In March 2021, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Professional Sales published its report: “Supercharging Sales – Investing in B2B Selling for Jobs and Growth”.
This was a landmark moment for our profession and a significant step towards greater recognition of the important role Sales plays in the economic performance of our country, more crucial than ever as we emerge from the global Covid-19 pandemic.
However, we should be wary not to view the report as a kind of abstract document that doesn’t affect us as Sales Professionals day to day. Instead, we should take time to understand the opportunity it represents and how, through our actions, we can make a difference for our profession and national prosperity as a result.
There Are Three Primary Recommendations
The Supercharging Sales report contains the following three headline recommendations:
- Recognise the importance to the economy of B2B selling
- Encourage more entrants into the B2B sales profession at SMEs
- Promote higher sales skills and uptake of digital sales technology
These may seem like quite lofty ambitions that sit outside the control of You as a Sales Professional, but that is not the case. Below we make some recommendations for small actions you can take to help Supercharge Sales in these areas and further the profession of which you are a part.
Recognise the importance to the economy of B2B selling
There is a lot the government could eventually do in this regard, as detailed in the report’s conclusion. However, you can genuinely help too. My first call to action would be to join the professional body for our industry. This is the Association of Professional Sales (soon to be renamed The Institute for Sales Professionals). The Sales Profession needs a voice at the heart of government to shape investment in skills, raise awareness of why Sales is so crucial to business success and attract more talent to our sector. They have an open culture and through your membership you can contribute ideas, become actively involved and genuinely contribute to raising the profile of Sales. You’ll also meet lots of other sales leaders and practitioners which is great for widening your own perspective!
The APS offers corporate membership too, so consider discussing the benefits of membership with your employer. Corporate membership would deliver access to advice and training perspectives from industry experts, access to yourself, your sales colleagues or teams to sales accreditations from beginner up to degree level and networking opportunities with a wide variety of practitioners. I have always found this aspect of membership incredibly beneficial and have met some inspirational people. I promise I’m not on a commission, I just feel passionately about the difference APS membership can make for you!
Encourage more entrants into the B2B sales profession at SMEs
In this area the report focusses on education, apprenticeships and career pathways – all of which need developing to better support Sales as a career choice. Through your own conversations and daily interactions you can definitely help. Consider any of the following:
- Talking with children or young adults in your family or social circle about the benefits of choosing a Sales career
- Offering to give a school talk on why Sales is a good career choice or sharing insights with school careers advisors in your local area
- Acting in an exemplary fashion in your own Sales interactions – we all have a role to play to improve the false image of Sales we so often encounter.
- Being more overt in your social conversations about what you do and why it is so rewarding
- Encouraging your employer to look at the apprenticeship levy to invest in new sales people of graduate age or even younger
If more people understood the benefits of working in Sales more would choose it as a career rather than “falling into it” as you often see. It is a career where you can make a real difference to organisations and individuals; where the results of your actions deliver real improvements to businesses that otherwise might have struggled. Among other things, good Salespeople are problem-solvers and deliverers of outcomes, thinkers who can articulate ideas well. A million miles from the classic over-talking sales stereotype…
Promote higher sales skills…
If you are a Sales practitioner working for a Sales leader, ask them about development opportunities or investment in your skills. Challenge them to articulate methods and practices that you can follow to enhance your performance. Organisations that invest in sales skills training and follow sales processes have better outcomes than those that don’t. However, smaller organisations can struggle to know where to start.
If you are a Sales Leader in this position, consider investment in sales skills training for your team or yourself. The APS can give advice on this. Also, The Humble Sale could introduce you to some helpful people. There are some excellent coaches out there who can give you guidance. Even with limited budget, a half day spent 1:1 as a leader discussing strategy can really help you organise your own thinking.
Larger sales organisations have a role to play too. If you are a Sales Leader in a large organisation consider contributing advice via social media or establishing an industry or regional community of sales leaders from other companies to share ideas and promote skills. You could even reach out to smaller SMEs and offer advice to help them thrive. If you have a reseller network this could be particularly beneficial as your investment in their skills would solidify your reputation and brand credibility. Brilliantly, the time spent would also give you a business return.
...and uptake of digital sales technology
Digital selling is also important for our profession. There are some powerful tools and platforms out there, which complement face to face sales practices. Talk with social or digital selling experts. Discuss with your network what experiences they have had with CRM systems. A well designed system can aid selling, the opposite can be a huge hindrance. Share your experiences with your network so we can all learn.
Digital sales technology is not limited to CRM systems, there are great e-commerce tools, marketing platforms, campaign platforms, content sharing platforms, the list is vast. Perhaps the most interesting shift in recent times is the switch to remote selling. This has forced an uptake in the technology, please do remember to focus equally on the skills needed to thrive in this new setting.
In Summary
The Supercharging Sales APPG report is a watershed moment. However, it will remain just that unless we take collective responsibility as a profession for real improvement and action. This post just contains a few ideas, do give some thought to how you can help our profession thrive. The more people we can attract to Sales, the more success we’ll all achieve. Think of the opportunity, growth and investment we’ll create for our wonderful profession.
