Many congratulations to Persimmon, the first homebuilding company to achieve our Investor in Sales award for their commitment to develop strong customer relationships based on integrity, trust, and ethical selling.
Since the start of their partnership with the Institute of Sales Professionals (ISP), Persimmon have experienced a succession of notable achievements. So far, 114 sales advisers are fully accredited with the ISP with more to follow; turnover of staff working in their sales excellence programme has fallen by 70% and the company’s Home Builders Federation score is now five stars – up from four stars in 2020.
Ed McCoy, Persimmon group sales director said: “Our sales staff are an integral part of our customers’ journey, so developing them throughout their careers to become outstanding ethical salespeople is the right decision for a company that’s putting the customer at the heart of everything that we do.
“The feedback from colleagues has been excellent and we’re delighted so many of the team have taken on the challenge of achieving this qualification.”
Craig Timmins, Persimmon group skills training manager said: “The benefits of collaborating with the ISP on our Sales Excellence Programme are clear to see. Persimmon retain highly-trained, effective staff, and meet business targets whilst maintaining our values.
“Our employees get access not only to our own comprehensive internal training programme, but also to continuous professional development through the ISP’s training platform. Our customers benefit from a first-class experience with a highly trained and trusted salesperson. It’s definitely been a great decision for us.”
Senior leaders at Persimmon had felt that sales skills within their industry were often undervalued and wanted to recognise those skills with an accredited programme of continuous professional development so their alliance with the ISP was a perfect fit. They believe that being the first in the homebuilding sector to offer corporate membership of the Institute to their sales teams reflected the company’s commitment to their staff, nurturing them as ethical sales professionals focused on customer experience.
Patrick Joiner, ISP managing director, said: “Many congratulations to the dedicated salespeople at Persimmon for achieving our Investor in Sales award. We really value our corporate partnership with them and are delighted to support their professional sales development through the ISP.
“Buying a home is the biggest financial commitment most of us make in our lifetime, and research tells us it is also one of the most stressful, so knowing you are buying from a trusted company with sales advisers who act with integrity and have been tested and backed by external professional exams and accreditation is really important to customers’ peace of mind.”
The ISP’s professional ethics exam is based on the Institute’s Fair programme. Salespeople who are members of the Institute sign up to our code of conduct, pledging to Follow the rules; provide Appropriate solutions in the best interests of their customers, stakeholders and the organisations they work for; act with Integrity; and Raise the bar with continuing professional development.
Once a salesperson has passed the exam, they appear on the Institute’s professional register of competent, ethical salespeople.
The exam is not a simple test. To pass, candidates must score at least 85%, and a new exam has to be taken every two years, so salespeople need to keep their skills and knowledge up to date to remain on the register. To gain the Investor in Sales award at least 75% of a sales team must past the exam which tests their expertise, professional ethics, decision-making and honesty in doing the right thing for their customers.
To learn more about the ISP’s Fair programme please follow the link, because customers and businesses depend on sales professionals and organisations they can trust.