A new sales trainee program is designed to prepare selected candidates for the role of external salesperson, and as a special feature, each trainee is assigned a sales director as a mentor. The program has been developed in close collaboration between Sales and People & Culture.
“As a field salesperson, it's about having a thorough understanding of the customer's business and inspiring them to do things easier and smarter. Until now, we haven't been able to offer a training program that qualifies someone to fill that role. But we do now, and we're all in on developing the industry's best external salespeople in value-based selling,” says Sales Director Jesper Vernersen, and he continues:
“In the past, we have bluntly equipped the best internal salespeople with a car, a computer, and a customer database. Unfortunately, it happens that young talents who have performed well as internal salespeople fall short and feel inadequate as external salespeople.”
The 18-month trainee program is targeted at typically recently graduated students or employees who, after a few years in another sales position, are ready for a career change to become external salespeople.
The first sales trainees will start in March and will alternate between visiting different departments and undergoing a structured sales training program with an external partner. In addition, each sales trainee will have a sales director as a mentor throughout the program.
“There is a sense of security in being able to consult with an experienced person, while our sales trainees bring new knowledge, inspiration, energy, and input to our culture and way of doing business,” says Svend Pedersen, Director of People and Culture.
The new trainee program is also designed as a career path we can offer our students in the long term.
“We have found that the goal for many young people is not just to secure an apprenticeship, but to kickstart a career. With a sales trainee program, we therefore have an additional advantage when it comes to making ourselves attractive to young people. Overall, we now have the strongest setup in the market when it comes to ensuring we can recruit and develop the best talents for the benefit of our business,” says Svend Pedersen and continues:
“Last year, we launched our exclusive apprenticeship program tailored for Sanistål, and we welcomed the first highly educated candidates to our newly initiated graduate program. A common aspect of all our offerings is that the candidates gain a broad understanding of the business and a large network across business areas,” says Svend Pedersen.
Svend Pedersen, Director of People & Culture, phone: 22 74 68 91
March 7, 2023