In another first for the sales industry, the Institute of Sales Professionals is pleased to announce a new initiative to support people at the start of their selling career.
Today, we are launching the Emerging Professionals Network (EPN) – part of the wider Institute of Sales Professionals.
The EPN is a vibrant and inclusive network for those new to sales to share ideas, build expertise, support each other and develop themselves through tailored content and guidance. The network will also provide a friendly environment to discuss opportunities and challenges and get advice from experienced salespeople and sales leaders acting as mentors.
Recognised career paths leading to sales-specific accreditations and qualifications are key to driving up skills and standards across the profession, and the EPN is there to support those leaving school or college, as well as those choosing to change jobs and work in sales for first time.
Economics and politics graduate, Jasmine Thompson, a sales apprentice and joint leader of the EPN said: “We have already had a lot of interest in our network and are welcoming new salespeople from a variety of companies and sectors.
“The EPN provides a great opportunity for career development and support. Selling is exciting but it’s competitive and belonging to our network means you will stand out from the crowd by showing your customers and future employers that you are dedicated to improving your skills, knowledge and behaviour.
“The EPN will not only help with sales education and development, it also provides a friendly network where we can meet like-minded professionals and enjoy some down time, away from work.”
Fellow EPN leader Josh Travers is a degree-level apprentice with Royal Mail. He gave evidence to a recent parliamentary inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Professional Sales and spoke about the importance of changing the perception of sales and selling.
Josh said: “The EPN offers a great opportunity to define a new standard for dynamic professionals working in sales.
“Sales is a fun and rewarding career but it was never spoken about in school; it just seemed to be something that people fell into. That’s partly why we wanted to set up the EPN. We wanted a network to support and encourage new sellers, but we also wanted to change the often negative perception of sales and encourage more people to consider our profession.
“The EPN is friendly and energetic and we are looking forward to driving positive change together. Businesses can’t survive without selling and having talented people working in our industry is crucial for the future of the UK economy.”