Sales Professionals Want More Training

by Charlotte Chelsom-Pill

More than half of UK sales professionals are unsatisfied with the amount of training they receive per year, a survey has revealed.

58% of 644 UK sales professionals questioned in a recent survey answered that they are unhappy with the amount of training that they are offered in their current role.

The survey which was conducted by Aaron Wallis, a UK sales recruitment company revealed that 36% of people had zero days of training throughout 2008. This figure has risen from 2007 when a similar survey conducted by Aaron Wallis’ Managing Director, Rob Scott, revealed that 32% of respondents had received zero training days a year.

Similarly the number of people who claimed that they had received 8 or more days of training in the previous year has decreased from 17% in 2007 to 14% in 2009.

Evidence compiled suggests that a lack of training is impacting on performance and job satisfaction amongst sales professionals. There was a correlation between those who scored their career highly out of ten and how many training days they received. Incidentally, 36% of the respondents who scored their career to date ten out of ten got eight or more days of training a year. This is almost triple the general trend.

Of those that felt that they don’t receive enough training, 77% were actively looking for a new role compared to 68% of those who are satisfied with the training. A further 91% of people that feel that they don’t get enough training answered that they felt that the sales industry is getting harder compared to 80% of those that do.

In additional comments, one respondent said: “The business environment is constantly changing so the sales team need to be updated and trained on these changes regularly.” Another said: “I have been promised professional sales training since my interview, this is yet to materialise.”

The top three training requirements cited were ‘new business generation/cold calling’ (26%), ‘Time Management and Planning’ (15%) and ‘Motivational Training’ (12%).

The Managing Director of Aaron Wallis, Rob Scott said: “There is a direct correlation between training, success and employee satisfaction which this survey confirms. Lack of training is also one of the most common reasons cited by candidates when they register with us to look for a new career move”