Historically, selling has been at the root of the development of civilised society. The subsistence farmer who traded his surplus stock for products he couldn’t make or grow for himself was a salesman. So too were the great sailors and explorers who established global trade links. As the UK’s largest private-sector employer, employing around 3 million people (11% of the UK’s working population), retail has created more jobs than any other sector over the last five years. Some 279,000 businesses take around £250 billion per year, 5.7% of the UK’s entire gross value added (GVA). Here are some more facts about this sector:

• between 2004 and 2014 an extra 250,000 new jobs will be created in the UK’s retail sector
• half the workforce are sales and customer staff, and approximately 10% managers
• just over half the workforce are part-time workers
• on average, retailers have a 40% staff turnover rate
• a third of UK retail workers are aged from 16 to 24, while 28% are over 45 years of age
• the sector employs a 60/40 split of men and women
• 17% of retailers have at least one staff vacancy
• 7% of retailers report at least one hard-to-fill vacancy.

The main employment areas in retail are:

• store operations (management/sales/stocking shelves)
• human resources/training (personnel/recruitment/training)
• finance and administration (accounts/credit/audit/procurement)
• buying (sourcing/purchasing/merchandising)
• customer contact centres (telephone/SMS/fax/post)
• marketing (loyalty/brands/events/PR)
• logistics (movement/handling/storage)
• information technology (hardware/software/data/security).

Sales are at the very core of any successful organisation. In today’s dynamic and increasingly competitive business environment, the need for highly skilled, professional salespeople is greater than ever. Even organisations in the not-for-profit sector sell – sometimes quite aggressively.

A great emphasis is placed on the quality of a sales person’s relationship with their clients. By working in partnership with clients a professional sales person can ensure that the client–supplier relationship is more mutually beneficial.

In order to succeed in this partnership-centred sales environment, sales people need to understand far more about their customers’ business, particularly where a sale includes ongoing maintenance commitments. They need to be able to think creatively in order to provide their customers with business solutions that are going to make them more effective in their markets.

Personal qualities

The list of personal qualities desirable for sales people will surprise nobody – they are:

• reliability
• determination
• self-discipline
• self-motivation
• resourcefulness
• commitment
• aptitude for teamwork
• a ‘can-do’ attitude.

Employment

There are a number of different areas of sales employment:

• advertising and media – persuading clients that an advertisement in a publication or on a radio or TV station, or website will be advantageous for them
• product sales – including medical, pharmaceutical, cars and financial services – selling directly to a customer, to a retailer, wholesaler or manufacturer
• exhibition sales – using a stand as a form of ‘mobile shop’, often selling to organisations in similar business areas and building relationships with clients
• retailing – the traditional high-street or corner shops with a general or specific product range
• door-to-door – a job that still employs people and can involve some excellent products.

Network marketing involves selling products to friends, family and other contacts. Individuals buy products, which may be of high quality, from the supplier and a proportion of the purchase money goes to the person who introduced them to the network. The individuals then form their own ‘downstream’ network by persuading their contacts to sell the products to their contacts, and they in turn receive a proportion of the resultant purchases. The more people each person in the network introduces, the greater the amount of money they will all get from purchases. It is most certainly legal, as opposed to pyramid selling with which it is often confused, and a number of people are very happy doing it; but it is not for everyone and people should understand what they are getting into before joining the network.

Sales functions include:

• telesales – on the phone all day every day, usually surrounded by others, working in-house or in a call centre where people might be selling insurance one day and cars the next
• field sales – getting out to meet customers, making visits and presentations, and often organising a schedule to meet individuals’ needs and those of their customers
• management – when people have earned promotion through their sales record; sales managers may well then take further qualifications to enter general management.

When looking for their first employer, people should ideally choose a company that will offer good training. They may need considerable training before being allowed out on their own – either into the field or on the phone. Early training may well be about sales techniques, the company and product knowledge.

Training and qualifications

Although several sector skills councils are involved with standards and qualifications for sales in their sector, Skillsmart Retail is the one that focuses most closely on the overall sales function. It is developing Skills Maps as a foundation for standards and qualifications in each of the major functions found in the retail industry. National Occupational Standards have been developed in five clusters:

1. Determine the organisation’s intended commercial position
2. Maintain the supply of goods and services
3. Promote and sell products and services to customers
4. Provide effective customer service
5. Maintain organisational effectiveness.

A set of retail National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications have been introduced, as follows:

• Retail Skills Level 1
• Retail Skills Level 2
• Retail Level 3 (Management)
• Retail Level 3 (Sales Professional)
• Retail Level 3 (Visual Merchandising).

These qualifications have been made more attractive and attainable by reducing and simplifying the process. There is also a Foundation Degree in Retail Store Management, which is available from several universities/colleges.

The Institute of Sales & Marketing Management (ISMM) has a range of professional qualifications:

• Level 2 Award in Basic Sales Skills
• Level 2 Certificate in Sales & Marketing
• Level 3 Award in Advanced Sales Skills
• Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Sales & Marketing
• Level 5 Diploma in Strategic Sales (Sales Management or Key Account Management).

These awards are being superseded by a new suite of qualifications from Levels 1 to 6 on the National Qualifications Framework.

Members of the Institute come from all sectors of industry and commerce, and it offers membership at grades from Student to Companion, conferences and seminars, training services and a monthly magazine.

Salaries

Rewards vary enormously, probably more so in this industry than any other. It is relatively easy to measure performance and pay accordingly; and that is why many packages have a low basic pay, supported by commission, profit-related and/or bonus payments that reflect the individual’s success or otherwise. Someone starting out in their early twenties as a junior sales person with plenty of skills but few academic qualifications could earn about £18,000. At the other end of the scale, the managing director of a large chain of stores could earn upwards of £100,000. Typically, a sales manager would earn around £30,000 to £45,000 with commission, bonuses and other incentives on top.

Useful contacts

The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management, Harrier Court, Lower Woodside, Bedfordshire LU1 4DQ Tel: 01582 840001 Website:www.ismm.co.uk

Skillsmart Retail Ltd, The Retail Sector Skills Council, 4th Floor, 93 Newman Street, LondonW1T 3EZTel: 020 7462 5060Website:www.skillsmartretail.com