A recent survey by Warwick Business School concluded: 71% of senior salespeople thought that there was a lack of continuing professional development (CPD) in sales. This certainly echoes research undertaken in Europe, which suggested that salespeople often do not receive CPD, leaving them feeling undervalued. They compare themselves to colleagues in other departments who manage to gain qualifications and are allowed dedicated time to develop their skills.
It is therefore not surprising that there is a discernible shortage of truly skilled sales professionals, and that companies find it difficult to retain quality talent. There is often a purely transactional focus on salespeople where their reward for their efforts is based on one parameter: ‘how much revenue do they actually bring in?’
When such an intense focus is placed on a single metric, it is hardly astonishing that quality can suffer. The old tailor’s comment, ‘Never mind the quality, feel the width,’ springs to mind.
As is the case with almost any job worth doing, there is far more to the role than simply the end results. People fundamentally want to feel both valued and respected within their organisation. In some firms, there appears to be a rather dated assumption that the monthly pay cheque is entirely sufficient evidence of appreciation. This is simply not the case, as in order to consistently achieve challenging targets, people need to be given the necessary tools and techniques to thoroughly develop their skills.
With over fifty years spent in business, I have observed a vast array of salespeople. Many appear to be entirely unaware of how to listen; they seem to be under the misapprehension that selling is synonymous with talking or simply order taking. Many others possess only a superficial knowledge of the product they are selling and certainly do not know how to genuinely demonstrate its value to a prospective client or translate features into benefits. Many of these transactions are of high value. After successfully running a hi-fi exhibition for more than twenty years, every single year I would inevitably ask why there were no actual sales being generated from certain manufacturers’ stands. The salesperson representing the manufacturer would, with baffling regularity, reply: “I’m here to exhibit, not to sell.” To them, exhibiting meant merely, paying for a stand, playing a bit of music and offering little to no meaningful interaction with the end-user. There were, naturally, exceptions, but these were no means the majority.
I strongly suspect that many companies are rather reluctant to ‘lift the sales blanket’ and properly examine what is truly underneath it. The unspoken question hangs in the air: ‘Why should we bother to invest substantially in our sales team when they are likely to up-sticks and leave us anyway?’
Retaining quality talent, however, is a strategic imperative that requires considerable and consistent focus. Failing to address skill gaps means that poor sales habits can quickly become the accepted norm within the organisation. Why should people stay if they are not being developed?
One of my favourite motivation theories is a long established one by Clayton Alderfer, who theorised that if people do not get what they want either in ‘relational needs’, or ‘growth needs’, they would be frustrated and look for something else to satisfy them (The frustration-regression principle). In the salespeople case, it may be just to demand more and more money. There are many motivational theories, and this is just one, however, it is one that seems to fit what I’ve experienced.
This does not mean if you do other things to satisfy their other needs things you can underpay your staff, it does suggest that money, despite the salesperson’s siren, is not everything. Ignore growth and relationship needs at your peril.
What does CPD truly look like for salespeople? The framework for real sales development
When we talk about building lasting capability in sales, we must look beyond isolated bursts of training and towards a model that supports genuine, ongoing professional evolution. Quality CPD for a salesperson ought to be a structured, continuous journey, not just a haphazard collection of events. It requires developing competence across several essential areas:
- Knowledge: Deepening one’s grasp of the product or service, the surrounding industry, market pressures, and, most importantly, the clear commercial value provided to the client.
- Skills: Sharpening the crucial selling techniques – develop active empathic listening skills, asking insightful questions, mastering negotiation/ not discounting, presenting value persuasively, and using digital tools/AI effectively and ethically.
- Professional conduct: Cultivating the necessary mindset, which includes resilience, disciplined self-management, ethical practice, and a genuinely consultative manner.
To help firms structure this continuous improvement, there are new frameworks appearing that offer tools to leaders, sales manager and sales trainers.
An example of this is the Training, Mentoring, and Coaching (TMC) cycle, developed by Mackenzie and Bauer.
The TMC cycle offers a systematic approach for the individual growth of the sales professional, moving well beyond the limitations of a single ‘training day’. It neatly separates the key stages:
- Training: This is the formal delivery of core knowledge and fundamental skills, for instance, essential product briefings about creating value, helping sell through and the basics of the company’s sales methods. Recognised effective communicators by training them in mentoring and coaching, something they rarely get anywhere else.
- Mentoring: This involves drawing upon the personal experience and wisdom of a more senior colleague to guide career decisions and overall professional judgement.
- Coaching: This is the consistent, focused development conversation led by the sales manager, concentrating on specific, observable behaviours and strategy relating to live deals. It encourages honest reflection on performance.
The combination of company culture, sales methods and CPD approach create the organisation’s Unique Selling Methodology (USM).
The vital element of the TMC is that these component parts are not meant to stand alone. Instead, they form a cycle, a routine loop where coaching and mentoring continually highlight the need for new or refreshed training. This ensures development is always relevant, timely, and directly connected to the individual’s day-to-day work. Such a targeted approach is the best defence against poor selling habits becoming embedded, as it insists on a regular routine of professional review and skills refinement and in theory should support talent retention as there are many opportunities for internal growth and recognition.
Working together
For any CPD to be successful, it needs management, understanding, resource, and a commitment from sales professionals to learn and develop. If they truly want to be considered professional, then recognised intervention that supports ethical sales education and development, with effective product value creating knowledge will surely be better than the occasional sales training intervention.
Continuing Professional Development is by definition continuing.
References:
Sales Excellence Hub. (2025). UK state of sales report 2025. Warwick Business School, University of Warwick.
Tze, S. F., & Tan, G. S. (2020). The relationship between Alderfer’s ERG theory and job satisfaction during economic downturns. International Journal of Organisational Analysis, 28(4), 843–860.
Mackenzie, C., & Bauer, A. C. (2022). Supporting sales professionals in continuous professional development – a framework for training, mentoring and coaching. Wirtschaft und Management, 32(Juli), 67–75.
Mackenzie, C., & Bauer, A. C. (2023). Integrating the TMC cycle into the modern sales capability framework. International Journal of Sales Transformation, 4(2), 14–26.
Written by Dr Colin Mackenzie, MSc FHEA
Dr Colin Mackenzie, MSc FHEA, is a long-experienced businessman turned consultant, and per-time academic. He is an Associate Professor at Wittenborg University, Netherlands, and has taught Organisational Development, Leadership, Sales, Change Management, Strategy and International Consultancy. He is an advisor for the South East Asia Sales Competition and author of The Dynamic Strategist- the Mackenzie-Bauer Framework for Transformational Business Development, and his most recent book, The Dynamic Sales Educationalist is a guide to introducing the TMC cycle for sales leaders, sales managers and sales leaders.