Sales and customer manager with Retail Ready - entry into retail and business English

The course first covers sales and service strategies as well as professional customer handling before introducing strategic, analytical and operational customer relationship management for competent customer care, retention and acquisition, including insights into CRM software. The course then teaches Conversation techniques and the confident use of common digital communication tools and complaints for confident and solution-oriented customer communication. You will also gain practical knowledge about the retail sector and improve your English language skills for confident conversations at work.
  • Certificates: "Retail Ready - Entry into the retail sector" certificate
    Certificate "Sales and customer manager"
    TOEIC® certificate (Test of English for International Communication)
  • Additional Certificates: Certificate "Digital sales and distribution management"
    Certificate "Customer service with CRM"
    Digital Communication" certificate
  • Examination: Praxisbezogene Projektarbeiten mit Abschlusspräsentationen
    TOEIC®-Test (Test of English for International Communication)
  • Teaching Times: Full-time
    Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. (in weeks with public holidays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:10 p.m.)
  • Language of Instruction: German
  • Duration: 20 Weeks

Retail Ready - entry into the retail sector

Retail basics (approx. 2 days)

Structure and organization of the retail business

Tasks of the retail trade

Introduction to product ranges

Presentation of goods and prices

Overview: Forms of distribution and sales channels


Product knowledge (approx. 4 days)

Assortment classification

Production and nutrients of food

Textile raw materials and material composition

Labeling and storage (incl. shelf zones, product carriers)

Labeling and care of textiles

Handling packaging and sustainable packaging trends

Promotional placement of special offers

Dealing with unsaleable goods

Legal regulations (LMIV, Price Indication Regulation, textile labeling, etc.)


Artificial intelligence (AI) in the work process

Presentation of specific AI technologies and

Possible applications in the professional environment


Cash register systems and payment methods (approx. 3 days)

Basics of checkout systems

Payment methods, incl. contactless, mobile, digital

Cash register organization and instructions

Cash register training: keyboard, scanner, checkout processes

Cash register accounting and difference clarification

Security features of banknotes


Customer contact and communication (approx. 2 days)

Advising and informing customers

Basis of communication and body language

Complaints, returns and exchanges


Special sales situations (approx. 1 day)

Recognizing and reacting to shoplifting

Dealing with accompanying persons (e.g. children, pets)

De-escalation with difficult customers


Assortment and sales management (approx. 2 days)

Assortment optimization and development

Merchandise management systems (insight and control)

Sales figures and purchasing behavior, analyzing customer structure

Inventory management and replenishment processes

Planning sales, income and costs


POS marketing and customer approach (approx. 2 days)

Sales and advertising concepts, pricing policy, sales promotion, customer loyalty programs

Visual merchandising

Location-related public relations


Insight into personnel management (approx. 1 day)

Planning personnel requirements and personnel costs

Selection and recruitment of employees

Scheduling and shift models


Project work (approx. 3 days)

To consolidate the content learned

Presentation of the project results

Digital distribution and sales management

Digital market strategies, customer journey and AI (approx. 5 days)

Fundamentals and future fields in digital sales

Trends in digital sales: platform economics, social commerce, omnichannel sales

Market analysis and competition: market positioning (USP), SWOT and buyer behavior

Target group analysis and persona development

Customer centricity and customer journey mapping

Digital sales strategies and sales channels

Use of digital tools for market analysis and competition monitoring

Support for research, idea development and strategy work using AI-supported tools


Successful selling and customer relationships (approx. 4 days)

Practical skills for the digital sales process

Structure and phases of the digital sales process

Sales psychology: needs analysis and buying motives

Conducting conversations in digital sales situations

Social selling and digital relationship management

Digital tools for preparing sales meetings and presentations

AI-supported analysis of customer needs and meeting preparation


New customer acquisition and acquisition - existing customer care (approx. 4 days)

Digital strategies for acquiring new customers

Inbound and outbound sales approaches

Lead generation and lead qualification

Sales funnel and pipeline management

AI-supported lead analysis and prioritization of sales opportunities

Key account management and strategic customer development

Sales pitches: structure, presentation and argumentation

Benefit argumentation and value selling

Differentiating features in competition

Conducting negotiations: principles, phases and price negotiations

Closing the sale and follow-up in digital sales

Customer experience (CX) & complaint management

CRM systems: use for customer management and care

Digital systems for sales automation and customer analysis


Sales controlling and law (approx. 4 days)

Success measurement and performance in sales

Sales controlling: objectives, tasks and instruments of sales controlling

Key figures and evaluation of sales data

Digital systems for reporting and forecasting

AI-supported sales forecasts and data analyses

Competition, trademark and commercial agency law

Drafting contracts: general terms and conditions (GTC) and relevant contractual elements

EU product safety regulation: General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)

Data protection in digital sales (GDPR)


Project work (approx. 3 days)

To consolidate the content learned

Presentation of the project results

Customer service with CRM

Fundamentals and strategic CRM (approx. 2 days)

CRM as a strategic corporate function

Companyblueprint: company processes

CRM vs. pure software solution


Business models and target group analysis (approx. 1 day)

Business models in the CRM environment

Market and target group definition

Personas for a differentiated customer approach

Sales channels in strategic CRM


Customer worlds and individual relationships (approx. 1 day)

Definition of the customer world

Customer journey, customer experience

Customer needs-demands-motives


ERP and operational CRM (approx. 1 day)

Resource planning and business contexts

CRM in the value chain

Synergy between sales, marketing & service


Data protection and GDPR (approx. 1 day)

Data protection

GDPR in marketing and practical cases


CRM software systems (approx. 2 days)

Introduction to CRM systems

Implementation of software

Mapping processes, automating workflows


Artificial intelligence (AI) in CRM (approx. 1 day)

Presentation of specific AI technologies

Predictive analytics and sentiment analytics

AI humanizers for customer loyalty


Analytical CRM (approx. 2 days)

KPIs for measuring success

Data mining, OLAP

SWOT analysis in CRM

Drill-down analysis


Customer Relationship Cycle and Customer Satisfaction (approx. 2 days)

Customer Relationship Cycle

Satisfaction management: NPS, CSAT, KANO and parameters for optimization


Customer acquisition, customer loyalty and increasing profitability (approx. 2 days)

Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Strategic acquisition processes

Loyalty programs

Increasing profitability


Customer communication as a relationship guarantor (approx. 2 days)

Conversational skills and empathy in customer contact

Psychology of customer relationships

De-escalation techniques for critical customer moments

How authentic communication creates long-term relationships


Project work (approx. 3 days)

To consolidate the content learned

Presentation of the project results

Digital communication

Basics (approx. 2 days)

What is "digital communication"?

Differentiation from analog communication

Mixed forms

Advantages and disadvantages of digital communication (always on, data integration, internationalization, interactivity)

What is digital rhetoric?

Text-based, audiovisual and multimedia communication channels and hybrid forms (e-mail, instant messaging, podcasts, etc.)


Legal basics (approx. 1 day)

Media and copyright law

Data protection (DSGVO) and data security

Encryption of data


Artificial intelligence (AI) in the work process

Presentation of specific AI technologies

and possible applications in the professional environment


Media competence (approx. 1 day)

keywords

algorithms

Recognizing fake news

Confirmation bias

Prompt engineering


Corporate communication (approx. 2 days)

Networked working environments/collaborative working

New Work

Corporate Communication

New, digital corporate models and tools

Digital change in the corporate culture

Social networks

Social intranet

Video conferencing


Customer communication (approx. 2 days)

Meaning and structure of e-commerce

Customer experience (CX)

Medium selection for written customer contact based on customer needs

Communication requirements at the customer touchpoint

Definition and implementation of conversation goals

Successful and active conversation management

Solution-oriented conversation

Saying goodbye at the end of the conversation

Chatbots


E-mails in the digital age (approx. 1 day)

The customer-oriented e-mail

Formulations

Choosing the right writing style

Quick blocks

Spam filter


Video conferences and telephone calls (approx. 3 days)

Preparation for online meetings

Methods and tools for successful

online meetings

Procedures and pitfalls in online calls

Technical framework conditions

The importance of body language, influence of voice, choice of language, facial expressions and gestures

Perception of breathing, voice pitch, articulation and posture as well as personal perception

Active listening

Radiating confidence and competence

Service-oriented greeting, successful and active conversation skills

Invitation, preparation and follow-up (taking minutes)


Conflict management (approx. 1 day)

Causes of a conflict

Conflict models

Obstacles to communication

Stages of conflict management

Roles within conflict management

Shitstorm

Dealing with trolls


Project work (approx. 2 days)

To consolidate the content learned

Presentation of the project results


Complaints management


Introduction to complaint management (approx. 1 day)

Complaints as opportunities for the company

Causes and types of complaints

Understanding customer behavior

Complaint management systems


Psychology of the complaint (approx. 1 day)

Iceberg theory

Relationship levels

Needs pyramid according to Maslow


Reaction to complaints (approx. 0.5 days)

Interpreting complaints and wishes

Tone and voice pitch

Key factors


Processing of complaints (approx. 1 day)

Basic rules for complaints

Processing written complaints

Procedure of a complaint discussion


De-escalation strategies (approx. 0.5 days)


Project work (approx. 1 day)

To consolidate the content learned

Presentation of the project results

Business English

Basics of professional English communication (approx. 4 days)

Basic structures of the English language in a professional context

Tenses (simple, continuous, perfect)

Formulation of questions

Active/passive voice

Adjective/adverb

Modal verbs

Conditional

Differences between British and American English in everyday working life

Important idioms in professional language

Presenting in English


Communicative part (approx. 5 days)

Establishing and maintaining customer contacts, telephone calls, correspondence

Artificial intelligence for formulating and optimizing English business communication

Greetings and introductions during business visits

Dealing with complaints

Describing products

Writing letters and emails with common phrases on topics such as orders or quotations

Describing company structures in English


Business English (approx. 6 days)

Writing business correspondence

AI support for English-language emails and letters

Arguing convincingly in a professional context

Explaining company structure, marketing and sales in English

Reporting on market analyses, discussing financial trends

AI for analyzing and preparing information

Communication on business trips: Reception, hotel, restaurant

Appearance in meetings

Describing processes and procedures

Conducting negotiations and reaching agreements

Developing and communicating plans and projects

Preparing presentations

AI tools for structuring and optimizing the language of presentations

English-language job descriptions

Anglo-Saxon application process

Writing a CV in English

Interview: confident presentation of experience and qualifications


Project work, certification preparation and TOEIC® certification exam (approx. 5 days)



Changes are possible, the course content is updated regularly.

Prerequisite for participation in the course is previous knowledge of English (secondary school level).

You know sales strategies, can apply them in customer meetings and are familiar with sales law and the maintenance of customer data. You will also gain a holistic understanding of CRM and be able to analyze and optimize customer relationships. As the course progresses, you will also gain confidence in customer communication - both in face-to-face meetings and in correspondence using traditional and modern means of communication and, above all, on the telephone. You will also master essential conversation techniques to conduct successful sales talks and respond appropriately to customer requests and complaints.

You are also familiar with the organization of retail businesses, handling goods, checkout systems and customers as well as sales promotion measures. You are also familiar with the basics of sales management and personnel management.

You will also improve your English skills for typical communication situations in everyday international working life and take the internationally recognized TOEIC® test to prove your acquired knowledge.

This course is suitable for anyone who wants to gain a professional foothold in sales and distribution. The course is also suitable for lateral entrants, e.g. from technical professions.

The additional English qualification is useful for anyone for whom a solid command of the English language is important for their professional tasks.

This course qualifies you for a career in sales or distribution and therefore for positions in all companies with a sales department.

With the meaningful TOEIC® test, you also provide a detailed insight into your acquired qualifications in the language environment and thus facilitate your career entry and advancement.

Didactic concept

Your lecturers are highly qualified both professionally and didactically and will teach you from the first to the last day (no self-study system).

You will learn in effective small groups. The courses usually consist of 6 to 25 participants. The general lessons are supplemented by numerous practical exercises in all course modules. The practice phase is an important part of the course, as it is during this time that you process what you have just learned and gain confidence and routine in its application. The final section of the course involves a project, a case study or a final exam.

 

Virtual classroom alfaview®

Lessons take place using modern alfaview® video technology - either from the comfort of your own home or at our premises at Bildungszentrum. The entire course can see each other face-to-face via alfaview®, communicate with each other in lip-sync voice quality and work on joint projects. Of course, you can also see and talk to your connected trainers live at any time and you will be taught by your lecturers in real time for the entire duration of the course. The lessons are not e-learning, but real live face-to-face lessons via video technology.

 

The courses at alfatraining are funded by Agentur für Arbeit and are certified in accordance with the AZAV approval regulation. When submitting a Bildungsgutscheinor Aktivierungs- und Vermittlungsgutschein, the entire course costs are usually covered by your funding body.
Funding is also possible via Europäischen Sozialfonds (ESF), Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) or regional funding programs. As a regular soldier, you have the option of attending further training courses via Berufsförderungsdienst (BFD). Companies can also have their employees qualified via funding from Agentur für Arbeit (Qualifizierungschancengesetz).

We will gladly advise you free of charge.

0800 3456-500 Mon. - Fri. from 8 am to 5 pm
free of charge from all German networks.

Contact

We will gladly advise you free of charge. 0800 3456-500 Mon. - Fri. from 8 am to 5 pm free of charge from all German networks.