Overview

The objective of the SMstudy® Guide is to provide a practical and process-oriented approach to Sales and Marketing that emphasizes how various elements of Sales and Marketing can be integrated to develop a comprehensive and effective organizational Sales and Marketing Plan. The SMstudy® Guide can be used as a reference and knowledge guide by experienced Sales and Marketing practitioners, as well as by people with little prior knowledge or experience of the subject.

Some of the key benefits of using the SMstudy® Guide are as follows:

• Consolidated Expertise

The SMstudy® Guide was developed by VMEdu, Inc., a global certification course provider that has educated over 400,000 students world-wide in more than 3,500 companies. It provides practical, industry-proven best practices, rather than purely theoretical advice.

• Process-Oriented Approach

The SMstudy® Guide explains Sales and Marketing concepts through a practical, process-oriented approach. This helps Sales and Marketing professionals understand the specific processes they should follow to be effective in their Sales and Marketing roles. Each process has associated inputs, tools, and outputs that are recommended for use. Highly recommended inputs, tools, and outputs are noted with an asterisk (*) beside the concept in each process box and then again when each process is discussed throughout that section.

• Applicable to All Industries

The many authors, advisers, and reviewers of the SMstudy® Guide have worked in numerous Sales and Marketing areas and geographic regions across a variety of industries. Thus, insights provided by them make this body of knowledge industry independent.

• Applicable to Companies of All Sizes

The SMstudy® Guide has been written to meet the needs of all companies regardless of size. Small start-up companies with fewer than ten employees, or large organizations with several thousand employees and multiple product lines and business units, can equally benefit from the information in this guide. Additionally, the content provided in the SMstudy® Guide is highly relevant to for-profit and non-profit organizations alike.

• Comprehensiveness

The SMstudy® Guide is organized into six Sales and Marketing Aspects: Marketing Strategy (MS), Marketing Research (MR), Digital Marketing (DM), Corporate Sales (CS), Branding and Advertising (BA), and Retail Marketing (RM). Each Aspect is presented in a separate book. Taken together, the series provides a comprehensive and complete understanding of Sales and Marketing. The concepts covered in the SMstudy® Guide are further reinforced through videos and case studies available at SMstudy.com.

• Applicable to Beginners and Experts

The SMstudy® Guide presents recommended concepts that beginners should know and also highlights advanced concepts for those who have more experience and are on their way to becoming experts in the field. Readers can decide which of the six Sales and Marketing Aspects are most relevant to them and select from the available books accordingly.

• Alignment with Job Roles

The Aspects included in the SMstudy® Guide are organized to align with the most common or typical job roles or career fields of Sales and Marketing.

• Continuous Improvement

Concepts related to Sales and Marketing continue to evolve; therefore, the SMstudy® Guide will be continuously reviewed and updated to ensure that it remains relevant.