Mini MBA in Sales and Marketing Training Course

Duration 10 days 20 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Sales Managers, Marketing Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-S-030

Before you join: Participants should have at least two years of experience in sales, marketing, account management, customer service, business development or a related commercial role.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Sales and marketing leaders are expected to produce predictable revenue while protecting margin, improving customer retention and making sound investment choices. That requires more than managing a pipeline or running campaigns. Managers must connect market strategy, customer insight, pricing, sales process, financial controls, account development and team performance into one commercial plan. This Mini MBA addresses the decisions that determine whether commercial activity produces profitable growth rather than uncoordinated volume.

The programme covers the core disciplines expected in sales and marketing management education: market and competitor analysis, segmentation and positioning, customer value propositions, brand management, pricing, sales strategy, key account management, channel design, demand generation, customer experience, commercial finance, forecasting and leadership. Participants learn to assess market attractiveness, select priority segments, qualify opportunities, build account plans, calculate customer and campaign economics, manage revenue forecasts and set practical performance measures.

Teaching combines short faculty briefings with business cases, team discussions, sales simulations, financial analysis and structured planning work. Participants apply each method to a chosen product, service, customer portfolio or market opportunity from the first week. They leave with a complete commercial growth plan containing market analysis, segment priorities, value proposition, pricing logic, sales coverage model, account actions, demand plan, forecast and performance dashboard.

The course suits experienced sales, marketing and customer-facing professionals moving into management, as well as managers who need a stronger grasp of the commercial decisions made by adjacent functions. It is particularly relevant for business-to-business, financial services, public-sector, technology, industrial, professional services and consumer-facing organisations.

What you will be able to do

  • Analyse market attractiveness using PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces and competitor mapping
  • Develop segment priorities and positioning using STP and customer value propositions
  • Build a sales strategy with territory, channel, account and coverage decisions
  • Construct value-based pricing and margin models for products, services and bids
  • Apply MEDDICC qualification and pipeline management to improve forecast quality
  • Create key account plans that connect stakeholder needs, actions and revenue targets
  • Evaluate campaign, customer and channel economics using commercial financial measures
  • Present an integrated commercial growth plan with metrics, risks and governance

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Make stronger commercial recommendations using market, customer and financial evidence
  • Move from activity reporting to revenue, margin and retention management
  • Prepare credible account, territory and growth plans for senior review
  • Handle pricing and discount discussions with clearer margin implications
  • Build a common commercial vocabulary with finance, operations and leadership teams

For your organisation

  • Improves alignment between marketing investment, sales coverage and revenue priorities
  • Raises forecast discipline through defined qualification criteria and pipeline review routines
  • Protects margin through clearer pricing logic, discount controls and customer profitability analysis
  • Strengthens key account retention through structured stakeholder and growth planning
  • Creates comparable commercial plans and dashboards across teams and business units

Course modules

20 modules over 10 days

Participants can explain how a business model, revenue logic and commercial strategy fit together.

  • Business model components: customers, value, channels, revenues, costs and capabilities
  • Revenue growth, gross margin and cash conversion as commercial priorities
  • Corporate strategy translated into market choices and commercial objectives
  • Ansoff Matrix choices for market penetration, development and diversification
  • Value chain analysis identifies profit pools and sources of differentiation
  • Commercial assumptions documented for a chosen product or service

Participants can assess market attractiveness and identify commercially significant competitive threats.

  • PESTLE analysis separates political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental forces
  • Porter's Five Forces assesses industry profitability and buyer power
  • Market sizing uses top-down, bottom-up and analogous-estimate methods
  • Competitor profiles compare offers, pricing, channels, capabilities and strategic intent
  • Strategic group maps reveal direct competitors and underserved positions
  • Market-entry assumptions tested against barriers, substitutes and switching costs

Participants can select priority customer segments using evidence of needs, value and accessibility.

  • Segmentation bases combine firmographic, behavioural, needs-based and value variables
  • STP selects attractive segments and defines differentiated market positions
  • Customer interviews distinguish stated needs from underlying jobs-to-be-done
  • Persona evidence records roles, triggers, barriers, goals and buying context
  • RFM analysis prioritises customers by recency, frequency and monetary value
  • Segment attractiveness scores potential, profit, fit, access and competitive intensity

Participants can create a differentiated value proposition for a priority customer segment.

  • Value proposition canvas links customer jobs, pains and gains
  • Positioning statements specify target, frame, benefit, proof and differentiation
  • Feature-advantage-benefit translation connects product attributes with customer outcomes
  • Proof points combine quantified outcomes, references, demonstrations and credentials
  • Message hierarchy organises core promise, supporting claims and evidence
  • Perceptual maps test intended position against competitor associations

Participants can make brand and portfolio decisions that support commercial priorities.

  • Brand identity defines purpose, promise, personality, values and visual cues
  • Brand equity drivers include awareness, associations, quality and loyalty
  • Product portfolio roles distinguish core, growth, profit and exit offers
  • BCG Growth-Share Matrix informs resource allocation across offerings
  • Line extension decisions test customer relevance, cannibalisation and brand fit
  • Brand governance maintains message consistency across sales and marketing materials

Participants can design a marketing plan that produces measurable demand and sales support.

  • Marketing objectives link awareness, consideration, leads, conversion and retention
  • Funnel stages define audience actions, content needs and handoff points
  • Channel plans allocate paid, owned, earned and partner activity
  • Campaign briefs specify audience, proposition, offer, budget, timing and measures
  • Lead scoring combines fit, engagement, intent and buying-stage evidence
  • Marketing-sales service-level agreements define response times and lead ownership

Participants can develop a sales strategy with appropriate customer coverage and channel choices.

  • Sales strategy sets target customers, routes-to-market and revenue priorities
  • Coverage models compare field sales, inside sales, partners and digital channels
  • Territory design balances potential, workload, travel time and account continuity
  • Sales capacity planning converts revenue targets into activity and headcount requirements
  • Channel conflict risks addressed through rules, incentives and account ownership
  • Go-to-market choices documented for priority segments and product lines

Participants can structure customer discovery conversations around business needs and buying criteria.

  • SPIN Selling questions uncover situation, problem, implication and need-payoff evidence
  • Discovery agendas establish purpose, priorities, participants and desired decisions
  • Active listening techniques test understanding through summarising and clarifying questions
  • Buying-centre mapping identifies users, influencers, gatekeepers, buyers and decision makers
  • Customer pain quantified through cost, risk, delay and missed-revenue measures
  • Mutual action plans assign milestones, owners, dates and decision gates

Participants can qualify opportunities consistently and maintain a credible sales pipeline.

  • MEDDICC assesses metrics, economic buyer, criteria, process, pain and champion
  • Opportunity stages require evidence rather than seller confidence alone
  • Pipeline hygiene removes stale records, duplicates and unqualified opportunities
  • Win probability reflects stage evidence, competitive position and deal risks
  • Deal reviews test next steps, stakeholder access and decision timing
  • Pipeline coverage ratios compare qualified value against period revenue targets

Participants can build an account plan that protects relationships and identifies profitable growth.

  • Account segmentation distinguishes strategic, growth, maintenance and transactional customers
  • Account plans define revenue, margin, retention and relationship objectives
  • Stakeholder maps show influence, attitude, access, interests and relationship strength
  • White-space analysis identifies unmet needs, cross-sell and renewal opportunities
  • Account risk registers track competitor actions, service issues and concentration
  • Quarterly business reviews structure performance, value, issues and future actions

Participants can set pricing choices using value, cost, competition and margin evidence.

  • Cost-plus pricing calculates required contribution above direct and allocated costs
  • Value-based pricing connects price to measurable customer economic outcomes
  • Price elasticity estimates demand sensitivity to price changes
  • Price waterfalls reveal list-price leakage from discounts, rebates and allowances
  • Discount authority matrices control approvals, exceptions and commercial rationale
  • Yield management matches price and availability to demand conditions

Participants can prepare and conduct negotiations that protect value and manage commercial risk.

  • BATNA analysis establishes alternatives, reservation points and negotiation power
  • Negotiation planning separates interests, positions, issues, trades and concessions
  • Concession strategies exchange value rather than grant unilateral discounts
  • Package proposals combine price, scope, service levels and payment terms
  • Contract risk review examines liability, termination, exclusivity and performance obligations
  • Closing plans confirm decision process, approvals, documentation and implementation actions

Participants can assess the financial value of customers, campaigns and commercial decisions.

  • Income statements connect revenue, gross profit, operating expense and net profit
  • Contribution margin separates variable costs from fixed cost recovery
  • Customer profitability allocates revenue, service costs, discounts and acquisition costs
  • Customer lifetime value estimates future margin from retention and repeat purchases
  • Break-even analysis calculates volume required to recover commercial investment
  • Return on marketing investment compares incremental contribution with campaign spending

Participants can produce a revenue forecast and diagnose variance against commercial targets.

  • Bottom-up forecasts aggregate account, opportunity, product and territory assumptions
  • Top-down forecasts test sales plans against market potential and historical trends
  • Weighted pipeline forecasting applies evidence-based probabilities to qualified opportunities
  • Forecast variance separates volume, price, mix, timing and conversion effects
  • Leading indicators track pipeline creation, meetings, proposals and stage conversion
  • Revenue dashboards combine target, actual, forecast, gap and corrective actions

Participants can improve retention by identifying critical customer journeys and service failure points.

  • Customer journey maps show stages, touchpoints, emotions, needs and friction
  • Moments of truth identify interactions that shape loyalty and renewal
  • Net Promoter Score distinguishes promoters, passives and detractors
  • Service recovery plans define ownership, response standards, remedies and follow-up
  • Churn analysis identifies behavioural signals preceding cancellation or reduced spend
  • Retention offers target at-risk customers without eroding long-term value

Participants can define commercial processes, data standards and governance routines for execution.

  • CRM data standards define required fields, ownership, stages and update frequency
  • Lead-to-cash processes connect marketing, sales, operations, finance and service
  • Sales enablement assets include playbooks, battlecards, proposals and case studies
  • Data quality checks identify missing records, duplicates, errors and stale opportunities
  • Commercial calendars coordinate campaigns, launches, reviews and account planning
  • RACI matrices assign responsibility, accountability, consultation and information rights

Participants can manage commercial teams through clear expectations, coaching and performance routines.

  • Sales roles define accountabilities, decision rights, targets and capability requirements
  • SMART objectives convert commercial priorities into measurable individual commitments
  • Coaching conversations use GROW: goal, reality, options and way forward
  • Performance reviews examine results, behaviours, pipeline quality and development needs
  • Sales compensation principles align incentives with profitable and sustainable growth
  • Team meeting cadences separate inspection, problem-solving, learning and recognition

Participants can identify commercial conduct risks and apply practical controls in customer-facing work.

  • Anti-bribery controls address gifts, hospitality, intermediaries and facilitation payments
  • Competition law risks include price fixing, market sharing and bid rigging
  • Data protection principles govern consent, purpose, retention and customer access
  • Fair-selling standards test suitability, disclosures, communications and customer understanding
  • Conflict-of-interest declarations protect procurement, tendering and account decisions
  • Commercial risk registers assign controls, owners, review dates and escalation thresholds

Participants can combine market, sales, marketing and financial choices into a coherent execution plan.

  • Growth-plan structure connects market analysis, objectives, actions, finances and governance
  • Strategic priorities focus resources on segments, accounts, offers and channels
  • Ninety-day action plans sequence decisions, dependencies, owners and milestones
  • Risk-adjusted assumptions identify uncertainties affecting revenue, margin and timing
  • Executive summaries present recommendation, evidence, investment, return and decisions required
  • Review criteria test strategic fit, feasibility, financial logic and accountability

Participants can build, review and present a complete commercial growth plan for a selected business opportunity.

  • Market evidence justifies selected segments, positioning and commercial growth priorities
  • Value proposition and pricing logic demonstrate customer and margin rationale
  • Sales coverage and demand plan specify channels, activities and account actions
  • Revenue forecast states assumptions, pipeline evidence, costs and expected contribution
  • Dashboard defines leading indicators, outcomes, owners and review cadence
  • Peer review challenges risks, trade-offs, evidence gaps and implementation choices

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Commercial growth plan template
  2. Segment attractiveness scoring model
  3. Key account plan template
  4. Value-based pricing worksheet
  5. Sales pipeline forecast dashboard
  6. Ninety-day commercial action plan

Who should attend

  • Sales Managers — need to translate targets into disciplined coverage, pipeline and coaching plans
  • Marketing Managers — need to connect segment strategy and campaigns to revenue outcomes
  • Key Account Managers — need stronger commercial planning, pricing and stakeholder management skills
  • Business Development Managers — need structured methods for opportunity selection and bid decisions
  • Customer Experience Managers — need to link service improvement priorities to retention and growth
  • New Commercial Leaders — need a cross-functional foundation before taking broader revenue responsibility

Skills and tools covered

Commercial strategySales forecastingPricing analysisKey account managementCustomer segmentationRevenue performance management

Tools and standards

Porter's Five Forces, STP, MEDDICC, RFM analysis

How the course runs

Training methodology

Faculty briefings introduce commercial frameworks, followed by cases drawn from business-to-business, financial services, consumer and public-service settings. Participants analyse market data, customer portfolios, pricing choices and pipeline scenarios in small groups. Sales and account-management simulations develop practical judgement in discovery, negotiation and stakeholder planning. Individual application planning begins in the first week and is refined through peer review, financial checks and facilitator feedback. The final capstone brings the work into a single commercial growth plan.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least two years of experience in sales, marketing, account management, customer service, business development or a related commercial role. They should be comfortable discussing customers, products, revenue targets and basic business performance measures. Familiarity with spreadsheets is helpful because the course includes pricing, forecasting and campaign economics, but advanced financial modelling is not required. An undergraduate business degree, formal marketing qualification, prior people-management experience and previous MBA study are not required.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have practical exposure to sales, marketing, account management, customer service or business development. The course assumes familiarity with customers and commercial targets, but it does not require an MBA, marketing degree or advanced finance training.

Bring a laptop and, where permitted, a current commercial challenge such as a product launch, account portfolio, territory plan or growth target. Participants can use their own non-confidential figures or the case materials supplied by the facilitator.

It is designed for managers and experienced specialists moving into broader sales, marketing or commercial leadership roles. It also suits customer experience and operations managers who work closely with revenue teams.

Sales skills courses usually focus on individual conversations, while digital marketing courses focus on channels and campaigns. This programme links both areas with strategy, pricing, finance, account management, forecasting, leadership and commercial governance.

Participants build components of a commercial growth plan throughout the programme using their own context where appropriate. The resulting templates can support account reviews, pricing decisions, campaign planning, pipeline reviews and leadership presentations.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The programme uses 20 connected modules, with early work establishing market and customer choices before later modules develop financial, operational and leadership actions.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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