We have lift off

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world”

You will have noticed some changes to this issue of Winning Edge – some areas that are different and were outlined in our previous edition by Paul Pybus, where he invited you all to travel with your professional Institute “towards a brighter future”.

Obvious changes such as a new logo, highlighting our change in identity to the new Institute of Sales Management (ISM), could seem on the surface to be superficial and inconsequential, but have in fact been arrived at after much discussion and consideration and a re-imagining of the position that we felt the Institute should demonstrate to the world of sales.

We used to be the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM), of course. Removing the M for “marketing” from the title is more than an exercise in streamlining the name, and of allowing us to re-brand with a newly designed, fresh looking logo. The decision was made as part of an all-encompassing review of the remit and activities of the organisation in light of the current and future requirements of the sales industry around the world.

We decided to remove the reference to marketing as a separate entity from sales to ensure a greater emphasis is placed on the function, responsibility, process and importance of the sales element in its own right, along with our commitment to those involved in working within the sales industry.

So, we have a new name, the Institute of Sales Management, or ISM, and a new logo. We also have a renewed remit to provide our members with an even greater level of leadership, information, advice, networking opportunities, Ofqual-regulated sales qualifications, education and training – and a greater range of benefits than ever before.

As the sales industry and its people move further into the 21st century, embracing new communication and learning methods, utilising social media to share information, and embracing a global economy, so the newly positioned ISM will not only continue to serve its members, but seek to innovate and to lead the profession for which it proudly stands.

Central to the new ISM is a core vision that demonstrates a Framework of Excellence for the sales industry. This encompasses all that we do and wish to be, from our position as the global thought leader on all aspects of sales, as the central portal for the worldwide exchange of ideas and information by salespeople to their peers, through to our bespoke education and training offerings.

l Allowing companies and individuals to understand “what great looks like”. l Inspiring, structuring and guiding all teaching for ISM qualifications. l Professional Sales Certification – a gold standard of recognition, learning, expectation, achievement and outlook.

At the heart of this Framework of Excellence lies our innovation of ISM Professional Sales Certification. There are many employment sectors where workers are required to prove their capability for performing a specific role by undertaking and achieving some form of recognised qualification against a set of exacting professional standards. This process either takes place prior to employment, with prospects gaining the necessary certification or qualification in order to be considered for entry into a position, or by undertaking learning programmes once employed, and usually as a condition of their continued employment. Despite the sales sector having been at the forefront of training and development for the better part of a century, it has not benefited from a cross-sector, gold seal standard of professional recognition – until now.

To this end we will be providing four levels of Professional Sales Certification: Associate, Executive, Leader and Master, each specifically designed to benchmark and recognise a sales professional’s current capabilities, skills and knowledge, and then provide appropriate support and guidance as you progress through the different stages of their sales career. Those certified will undertake a sales-related psychometric evaluation, which will provide them with a detailed career path outlining strengths and areas for further development to assist them in identifying the correct, bespoke learning package designed to suit their needs.

Professional Sales Certification with the ISM will be a badge of honour for those in the sales industry. It will demonstrate to clients, customers,

l The need for practitioners to demonstrate their capabilities against professionally recognised processes – as in marketing, finance, law or engineering. l The need to equate and validate the plethora of training and development options that have evolved around the sales profession. l The need for an impartial, expert industry body to take a proactive lead in helping individuals build careers and organisations to maximise revenues. l The need for employers to address the challenges of building, developing and retaining a successful salesforce in the modern marketplace.

KNOWLEDGE – incorporating product knowledge, market knowledge and understanding the target audience, as well as issues such as self-awareness. PRESENTATION – including interpretation and demonstration, self-presentation, perfecting the pitch. CLOSING – the ability to secure and complete a transaction.

employers and the public at large a commitment to personal development and a constant cycle of review and improvement, utilising accredited learning opportunities and adherence to the ISM’s professional code of conduct.

Salespeople who are professionally certified by the ISM will benefit from the chance to share a wealth of knowledge and experience – networking with other individuals, accessing a wide range of resources to help in their daily role, and gaining Ofqual-accredited learning to boost their career.

Certification will provide individuals with professional recognition and a package of support commensurate with their level of experience, as well as encouraging and enabling communication with other certified sales professionals to share knowledge and successes in an informative, mutually supportive, mentoring environment.

They will also be able to access ISM’s vast sales library, providing them with access to the most comprehensive collection of important and relevant sales books written by sales gurus and leaders around the world.

In distilling and reviewing the entire learning and education output of the Institute, many overarching themes appeared throughout the process. With an innovative approach underpinned by many years of experience within the sales field, the ISM’s new CEO, Jack Mizel, grouped these themes into the three key learning areas of knowledge, presentation and closing – each essential to the successful development of a sales professional – labelling them as the ‘Three Pillars’. (See panel, top, for more details).

l A commitment to continual development will allow for progression through the four levels of Professional Sales Certification. l Each level is designed to recognise an individual’s current capabilities and support their ongoing career development. Through progression, individuals also become increasingly involved in the development of others. l At each level, those certified will be required to show evidence of the key competencies embodied in the Three Pillars. l Each level is itself a journey towards the next level – and towards excellence.

At each level of ISM Professional Sales Certification, salespeople will be required to show evidence that they are meeting the appropriate professional requirements of the Three Pillars.

The Three Pillars encompass the range of skills, experience and knowledge required for all successful salespeople and, as such, the wide range of Ofqual-regulated sales qualifications and training opportunities on offer from the ISM will be mapped against them.

In addition to professional recognition of their sales career and the chance to gain internationally recognised and fully accredited qualifications and training, we will be offering a range of significant benefits, commensurate with membership of the leading global body for the sales industry.

We are forging valuable, money-saving partnerships with many hundreds of suppliers and retailers, including respected household names such as Mercedes Benz and Sainsbury’s, providing ISM-certified sales professionals with the

l Ofqual-regulated sales qualifications through fully accredited providers of training and professional development. l Seminars, webinars and networking. l Winning Edge magazine – the ISM’s leading publication for sales professionals. l Resource library containing the world’s most respected sales books ever written. l The ISM’s Framework of Excellence for ongoing CPD support with expert mentors. opportunity to save considerably more money than the cost of their membership.

Our newly refurbished website will contain a link to our unique Savings Calculator tool which will enable these professionals to see just how much money they can save against their normal spend on things they really want and need.

As part of the repositioning and rebranding of the Institute, we decided that it was also necessary to revisit our mission statement and to bring it into line with the changes and innovations planned for the new Institute of Sales Management. The new mission statement sets out to demonstrate to our members, and to the world at large, how these innovations and changes will be embraced.

l Our mission, as the governing body for the sales profession, is to provide leadership, education, validation and a framework of excellence necessary to continually improve sales careers and sales methods. We drive innovation for the sales industry in the benchmarking of standards, the recognition and development of individuals, and the promotion of best practice throughout the profession.

Over the coming months you will notice, and be made aware of, the many innovations mentioned here. For example, we are currently in the process of reaching out to current members to inform you all of the new levels of ISM Professional Sales Certification and how you can access your appropriate level of information and support.

We believe that the developments that we have put into place, and have planned, will only serve to strengthen the ISM. But we’ve not changed for change’s sake.

There will still be many familiar features, of course. You’ll shortly be informed of the details of the next BESMA, for example. We’ve just renamed the initials so that these industry-leading awards are now the British Excellence in Sales Management Awards.

We hope that you will embrace the exciting innovations and changes now being launched as being beneficial to all – to yourself as a sales professional, but also to your clients, your customers, your employer, and to the sales industry itself that we are committed to serving.