Course Title Commercial Awareness
Duration 2 DAYS
Fees   £545 + VAT
  Courses can also be provided very cost effectively in house
Course Objectives This course is designed to help those moving from a non-commercial role within the organisation to a commercial, perhaps more customer facing function and who need to have an appreciation of how business ‘ticks’.
Who will benefit?

The course is designed for those, from whatever function, who need to improve their commercial astuteness as part of their personal development. Potential delegates might include those from manufacturing, design, personnel, accounts, maintenance etc.

It will also be beneficial to those who may already be involved in a commercial function but need to widen their knowledge base to enable them to take on more responsibility and develop their commercial competence.

Course Content

Business basics – what’s it all about?

  • Generating cash
  • Making profit
  • Marketing
  • Selling
  • Buying
  • Communicating
  • People
  • Customers
  • The market place

Generating cash

  • The concept of ‘cash is king”
  • Cash is the life blood of the organisation
  • Implications of cash flow to the organisation

Profit

  • What is profit?
  • Turnover v. profitability
  • How do businesses go about increasing profit?

Selling

  • What’s selling all about?
  • Generating cash from selling the products & services of the business
  • What is the right price?
  • Price versus cost
  • Adding value
  • Customers love it
  • ‘Total cost of ownership’
  • Sell the add-ons

Marketing

  • What’s marketing all about?
  • Finding out what customers will pay for and providing it at a profit
  • Concerns with the needs of the buyer (customer)
  • The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers profitably
  •  Does your business have a marketing culture?
  •  Survival depend on satisfying customer needs
  •  Service reflects market need rather than what the business can provide
  •  Rid of ‘if it wasn’t for the customer’
  •  Market led from the top - not product led
  •  Marketing for growth
  •  Growth comes from marketing
  •  Which market are you in?

Buying

  • What’s good buying all about?
  • You need to buy well to enable you to sell well
  • Buying’s amazing profit generating opportunity
  • Using supplier relationships to reduce costs

Communication skills –internally and externally

  • What’s communication all about?
  • Defining what communication involves
  • Having a clear objective for the communication before we start the process
  • Organisations cannot take decisions – people do through communication
  • Communications ‘The good and the bad’
  • Workshop on different aspects of communication
  • Putting yourself in the other persons shoes
  • Listening
  • Persuading

The all important customer

  • Who are your customers?
  • Are all customers important?
  • Looking after customers
  • Dealing with complaints

Getting your money in