ISP launches awards to recognise sales professionalism

21st November 2025 |   Journal Of Sales Transformation

The Institute of Sales Professionals has launched a new scheme to recognise organisations’ commitment to professionalism in sales. The Investor in Sales Award will celebrate businesses that invest in the development and impact of their sales teams, recognising organisations’ commitment to building and sustaining professional, ethical and high-performing sales teams and culture.

ISP managing director Guy Lloyd tells the Journal: “The best businesses do the right things, have the right systems in place and look after their employees, to encourage and support longterm sustainable improvements in their business. The Investor in Sales assessment does the same for the sales function – the engine of revenue for most companies and the driver of growth.”

According to the ISP, the programme helps participants:

• Understand the activities that underpin great sales team performance.
• Demonstrate their commitment to ethical, effective and professional selling.
• Benchmark their organisation against a recognised national standard.
• Attract and retain top sales talent by showing investment in their success.
• Receive recognition from the UK’s leading professional body for sales.

Who can apply?

The Investor in Sales Awards are open to any organisation with a professional sales function, across all sectors and sizes. Every company begins the journey at the Bronze level and can progress toward Silver and Gold as they embed best practice and demonstrate increasing impact.

The ISP suggests that companies that achieve Investor in Sales will perform better than their peers and will attract growth-minded salespeople, further boosting their competitive advantage.

Some of ISP’s corporate partners have already taken the Bronze level. Paul Dickinson from the senior leadership team at Amazon Web Services UKI, explains: “The Bronze Investor in Sales assessment helped us evaluate where we stand against the very best in the industry. It challenged us, identified performance gaps and uncovered areas of untapped potential.

He adds: “At AWS, we want to continuously raise the bar as well as enable people to find their own way. Tools like this are invaluable for any team serious about role-modelling a culture of excellence, accountability and long-term growth.”

Lloyd concludes: “Investor in Sales explores vital facets of long-term sustained performance of the sales function, guiding enlightened leaders on where they might focus their energies to optimise performance.”

Visit Investor in Sales Awards to begin your self-assessment for Bronze.

The three awards levels follow a structured journey:

Bronze – A self-assessed award that establishes awareness of the activities that underpin a great sales function. It enables organisations to benchmark their current practices and demonstrate a commitment to professional sales standards. The Bronze Award is free to take and is available now: ISP Awards.

Silver – The next step compliments the Bronze-level self-assessment. Your full sales team completes the assessment which identifies perception gaps between you and your sales team, offering a 360° view of what’s working and what’s being missed. The Silver Award incurs a fee.

Gold – The “gold” standard is an external audit involving a review of enablement materials, processes and polices confirming accuracy, confidence and trust in an organisation’s commitment to building a professional, ethical and high-performing sales culture. Companies that have achieved the gold standard will perform better than those which have not and will be a preferred employer for highly capable sales professionals, so further boosting the company’s sales results. The Gold Award release date is to be announced shortly. A fee also applies for the Gold level.

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