he Association of Professional Sales (APS) has awarded SKF Industrial Sales its highly acclaimed Investor in Sales award, recognising a commitment to ethics and professionalism within the company’s salesforce.
The Investor in Sales award is granted to companies when over 50 per cent of the salesforce has passed the APS’s professional registration assessment, which evaluates their ethical behaviour using hypothetical, sales-based scenarios. SKF was eager to gain this professional recognition for their salespeople to emphasise the central place high ethics, one of SKF’s four company values, have within the organisation. As well as providing a firm ethical template within which SKF’s salespeople can work, this award also helps provide peace of mind to SKF’s customers, authorised distributors and business partners.
David Norris, sales director for SKF Industrial Sales UK and Ireland, commented, “We were keen to join the APS as it helped our direct sales team differentiate themselves from the competition. Before each member could claim their Professional Registration status they had to undertake and pass a rigorous exam. SKF has now signed up to a code of ethics that advances and promotes excellence in the sales profession by displaying integrity, credibility and a genuine interest in helping customers obtain the right solutions for their business needs.”
Andrew Hough, CEO of the Association of Professional Sales, praised SKF on the company’s achievement, “Congratulations to SKF for winning our APS Investor in Sales award. It is great to see another leading company recognising the importance of ethics and professionalism in their sales relationships. Our Investor in Sales award shows customers that SKF supports professionalism across all aspects of their business. The APS understands the importance, both commercially and ethically, of having a sales force that has been recognised by external accreditation. We look forward to working with SKF as they continue to develop an impressive, ethical and customer-focused sales team.”
Founded in 2012, the APS is a non-profit organisation which provides a community for salespeople, bringing together business leaders, professionals and academics. Membership is intended for those who sell for a living and take pride in delivering value to customers and clients in an ethical and professional manner. The APS also represents the sales profession to governments, buyers and customers.