Sales: skills shortages.

It says examples of the key drivers of change in the sales profession include: relevant policy and legislation, technological change, consultative selling and economic performance.

The MSSSB found that, although the sales sector employs just over two million personnel in directly-related occupations in the UK – with up to another 1.3 million employed in roles which include elements of sales practice, skills shortages are having an adverse impact on business. The research also found that employers continue to have problems recruiting specific positions – the key job role being sales representatives.

Skills needs

Key reasons indicated in recruitment difficulties include:

• applicants lacking the skills required;
• applicants lacking experience; and
• applicants with poor attitudes and low motivation.

At the same time, key skills lacking among applicants appear to be sales process skills and commercial business and understanding.

Education and training

In-house informal training is the most popular training mode for delivering sales training but sales personnel believe that skills gaps are likely to be more effectively resolved through in-house formal training. This would address the key need for more tailored courses, focusing on disciplines, and specific managerial tasks.

Education and training provision

England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Sales NVQ at levels 2, 3 or 4
Apprenticeship in sales and telesales
Options to study sales and retail through the VRQ route
Sales cannot be studied as a single subject at school and there is no dedicated module relating to sales within any business curriculum.

Scotland
Sales and Telesales Modern Apprenticeship.
Two sales and marketing HNDS, although these do not focus specifically on sales.
Specific sales units are available at school.

Across the UK sales is a significantly under represented subject at higher education level strengthening the case for improvements in sales qualifications and training provision on a national scale.

Analysis of gaps

The report identifies a number of key gaps between skills needs and education and training provision are:

• limited recognition of sales as a professional discipline;
• lack of standardisation across sales skills training and qualifications;
• few effective and established entry routes into the profession;
• insufficient continuing professional development through training;
• lack of perceived value of sales NVQs;
• insufficient use of in-house formal training; and
• low awareness of basic sales skills in the pre-entry and lower-level workforce.

The Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) Sales Report represents the findings of a three-stage research exercise to understand labour market issues in the sales profession. It outlines the results of LMI research carried out into the sales profession in the UK over a three-month period from November 2007 to January 2008. The full LMI sales report contains a summary of the sales force by: gender, age, ethnic minority, training and education and is available on request from Dr Chahid Fourali at the MSSSB. To email click here.

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