SHL, the global leader in talent assessment solutions in the workplace, is taking part in a new initiative launched by the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM) at Writhlington School in Radstock, near Bath.
The two-day event involving 75 Year 12 students at the specialist Business and Enterprise School has been designed to help students understand the skills needed for a successful career in sales, which are not currently taught as part of the national curriculum.
Nathalie Gower, Business Development Director at SHL and winner of Sales Professional of the Year at the ISMM’s British Excellence in Sales and Marketing Awards 2009, will be talking alongside SHL’s Peter Humphreys, Vice President of Sales, about what a successful sales career involves.
SHL’s talk kicks off a packed day of training that includes a look at the theory involved in sales and marketing as well as top tips for career progression.
As part of the education programme students will be able to take a career guidance test developed by SHL to find out whether they have the right competencies to be a good salesperson.
Humphreys explains:
“Sales is an exciting and demanding career which provides huge opportunities in a wide variety of fields. SHL is delighted to support the ISMM in its drive to make sales a more accessible career choice for students and we will be providing the opportunity for sixth formers to try out SHL’s Career Pathfinder psychometric assessment to see if they have the skills needed to succeed in a sales and marketing role.
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“SHL is highly experienced in helping leading companies recruit the best sales people and our Sales Report, a popular commercial psychometric assessment, accurately identifies the qualities needed to do well in today’s complex sales environment. It is an online assessment tool that can help companies identify individuals that not only have the potential to sell, but also what stages of the sales cycle will play to their individual strengths.
“This in turn helps identify the role someone is most suited to, whether it be new business development or inside sales rep. Helping students understand the wide range of sales roles they could follow will be crucial in attracting the best talent into the sales profession long-term.”
