but they will feel an obligation.

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Break the Ice by Being Nice

Giving out promotional products is a good way to break the ice and start up a
conversation. Sometimes thats all it takes and next thing you know, the two of
you are communicating.

3.3. Promotional sales are monitored against target and corrective

action implemented in line with objectives.
For many small business owners, analytics - measurement and tracking of
metrics - is considered the ugly duckling of marketing. Tracking ROI isnt as
best-looking as measuring website traffic or online conversions, so its rarely
discussed and often overlooked. Sometimes youll only remember to track your
efforts after youve launched a marketing campaign - and at that point its too late.
Unfortunately, it is often difficult or impossible to retroactively add tracking
mechanisms to measure marketing campaign performance. So, this is why it is
important to consider how you will measure campaign performance before you
finalize an affiliate marketing campaign, launch your next media buy, click send
on an email blast, or invest time and money into a traffic or conversion
optimization strategy.
Why is Promotion Performance Important?
Everyone says tracking is important, but have you ever really thought about why?
Couldnt you simply get away with driving more traffic and conversions to be
successful?
The truth is No, you cant!
You absolutely will not be successful with online marketing without proper
tracking in place. Heres why

First, you need tracking so you can cut the fat and ditch any campaigns
that are losing money. Not every marketing campaign you launch will be

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successful. So, you need a way to determine which marketing efforts are
wasting your time and money.

Second, you need to track marketing efforts so you can reinvest more of
your budget into campaigns that generate positive ROI. For example, one
of my clients was able to boost profits by 50 percent simply by turning off
an unprofitable advertising campaign and reinvesting the same ad budget
into a profitable ad campaign. No change in ad spend. A simple tweak in
ad budget allocation improved profitability.

Four Ways to Measure Marketing Performance

Hopefully now youre convinced that tracking is essential but what does it
mean in practice? Here are five tracking systems every small business can use to
measure marketing campaign performance.
1. Website Analytics: This one is more obvious than others. It is important
to track how much website traffic you get from all of your marketing and
advertising campaigns. Plus, how many of those visitors convert to leads
via webform submissions.
2. Phone Call Tracking: Im always surprised by how many businesses
dont have phone call tracking in place. Its a simple tactic to track how
many phone calls are generated from each of your marketing and
advertising campaigns. For example, you can use a different phone
number for each of your campaigns and then youll easily know how many
calls came in from each advertisement.
3. CRM Sales Tracking: A customer relationship management (CRM)
system is simply a database to store your leads, sales, and any other
business contacts. You can also use an Excel file or a Google
Spreadsheet to get started. CRM tracking is critical for non-e-commerce
businesses; e-commerce businesses can track sales using website
analytics since the sales occur online. However, non-e-commerce
businesses make sales over the phone and in-person where website
analytics are not relevant.
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4. KPI Tracking: The four elements above are all tracking systems you need
to measure performance. Key performance indicator (KPI) tracking is how
we bring it all together into a concise list of metrics that will give you X-ray
vision into all of your marketing campaigns. A KPI is any data point that
gives you insight into your marketing performance. As a small business
owner, its your job to monitor the correct KPIs and then make datadriven decisions to improve the overall marketing performance of your
campaigns.

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FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SO 3

Explain the importance of monitoring the sales or marketing strategy.

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SELF ASSESSMENT

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Concept (SO 3)

I understand this
assessment criteria

Questions that I still would

like to ask

My Notes

UNIT STANDARD
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All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public
property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell
this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority
(SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.

SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

REGISTERED UNIT STANDARD:
Implement sales and marketing strategies
SAQA US ID UNIT STANDARD TITLE
115845

Implement sales and marketing strategies

ORIGINATOR
SGB Hiring Services
QUALITY ASSURING BODY
FIELD

SUBFIELD

Field 11 - Services

Cleaning, Domestic, Hiring, Property and

Rescue Services

ABET
BAND

UNIT STANDARD
TYPE

PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL

NQF LEVEL

CREDITS

Undefined

Regular

Level 4

NQF Level 04

REGISTRATION STATUS

REGISTRATION START
DATE

REGISTRATION END
DATE

SAQA DECISION
NUMBER

Reregistered

2012-07-01

2015-06-30

SAQA 0695/12

LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT

LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT

2016-06-30

2019-06-30

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose
statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated
otherwise.

This unit standard does not replace any other unit standard and is not replaced by any other unit standard.
PURPOSE OF THE UNIT STANDARD
The person credited with this unit standard is able to interpret and implement a sales and marketing strategy,
monitor the progress and implement corrective measures during the sales and marketing activities
The qualifying learner is capable of:
Interpreting a sales or marketing strategy
Implementing the sales or marketing strategy
Monitoring the sales or marketing strategy
LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING
Learners accessing this qualification will have demonstrated competence in numeracy and literacy at NQF
level 3 or equivalent.

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UNIT STANDARD RANGE

Promotional material include but is not limited to: banners, flyers, posters, etc.
Promotional problems include but are not limited to: no customers, prices and lack of product.

Specific Outcomes and Assessment Criteria:

SPECIFIC OUTCOME 1
Interpret a sales or marketing strategy.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1
Sales or marketing strategy is obtained and read to familiarise themselves with the content and its objectives.
ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2
Sales or marketing strategy is analysed and questions are asked to clarify areas on non understanding.
ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3
Implementation plan is developed in line with objectives and tasks as listed in the sales or marketing strategy.
SPECIFIC OUTCOME 2
Implement a sales or marketing strategy.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1
Merchandise required for the sales or marketing strategy is determined and obtained from approved suppliers
or stores.
ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2
Promotional material requirements are identified from the strategy and obtained within the required time
frame.
ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3
Promotion is implemented according to strategy and own developed implementation plans.
ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4
Personnel are updated and trained on implementation of the promotion according to the initial strategy.
ASSESSMENT CRITERION 5
Promotional material is obtained and set up in line with initial strategy.
SPECIFIC OUTCOME 3
Monitor the sales or marketing strategy.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1
Merchandise quantity is constantly checked to meet promotion duration and expected sales.
ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2
Promotional problems are identified and corrective action implemented in line with company guidelines.

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ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3
Promotional sales are monitored against target and corrective action implemented in line with objectives.
UNIT STANDARD ACCREDITATION AND MODERATION OPTIONS
An individual wishing to be assessed (including through RPL) against this unit standard may apply to an
assessment agency, assessor or provider institution accredited by the relevant ETQA.
Anyone assessing a learner against this unit standard must be registered as an assessor with the relevant
ETQA.
Any institution offering learning that will enable achievement of this unit standard or assessing this unit
standard must be accredited as a provider with the relevant ETQA.
Moderation of assessment will be conducted by the relevant ETQA at its discretion.
UNIT STANDARD ESSENTIAL EMBEDDED KNOWLEDGE
An understanding of sales and marketing strategies
An understanding of promotional techniques
UNIT STANDARD DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME
N/A
UNIT STANDARD LINKAGES
N/A

Critical Cross-field Outcomes (CCFO):

UNIT STANDARD CCFO IDENTIFYING
Identify and solve promotional problems when merchandise runs out.
UNIT STANDARD CCFO WORKING
Work effectively with others when running a promotion.
UNIT STANDARD CCFO ORGANISING
Organise and manage oneself and one's activities when implementing and monitoring a promotion.
UNIT STANDARD CCFO COLLECTING
Collect, evaluate, organise and critically evaluate information when interpreting a sales or marketing strategy.
UNIT STANDARD CCFO COMMUNICATING
Communicate effectively when planning and implementing a sales or marketing strategy.
UNIT STANDARD CCFO SCIENCE
Use science and technology to develop promotional material.
UNIT STANDARD CCFO CONTRIBUTING
In order to contribute to the full personal development of each learner and the social and economic
development of society at large, it must be the intention underlying any programme of learning to make an
individual aware of the importance of reflecting on and exploring a variety of strategies to learn more
effectively.

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UNIT STANDARD ASSESSOR CRITERIA

N/A
UNIT STANDARD NOTES
As per the SAQA decision, after consultation with the Quality Councils, to re-register all qualifications and part
qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework that meet the criteria for re-registration, this unit
standard has been re-registered from 1 July 2012.
N/A

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