Professional Certificate

Business Development & Customer Relationship Management

Professional Certificate · CMI Accredited · Undergraduate Pathway

Build the business development mindset and CRM skills that drive sustainable commercial growth. This course equips junior and mid-level professionals with the practical tools to attract and retain customers, manage relationships effectively and use digital CRM platforms to support business growth.

Self-paced£290
Virtual£790
Regionalised Pricing Available
Experienced TrainersDelivered by qualified industry-practitioners
Awarded by
Business Development & Customer Relationship Management
About this course

Why This Course

Winning new customers is only half the story. Keeping them, understanding them and growing the relationship over time is where sustainable business growth actually comes from. Research by Bain and Company consistently shows that increasing customer retention rates by just five per cent increases profits by 25 to 95 per cent. For junior and mid-level professionals in commercial roles, understanding how to build and manage customer relationships systematically is one of the most immediately valuable skills they can develop.

Participants will explore the core principles of CRM, work through the full CRM process cycle from assessment to evaluation, and develop practical skills in strategic CRM planning and service quality management. The course also examines how AI-powered CRM platforms, automation tools and e-commerce integration are transforming how organisations manage customer relationships, giving participants the digital literacy to work confidently with current and emerging commercial tools.

This course is derived from LIBT's CMI-accredited Undergraduate Diploma in Business and Management. Participants who complete this certificate and wish to gain academic credit may submit the module assignment through LIBT's academic pathway. Completing the full diploma makes you eligible for CMI Foundation Chartered Manager status and provides direct entry into the final year of an undergraduate degree at one of LIBT's university partners.

What you'll cover

Course Content

Inside the programme

Your Learning Journey

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Explain the core principles and objectives of CRM and how they contribute to sustainable business development.

  • Apply the CRM process cycle to plan, execute and evaluate customer relationship strategies.

  • Identify and map customer touchpoints across the customer lifecycle to improve experience and retention.

  • Evaluate service quality frameworks and apply them to assess and improve CRM performance.

  • Use AI-powered CRM tools and automation platforms to manage customer relationships more efficiently and effectively.

Who should join

Who this programme is designed for

  • Junior sales executives and business development coordinators
  • Customer service team leaders and account managers
  • Marketing and commercial support staff with customer-facing responsibilities
  • Operations staff in organisations transitioning to a CRM-led commercial model
  • Early-career professionals in retail or financial services or hospitality and technology sectors
Accreditations and Memberships

Our Recognitions

Chartered Management Institute

This course is based on the CMI Accredited Undergraduate Diploma in Business Management, which is accredited by the CMI towards gaining the Foundation Chartered Manager status.

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

London Institute of Business & Technology is a member of the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA)

London Institute of Business & Technology is a full member of the ⁠Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

Continue your journey

Where this takes you next.

On successful completion you may progress directly into:

Awarding Body

Why choose the London Institute of Business & Technology

The London Institute of Business and Technology (LIBT) is a British institution with over a decade of experience delivering professional and executive education to organisations and individuals across the world. We work with more than 200 companies globally, delivering programmes in the UK, UAE, Thailand, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Jamaica, the Isle of Man and beyond. Our reach is international; our standards are uncompromisingly British.

Our Track Record

LIBT has been delivering professional and executive education for over ten years. We have worked with organisations across the private, public and third sectors, from regional government bodies and development agencies to multinational corporations and financial institutions. Our programmes have been delivered across four continents, and our trainers bring deep practitioner experience to every cohort they work with.

We do not treat corporate training as a commodity. Every programme we deliver, whether to an individual learner or a cohort of fifty senior leaders, is held to the same standard: rigorous in content, practical in application and relevant to the challenges leaders face today.

Quality and Regulation

LIBT is a full member of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the UK's independent body responsible for safeguarding standards in higher education. This membership confirms that our programmes, processes and academic practices meet the standards expected of a recognised UK higher education provider - an assurance that matters to corporate clients evaluating training providers for senior and executive cohorts.

Professional Accreditations

LIBT holds accreditation and endorsement from the UK's most respected professional bodies.

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) accredits and endorses a range of LIBT programmes, confirming they meet CMI's standards for management and leadership education. Participants completing a CMI-accredited programme at LIBT become eligible for Chartered Manager status, one of the most widely recognised professional designations in management worldwide.

The Association for Project Management (APM) has recognised LIBT's Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management under its Pathway 2 Recognised Assessment for the Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) designation, placing LIBT among a select group of institutions whose assessment meets APM's professional standard.

Academic Progression

For participants who wish to convert professional achievement into formal academic qualifications, LIBT's programmes provide direct pathways to postgraduate and undergraduate degrees at partner universities including the University of London, Coventry University, the University of Lancashire, the University of Portsmouth, the University of Essex, the University of Wolverhampton and Acacia University in the United States. Progression is based on each university's independent review of LIBT's programmes and outcomes.

From our community

Reviews from students across programmes we offer.

Hear from the professionals who studied with LIBT, the skills they gained, the goals they reached, and the moments that changed how they work.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need prior experience in sales or marketing to attend this course?
No. The course is designed for professionals at the start of their commercial career as well as those already working in customer-facing roles who want a more structured approach to managing relationships. Familiarity with a customer-facing environment is helpful but no prior formal training is required.
Does the course cover specific CRM software in depth?
The course provides a practical introduction to leading CRM platforms including Salesforce, HubSpot and Microsoft Dynamics, with a focus on how to use them effectively rather than technical configuration or administration. Participants leave with the digital literacy to work confidently within these systems and the judgement to evaluate which platform best fits a given business context.
Can this course be delivered for our organisation's commercial team?
Yes. LIBT offers bespoke in-house delivery for corporate clients, with CRM exercises, customer journey maps and business development scenarios built around your organisation's customer base, commercial strategy and CRM platform. This format is particularly effective for teams implementing a new CRM system or seeking to improve commercial performance across a customer-facing function. Contact us to discuss your requirements.
Take the next step

Ready to lead at the next level?

Register in minutes and start whenever suits you. If you would like to discuss the course, your delivery options, or how it fits into your development plan, our team is happy to talk it through beforehand.