What level is the ESA Sponsorship Sales Certificate aimed at?
The ESA Sponsorship Sales Certificate is a practical course that has been developed to support the needs of those involved in sales and sponsorship. Aimed at those who either currently work in sales positions in the sector or who wish to practise in this area, it covers areas such as how to develop your sponsorship proposition, tailoring proposals and presenting, as well as many other insights.
How heavy is the workload?
The ESA Sponsorship Sales Certificate is designed with the knowledge that the majority of candidates will be in full-time employment, so care is taken to ensure that the workload will not interfere with any ongoing work commitments. Participants will be given short exercises to undertake between sessions and we would envisage a further 1 hour commitment in time be spent between sessions. The preparation for the final assessment will amalgamate these exercises and would probably require a further half day of preparation time.
How is the course structured?
The course is held over a four week period with one morning seminar taking place each week for four weeks. At the end of the course, there will be an oral and written assessment, each candidate delivering a presentation to a panel of three assessors.
When and where will the seminars take place?
The timetable for the seminars is published before the course starts. There will be four seminars, held in the mornings, in London, England. The optional Presentation half day will usually take place between course seminars three and four.
What will I gain from doing the ESA Sponsorship Sales Certificate?
– Show clear understanding of the sponsorship world
– Ability to tailor proposals for each client
– Ability to present with confidence and the skills needed to win pitches.
How is the course assessed?
Participants are assessed on a range of verbal and written sponsorship sales skills at the end of the course, including:
- Ability to demonstrate understanding of a client brief and ability to connect proposition to objectives
- Creative approach to sponsorship sales; ability to offer flexible solutions
- Confidence and authority in a live presentation environment
- Product knowledge
- Professionalism
- Commercial acumen
- Ability to answer Q&A sessions.
Course attendees will be given a selection of sponsorship briefs from which they select one. Attendees are requested to supply a written response to this brief (based on their own proposition and inventory) and also to prepare and present a verbal response to this brief to a panel of three assessors. This panel will also review and mark the written proposals.
The assessment framework weights equally the written and verbal skills that make up effective selling and both parts are scored out of 50, with a total available score to each candidate of 100.
At the end of the process, the marks are converted into percentages, which are then applied to the following grade structure:
| Under 50% | FAIL |
| 50* – 64.9% | PASS |
| 65 – 74.9% | COMMENDED |
| 75%+ | DISTINCTION |
*Please be aware that candidates MUST score over 25/50 within the verbal presentation section of the assessment to secure a pass. We invite candidates that fail the assessment to retake at a later date, at no additional cost.
Is this Certificate an accredited qualification?
Although not a qualification of degree level, this ESA Sponsorship Sales Certificate is accredited by the sponsorship industry.
Who is the tutor?
Catherine Hawkins is delivering the course. She has over 15 years’ experience in sponsorship and is the founder of Think!Sponsorship which provides sponsorship intelligence to the UK marketplace. Catherine works with a broad range of organisations across the sports, cultural, entertainment and b2b sectors and is a Non Executive Director of National Parks Partnerships.
Read Catherine’s blog
Who runs the course?
The course is run by the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) which is a trade body promoting and protecting the sponsorship industry. As a membership organisation, we look after the interests of our members who represent all those working within sponsorship – sponsors, rights holders, professional advisors, suppliers and agencies (sponsorship, marketing, PR, events).
If you’re interested in finding out more about the Association or becoming a member, please see the membership section of our website. Alternatively, contact ESA via esaoffice@sponsorship.org or telephone +44 (0)20 8390 3311.
