Lockhart, the leading distributor of catering equipment and part of Lockhart Catering Equipment, wanted to develop their team and equip them with the right capabilities. They utilised BMS Progress, specifically our Level 4 Sales Executive Apprenticeship.
Lockhart Catering Equipment is a global organisation with numerous companies that run centrally under the umbrella – one of which is Lockhart catering equipment. They’re the leading distributor in this specialism, supplying light and heavy equipment to caterers in the UK.
Here, regional sales director, Jonathan Butler, details Lockhart’s experience with BMS Progress’ Level 4 Sales Executive Apprenticeship standard, and how it’s benefitted their business.
A couple of my team didn’t have the relevant experience, so lacked the core field sales skills. This meant their way of selling was quite limited. Considering it was professional sales training, rather than something like a Yelp course, I felt the apprenticeship would provide them with the valuable knowledge to move forward in their careers.
The team members who enrolled on the apprenticeship were keen to develop themselves through a qualification, and be supported with training. This way, they would be able to put everything together as a professional salesperson.
The development coach, Sarah Jones, was always very engaged with the apprentices. She provided fantastic support and was approachable throughout the course – whether it was at the beginning understanding their needs, or near the end during the examination aspect.
BMS Progress worked closely with us, and Sarah carried out reviews on a frequent basis. I was especially impressed that as well as giving good feedback, Sarah was honest and talked about areas to work on, which then helped the apprentices in their roles.
The apprenticeship has really boosted my team’s performance. In fact, one person delivered sales numbers as big as national account managers! He’s gone to work overseas for a while – in the Dubai Hills, no less – but we’ve offered him a promotion and significant pay rise when he returns. We’re that keen to hold onto him due to his success from the programme.
We’ve definitely experienced a ROI from the apprenticeship. I’ve found that it’s not just a valuable tool for the sales team function – it’s a recruitment tool too, helping to draw people into the business.
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