ISMM (The Institute of Sales & Marketing Management) has conducted internal research among its members to gain a clear view of the sales industry in Britain and how it has changed over recent years with the introduction of new technology.
Relationships today can be built virtually, particularly with the introduction of social networking sites, making it faster and easier to converse across the country at a click of a button. But what does this mean for the sales industry?
The ISMM are the UK’s leading authority for sales people, they have been the authoritative voice of selling and the custodian of sales standards, ethics and best practice for over 100 years. They boast strong commitment to developing sales talent and are recognised as the only sales award organisation by the UK Government regulatory body Ofqual, offering a full range of qualifications in Sales, Marketing and Sales Management.
Sales professionals join the ISMM membership for a number of reasons, the main advantage being professional recognition as a sales person as well as sharing best practice, specific industry guidance and support and training development – Recent analysis showed that 98% of members would recommend to their colleagues in the sales industry.
In business, sales are often thought of as a secondary priority to things like branding and advertising. It’s easy for businesses to forget that sales is the only activity in business that creates revenue, everything else creates cost – Therefore sales must be a priority factor for all firms in this economy.
Here are three ways to create a more professional salesforce:
· Place more value on the role of the sales team in your business, ensure that every member of the company is supporting and paying a role in the sales effort, from the receptionist to the CEO everyone has to represent and support the sales effort.
· Train the individuals in the sales team to the highest possible level, many sales training courses centre around how to behave in meetings or trying to get past gatekeepers – one of the best ways to train sales people is to train them to understand where best to spend their time, where the best prospects are and how to develop propositions that talk to vertical markets.
· Walk away from bad deals, many sales professionals take and do deals that are bad for their client, make a stand against this. Not only does this protect your brand and your long term revenue, but it also gives the sales team the credibility to make positive recommendations rather than just taking any deal that comes their way.
Sales Manager from Beaphar UK Ltd, Roland Huggett has been a member of ISMM for over 15 years and says “I applied to become a member of ISMM in 1998 after reading a copy of their sales magazine, Winning Edge. Fifteen years later and I am still a member, running a sales team of 15 people and my ISMM membership provides new ideas help me to keep up with trends, and motivate my team & myself to push ourselves even harder. I would not hesitate to encourage sales people to join ISMM and hope the organisation continues its good work in raising the image of the sales profession."
ISMM members come from every sector of industry and commerce. From those just starting a sales career through too senior and experienced sales managers and directors, they share a commitment to upholding the standards of professionalism and integrity that are all hallmarks of sales success.