You might have an amazing team of sales reps on your hands, but that does not mean much without effective marketing. It works the other way around, too. A great marketing team cannot get very far if your sales team fails to deliver. Luckily, there are a plethora of sales and marketing courses available for businesses of all industries.
Whether you hire an outside sales and marketing professional or have team members complete a course online, the perfect sales and marketing course will depend on your team, organizational goals and your industry. Luckily, we have compiled a list of our top picks for sales and marketing courses.
Sales and Marketing Courses Online
Sales and Marketing Courses OnlineWith so many people working remotely these days, online sales and marketing courses are a great option for your team to stay up to date. The best part is, some of them are free.
Study.com’s Business 102: The Principles of Marketing
Study.com is a fantastic resource for students and business owners alike to brush up on various topics, and in some cases receive certifications and college credit. Their Business 102 course, The Principles of Marketing is a for-credit course for students to learn the basics of marketing with topics such as consumer behavior, marketing philosophy and ethics, product development, retailing and more. While this course is not completely free, Study.com allows you to start a free trial for 30 days.
OpenCourseWare from MIT
Massachusettes Institute of Technology (MIT) has a multitude of online sales and marketing courses available via their OpenCourseWare platform, which allows anyone to gain online access to materials from previous courses. While they do not offer any credits, the material is free and does not require any registration. Here are some of the sales and marketing courses offered:
- Data Mining: learn how customer buying habits can influence your sales techniques in this graduate-level course. Other topics include the Bayers rule and linear regression. Users will have access to lecture notes, assignments and exam questions.
- Marketing Strategy: This course delves into predicting consumer behavior, competition and how to create and implement an effective marketing strategy.
- Marketing Management: Learn the four “P’s” of marketing in this course: product, price, promotion and place. Learn how to implement those P’s by reading case studies and discussion questions.
The Open University
Open University is a free online learning platform that offers courses across all industries, including sales and marketing courses. Anyone can access the courses, however, there is no option for credits or certificates. Here are some of the online sales and marketing courses they offer:
- Social marketing: combining sales and marketing with some psychology, this course examines social goals in marketing, target markets and more.
- The market-led organization: this course outlines target demographics, relationships in marketing and market orientation.
- Marketing communications as a strategic function: this course combines sales and marketing skills into one with real-life strategy examples.
The United States Small Business Administration
The SBA offers free courses for small business owners to learn sales and marketing techniques to grow their business. Registration is not required and no credits are given, but these courses are great resources for budding business owners. Here are some of the courses they offer:
- Sales: A Guide for the Small Business Owner: this course outlines the sales process and goes over concepts like the elevator pitch, lead generation, marketing research and sales planning.
- Marketing 101: an overview of marketing and how small businesses can grow their potential client base.
Best Online Digital Marketing Courses
Best Online Digital Marketing CoursesDigital marketing consists of more than just social media. It requires as much time, effort and strategy as any other traditional marketing strategy. With more and more business being done online these days, knowing your way around the digital marketing world is crucial. There are so many online digital marketing courses available. How do you choose the best one for you?
Simplilearn’s Digital Marketing Specialist Program
This program offers seven separate digital marketing courses in order to get students prepared for the competitive digital marketing industry. Learn basic concepts like lead generation, PPC, B2B and B2C and social media marketing. The course also comes with mentorship opportunities from industry leaders. While it is not free, it does come with a certificate upon completion.
Coursera’s Digital Marketing Specialization
Coursera’s digital marketing program is also a seven-course path that takes about four weeks to complete. Designed for beginners, the course goes over basic concepts and shows how to create an effective marketing strategy in the digital and analog spaces. Upon completion, you will receive a certificate.
Market Motive’s Masters in Digital Marketing
One of the original digital marketing courses, this program from Market Motive contains over 250 hours of lessons on digital marketing concepts like analytics, social media, PPC, SEO and email marketing. Get tips from different industry leaders and real, hands-on marketing experience. The best part is, they also have a money-back guarantee.
Free Online Marketing Courses with Certificates
What’s better than a free online marketing course? One that offers a certificate! Taking a free online marketing course with a certificate is the perfect way to learn more about marketing and boost your resume. For business owners, these courses are a fantastic way to incentivize your team to keep learning and developing their skills. Here are some free online marketing courses that offer certificates.
Google’s Online Marketing Challenge
Google’s free online marketing course gives anyone a chance to learn the basics of online marketing. Modules include SEO, digital advertising, social media marketing, mobile user habits, video content and more. Not only do you receive a certificate upon completion, but Google gives students $250 in ad credit via AdWords to run their own advertising campaign for a business or a non-profit organization.
Wordstream’s PPC University
Build your digital marketing and PPC skills with this online marketing course. Wordstream’s course is designed to help smaller businesses enhance their revenue streams through webinars, white papers and various modules on advertising. Variations of the course are available for beginners and advanced students.
Alison’s Free Diploma in E-Business
Alison has been teaching online marketing courses since 2007, making it one of the most reputable companies in the digital marketing world. Their e-business diploma is designed to help you build your skills in social media marketing, SEO, Google Analytics, AdWords and more.
Sales Training Courses for Beginners
Sales Training Courses for BeginnersHoning your sales skills takes time and practice. For anyone entering the sales world, it is intimidating to go into the field, regardless of training. If you are not sure where to start, check out these sales training courses for beginners.
Skillshare’s Modern Sales Training
Led by sales training director Derek Sloan, a sales industry leader, Skillshare’s modern sales training course is the perfect introduction to sales training. In 12 lessons, you will learn valuable selling techniques such as prospecting, proposals, negotiations and closing. Enroll for free and activate a two-week free trial to get started.
Linkedin Learning’s Sales Discovery Training
An essential course for learning about your prospects, this course delves into the world of sales discovery. Topics include lead generation, decision making, communication and solution mapping. You can access the course for free with a one-month free trial and receive a certificate after completion.
Udemy’s How to Close More Sales
Closing a sale is probably the most crucial part of the sales process. In this 29-lecture course from Udemy, students will learn different ways to effectively close a sale. Techniques like emotional appeal, belief, building trust and showing authenticity are key elements in the course. This course helps you humanize your selling skills, so you are more likely to close a sale. There are also quizzes and exercises available for practice, perfect for beginners.
Finding the right sales and marketing course can be overwhelming. If you need assistance in finding the right course for you, or you need help with your sales strategy and training, contact us at Wizard of Sales today to book your first call.