Beyond Del
Boy... The real value of the sales profession
Why sales professionals should
feel great about what we do.
When you meet someone new and
they say, “So what do you do?” Do you proudly say, “I’m in sales” or do you
make some vague, slightly embarrassed comment about being “on the commercial
side of the business”?
The sales profession has long
been beset by negative stereotypes. In the UK these stereotypes have been
around for decades, Arthur Daley, Del boy Trotter and more recently some of the
hard sell, “in your face” selling behaviours we see from competitors in the TV show,
The Apprentice.
The ISMM’s much needed mission
has always been to promote the sales profession and encourage a clear
differentiation between sophisticated, professional selling and the old stereotypes,
between ethical and unethical selling and also between B2B selling and the low
scope end of the sales spectrum.
But lets take it a step further, it’s
undisputable that sales and selling skills are the engine room for almost any
business, the thing that makes a business thrive and survive or not. But it’s
more than that even, I’d argue that it
is a force for good in society.
Everybody needs to be able to
sell and persuade. It doesn’t matter if it’s persuading your partner which
restaurant to go to or which holiday to take, persuading your kids that they
really must do their homework or persuading your managers to give you the resources
needed to meet your objectives, or your customers to buy your product - it’s
all essentially sales. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a job named sales or not,
we all need the knowledge and skills to sell and to influence if we are to get
what we want in life.
What does this mean in practical
terms? Eureka! - A social enterprise has been doing work over the last 6 years
that has been taking the teaching of sales skills to a wider audience. This
enterprise business has been teaching sales, marketing and enterprise skills to
kids, young people and unemployed people. They have been using the ISMM qualifications
to teach these groups the skills they need not only to have a highly
transferrable skill set that will give them a head start in applying for jobs
in business, sales, and marketing, but also so they have the skills to be able
to sell and market themselves and articulate their own value and the benefits
they can bring to employers. They have been working with schools, colleges,
local authorities and the European Social Fund to bring sales and enterprise
skills to these often-vulnerable groups. Even Ofsted recognise the value of
this saying in a recent report, “Enterprise education,….not only prepares children
for their future life as consumers, producers and citizens, but contributes to
outstanding achievement throughout the school.” For unemployed people, both
NEET young people and older people, learning sales skills gives them increased
confidence and the ability to communicate well and persuade people around them
and especially employers.
Why does this
matter to anybody already in sales?
1.
It’s good for improving the
reputation of sales and moving away from negative stereotypes, which is a big
positive for anyone in sales.
2.
It means we are building a
good future pipeline of recruits for the sales profession.
3.
It means that as businesses
or individuals we can fulfill our social responsibility and be contributing to
our communities and feel good about it via our sales expertise.
How can
businesses / individuals get involved?
·
Apprenticeships and work
experience programmes are a massive area of government investment. Taking on a
sales apprentice or a work placement person is a great way to get involved.
·
Go and talk in schools/
colleges/ universities and “evangelise” the value of sales skills and sales
careers.
·
Support and sponsor
programmes for schools/ colleges in your areas that introduce and train sales
and enterprise skills, it’s great PR, ticks the CSR box and is usually a
tremendously rewarding thing to do. Contact us if you want more details of
how to do this.
Sales is a
great profession to be in and those of in it should feel proud about what we do.
These wider applications of what we do give us the opportunity to further
extend the importance and value of our profession.
