Apprenticeship training course
Sales executive (level 4)
Leading end-to-end sales interaction with customers and managing sales internally within an organisation.
- Qualification level
-
4
Equivalent to higher national certificate (HNC). - Typical duration
- 18 months
- Apprenticeship category
- Sales, marketing and procurement
- Maximum funding
-
£6,000
Maximum amount government will fund
for apprenticeship training. - Also known as
-
- Business Development Executive
- Field Sales Executive
- Sales Advisor
- Sales Consultant
- Sales Representative
- Sales Specialist
- Skills
-
Skills an apprentice will learn
- Sales planning and preparation: Set effective targets using sales forecasts. Prioritise customers and activities to grow account value and maximise return-on-investment in line with your organisation’s strategy. Formulate or refine customer plans and objectives. Create efficient territory plans where appropriate.
- Customer engagement: Effectively communicate and interpret customer information exchanged through written, verbal and non-verbal communication. Develop a customer engagement style that effectively opens sales conversations, builds rapport, enhances customer relationships, and adapts to different customer’s social preferences.
- Customer needs analysis: Be highly skilled at effective questioning and active listening techniques to understand the customer’s needs, guide the sales conversation appropriately, create mutual understanding, and build trust and affinity with customers.
- Propose and present solutions: Develop sales proposals and deliver them using a presentation style and technique appropriate for your customer. Present relevant products and/or services, explain features and their advantages, and clearly articulate the value and benefit of the solution for the specific customer. Use and adapt a range of techniques to draw-out and overcome common sales objections.
- Negotiate: Research the customer’s likely desired outcomes and negotiating stance. Develop responses to likely objections. Identify your own organisation’s needs, such as minimum price and acceptable terms. Negotiate or trade variables effectively.
- Closing Sales: Be attuned to verbal and non-verbal buying-signals andmove to close at an appropriate point in sales conversations. Develop ethical techniques to close sales and confirm customers’ purchase agreement.
- Gathering Intelligence: Collect, analyse and interpret market intelligence and share it appropriately and effectively within your organisation.
- Time Management: Use and adapt appropriate tools and techniques to prioritise and manage your time effectively.
- Collaboration and team work: Contribute effectively within a team environment. Work collaboratively with both internal and external stakeholders. Manage communications with the cross-functional team in relation to the effective delivery of your sales, such as finance and service delivery. Support continual business improvement by sharing best practice with sales team colleagues and assist the marketing team to develop new marketing collateral.
- Customer experience management: Deliver a positive customer experience. Manage customer enquiries and issues effectively. Take proactive action to prevent and minimise customer concerns and complaints. Handle all customer interactions professionally to the customer’s satisfaction.
- Digital skills: Effectively use digital tools to conduct research and target customers in line with the overall sales strategy. Able to deliver presentations and meetings using digital communication. Complete accurate records and process sales in accordance with your organisation’s policies, procedures and digital CRM systems.
Full information on Sales executive (level 4) is available from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.