Top Certifications for Sales Professionals
Strong sales skills are essential for securing a job in sales and meeting your sales goals. It is the perfect way for you to prove your skills to potential employers and to confirm your knowledge and proficiency. You can choose a variety of certifications in sales to enhance your professional skills and advance your career.
This article highlights some of the most prestigious certifications that you can get in the field of sales.
What is a sales certification?
Sales certifications can be obtained through programs, courses, and assessments that validate professional sales knowledge. These certifications can be used to demonstrate skills such as customer interaction, knowledge about the sales cycle, negotiation, and market research. There are certifications in sales for all levels of experience. Many certifications come with lesson plans and modules to help you gain the necessary knowledge to pass the certification exam. Accredited certification courses are offered by many professional organizations in the field of marketing and sales.
Why is it important for sales certifications to be obtained?
Sales certifications are a great asset to your career, regardless of whether you are in sales, marketing, advertising, or business management. A sales certification issued by a trusted organization can help you improve your professional image, increase your chances of getting a job to enhance your sales strategies. The following are some of the main benefits of sales certifications:
Verification of Skill
Your resume is a great way for you to present your skills to potential employers. However, certifications show that you are able to apply your skills in a sales environment. Employers can feel confident about the certifications of sales certification providers.
Employers, pay attention.
Certain sales positions require certification. Being certified can help you get these jobs. Even though certification is not required for a job, it can help you stand out from the rest of the applicants. Multiple certifications can demonstrate your industry knowledge and dedication, which will generate interest from employers.
Opportunities for growth
Certification in sales-related subjects can help you grow as a salesperson and company leader. Advanced sales certifications can be obtained to enhance your managerial skills and help you achieve greater responsibility.
Professional development
You can also use sales certifications to help you keep your knowledge current and relevant. Even if your sales experience is already extensive, becoming certified will allow you to review important information, refresh skills, and learn advanced concepts in selling.
11 Sales certifications to be considered
These are some of the most prestigious sales certifications you can get to show your sales skills:
Certified Sales Development Representative
The American Association of Inside Sales Professionals is a professional organization that offers certification to people who are interested in sales careers. The Certified Sales Development Representative (CSDR), a beginning-level certification, confirms your understanding of basic sales principles. The CSDR course covers how to create sales leads, target sales communications, and strategies to measure and set goals.
Participants demonstrate their knowledge by passing a written test as well as a role-play in a sales call with an experienced proctor. The CSDR test is $575 for members and $720 for nonmembers. It takes two to four weeks to finished with a self-paced curriculum.
Certified Inside Sales Professional
The AA-ISP offers the Certified Inside Sales Professional program. This builds on the CSDR’s beginner skills. If you have the CSDR and are interested in the CSDR-CISP bridge, you can either take the CISP by itself or use the CSDR-CISP program offered by the AA-ISP. The CISP is for those with sales experience who want to show their knowledge of all aspects of sales.
You’ll need to take courses in prospecting, sales management, account management, and email etiquette before you can sit for the final CISP exam. The CISP is $875 for members and $1,020 for nonmembers. It takes between eight and 12 weeks.
Certified Professional Sales Person
National Association of Sales Professionals (NASP) offers a variety of professional certifications to sales professionals, executives, and business owners who want to prove their knowledge. The Certified Professional Sales Person (CPSP), their basic program, tests your sales skills and helps you to develop successful work habits. The CPSP course focuses on the client experience throughout the sales cycle. It also teaches you how to communicate effectively with prospects in order to close sales deals.
The six-week certification program is $695. It requires that you pass the final exam with a minimum of 80% correct answers.
Certified Professional Sales Leader
NASP’s Certified Professional Sales Leader (CPSL) is a certification program for sales managers and team leaders. This certification examines leadership and coaching strategies specifically relevant to managing a team of salespeople. This certification tests your ability to communicate effectively in the workplace, set sales goals, and manage performance. It helps identify individuals who are able to successfully manage their sales team. To empower your sales team and align individual goals with company sales goals, you can enroll in the CPSL Course. This will help you to develop a reliable training strategy for sales.
The program is $795 and consists of six weeks of daily modules followed by a final exam that carries an 80% mark.
Certified Master Sales Professional
NASP’s highest-level certification, Certified Master Sales Professional is for experienced sales professionals. This 14-month program includes both the CPSP content and CPSL content. It also includes the NASP Advanced Sales Influence course (ASI) and 12 months of private sales coaching. The program focuses on developing personal habits that can be translated into advanced sales strategies. The course is $3,400.
Certified Sales Executive
Sales and Marketing Executives International offers the Certified Sales Executive (CSE) certification program for sales professionals who wish to increase their sales margins, build a strong sales pipeline and close more sales deals using industry-proven strategies. This certification is great for sales professionals as well as people who manage sales teams. It combines strategy and practical implementation.
CSE courses focus on sales and marketing fundamentals such as persuading indecisive clients, creating value propositions, storytelling as a selling technique, building customer relationships, and assessing buyer needs. The course is approximately $1,049.
Inbound Sales Certification
HubSpot Academy offers a variety of classes and certifications in sales, marketing, and HubSpot software. This includes their Inbound Sales Certification. This certification teaches participants inbound sales techniques and helps them identify and guide profitable sales leads. The lessons include inbound sales basics, passive and active buyers, and how to present sales opportunities. This certification is short and easy to complete. It is also completely free.
Salesforce Certified Administrator
Salesforce is a well-known sales software interface that companies use for managing their customer relationships. A Salesforce certification shows employers you are capable of managing customer accounts and processing sales using Salesforce. Salesforce offers many certification options. Salesforce Certified Administrator is the best option for people who are just starting out or want to show a basic understanding of Salesforce. This exam covers Salesforce features, maintenance, and implementation. You must score a minimum of 65% in order to pass the final exam, which is $200.
Sales and Customer Service Certified Specialist
The National Retail Federation offers certification programs for retail sales professionals. You can obtain the Customer Service and Sales Certified Specialist designation. This intermediate course is for those with experience in retail and sales. The course topics include customer life cycle, customer engagement strategies, and purchase options. The 14-hour course is $125.
Challenger Selling Skills
Challenger is a popular sales and marketing training company. They offer courses, assessments, and certifications for professionals in sales. The Challenger Selling Skills certification and the course teach you the basics of using the Challenger sales method to help customers make a purchase. The Challenger Selling Skills certification emphasizes strong sales techniques and engagement with sales leads. Join Salesforce training in Bangalore online to learn more.
SPIN Selling
SPIN stands for Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need. These are the core elements of the SPIN Sales methodology. You can showcase your customer-oriented selling skills by getting certified in SPIN sales. Many organizations offer SPIN certification and training. These topics include customer psychology, sales style, planning sales calls, and how to develop impactful sales habits.
