Success Story
From instinct to evidence:
how my apprenticeship changed the way I work
Name:
Lauren Kent
Programme:
Marketing Executive Level 4 Apprenticeship
Role & Company
Trainer, Facilitator & Marketing Lead
Exporter Services, Nottingham
Course Sales Growth
900%
increase in monthly sales
Before CRM
5/year
courses sold
After CRM
4–7/ month
consistently maintained
The Starting Point
The apprenticeship has changed that. It’s given me the frameworks, the vocabulary, and — most importantly — the tools to back up my decisions with evidence.
Responsibilities
My Role
Training Delivery
Designing and delivering comprehensive training programs
Corporate Workshops
Facilitating workshops for teams and organizations.
Marketing Leadership
Leading strategic marketing initiatives and campaigns
Business Development
Driving growth and new business opportunities
What I’ve learned
and how I’ve applied it
That came to life when I dug into our website data. What I found was telling: we were getting a healthy volume of visitors, but the conversion rate told a different story. People were landing on the site and leaving without taking action. That insight grounded in data rather than assumption is now actively shaping how we approach the website, where we focus our efforts, and what we change first. Before the apprenticeship, I might have had a hunch something wasn’t quite right. Now I can point to exactly where the gap is.
Marketing Analytics
Practical knowledge and methodologies for real-world application
Strategic Planning
Practical knowledge and methodologies for real-world application
Customer Journey Mapping
Practical knowledge and methodologies for real-world application
Data-Driven Decision Making
Practical knowledge and methodologies for real-world application
Measuring Impact
Practical knowledge and methodologies for real-world application
Critical Thinking
Practical knowledge and methodologies for real-world application
Key Initiative
Building a CRM & Email Marketing System From Scratch
Before I set this up, we were selling around 5 courses a year. There was no structured way of nurturing existing customers, no consistent communication, and no system for staying front of mind between enquiries. I spent the summer of 2025 building the CRM from scratch, so it was ready to go by the autumn.
Using what I’d learned about customer journeys, segmentation, and strategic marketing planning, I developed an email marketing approach focused on selling courses to our existing customer base. The results took a couple of months to build which felt entirely normal but once the momentum was there, it was clear something had genuinely shifted. We went from 5 course sales a year to consistently selling 4 to 7 courses every month: roughly a 900% increase in monthly sales volume, sustained over several months.
That’s not just a number on a slide. That’s real commercial impact, delivered through a combination of strategic thinking and practical application exactly what the apprenticeship has helped me develop.
Before
Infrastructure
No CRM System
Marketing Strategy
No Customer Nurturing
Results
5 Courses/Year
After
Infrastructure
CRM Implemented
Marketing Strategy
Email Marketing Strategy
Results
4–7 Courses/Month
5 courses/year
4-7 courses/month
Consistent growth through systematic approach
Real Results
900%
Growth in Monthly Course Sales
Real commercial impact driven by strategic marketing skills learned during the apprenticeship. From instinct-based decisions to data-driven strategy.
- ✓ Implemented comprehensive CRM system
- ✓ Created automated email marketing workflows
- ✓ Built data analytics dashboard for tracking ROI
- ✓ Trained team on evidence-based decision making
The Transformation
The apprenticeship didn't just give me a qualification — it changed how I think and approach my work.
Skills I’ve developed
Alongside the technical marketing skills, the apprenticeship has sharpened how I think. I’m more comfortable now with strategic planning stepping back from the day-to-day and thinking about where we’re trying to go and what the data is telling us. I’ve become much more confident in measuring impact and articulating results in a way that means something to a business, not just a marketing team.
I’ve also developed a more critical eye. I’ve learned to interrogate information, question assumptions, and look for evidence — skills that feed directly into both my marketing work and my facilitation practice.
Looking ahead
The apprenticeship has reinforced something I already suspected: the work that energises me most sits at the intersection of people, learning, and creating something that makes a real difference. It has also given me the confidence to know that what I do and the results I can point to — are worth something.
The apprenticeship has reinforced something I already suspected: the work that energises me most sits at the intersection of people, learning, and creating something that makes a real difference. It has also given me the confidence to know that what I do — and the results I can point to are worth something.
Lauren Kent
Trainer, Facilitator & Marketing Lead
Exporter Services, Nottingham
