FTSE 100 company launches sales accreditation programme

29th November 2016 |   Journal Of Sales Transformation

Gary Boyes

Gary Boyes: “We want to be at the forefront of helping to build global level of professionalism.”

In a bid to develop the country’s best salespeople, accounting software giant Sage has launched a scheme to train more than 400 employees to be Certified sales professionals. The programme runs in conjunction with the Association of Professional Sales (APS) and training partner Silent Edge.

“At Sage, we are all about creating a high performance, customer-obsessed culture that is underpinned with fantastic sales coaching, the support to deliver a great customer experience, and a learning structure that empowers people to succeed,” said. Gary Boyes, Head of Sales at Sage.

The UK-headquartered global technology provider says it is seeking to build the country’s “highest-performing sales teams”. Training will be delivered for more than 400 participants across Sage’s North Park site in Newcastle and Central Park in Dublin. Each individual has three levels to reach as part of the APS journey: “APS Affiliate”, “APS Member” and then the highest level “APS Certified”.

Instead of using a competency framework to assess progress, coaches will use the Belief Platform – coaching software created by Silent Edge – to observe and mentor their teams. Benchmarking will be based on the skills and behaviours displayed in live customer calls.