Role Overview

As a sales apprentice, you will work alongside established sales professionals to canvass customers, build relationships and support the team in working on our customers requests such as quotes and answering queries whilst working towards a level 4 qualification.

As a Sales Apprentice, you'll be at the start of an exciting career in sales, working across our internal sales teams to learn the fundamentals of account management and new business generation. You'll gain hands-on experience supporting our CEF and B2B sales functions, working towards a recognised sales apprenticeship qualification while building the skills, confidence and industry knowledge to progress into a full sales role.

No prior sales experience is necessary — just enthusiasm, curiosity and a willingness to learn. You'll be fully supported by a structured training programme and experienced mentors throughout your apprenticeship.

Key Responsibilities

• Learning & Development: Complete your apprenticeship training programme, attending workshops and study sessions towards your qualification.
• New Business Support: Assist with prospecting and lead generation, including research, cold calling and outreach to identify potential new customers.
• Account Support: Work alongside Account Managers to support existing client relationships, helping ensure a great customer experience.
• CRM & Admin: Learn to use our CRM system to log activity, update customer records and support accurate reporting.
• Cross-Team Exposure: Rotate across different internal sales teams to build a well-rounded understanding of the sales function.
• Market Awareness: Begin to build knowledge of the waste management industry, our services, and the competitive landscape.
• Communication: Support the team with proposals, follow-ups and client communications under guidance from senior colleagues.
• Team Collaboration: Work closely with colleagues across the sales function, building relationships and contributing ideas as you grow in confidence.

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Sales Executive (Level 4)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

Course Contents

• Sales planning and preparation: Set effective targets using sales forecasts. Prioritise customers and activities to grow account value and maximise return-on-investment in line with your organisation’s strategy. Formulate or refine customer plans and objectives. Create efficient territory plans where appropriate.
• Customer engagement: Effectively communicate and interpret customer information exchanged through written, verbal and non-verbal communication. Develop a customer engagement style that effectively opens sales conversations, builds rapport, enhances customer relationships, and adapts to different customer’s social preferences.
• Customer needs analysis: Be highly skilled at effective questioning and active listening techniques to understand the customer’s needs, guide the sales conversation appropriately, create mutual understanding, and build trust and affinity with customers.
• Propose and present solutions: Develop sales proposals and deliver them using a presentation style and technique appropriate for your customer. Present relevant products and/or services, explain features and their advantages, and clearly articulate the value and benefit of the solution for the specific customer. Use and adapt a range of techniques to draw-out and overcome common sales objections.
• Negotiate: Research the customer’s likely desired outcomes and negotiating stance. Develop responses to likely objections. Identify your own organisation’s needs, such as minimum price and acceptable terms. Negotiate or trade variables effectively.
• Closing Sales: Be attuned to verbal and non-verbal buying-signals and move to close at an appropriate point in sales conversations. Develop ethical techniques to close sales and confirm customers’ purchase agreement.
• Gathering Intelligence: Collect, analyse and interpret market intelligence and share it appropriately and effectively within your organisation.
• Time Management: Use and adapt appropriate tools and techniques to prioritise and manage your time effectively.
• Collaboration and teamwork: Contribute effectively within a team environment. Work collaboratively with both internal and external stakeholders. Manage communications with the cross-functional team in relation to the effective delivery of your sales, such as finance and service delivery. Support continual business improvement by sharing best practice with sales team colleagues and assist the marketing team to develop new marketing collateral.
• Customer experience management: Deliver a positive customer experience. Manage customer enquiries and issues effectively. Take proactive action to prevent and minimise customer concerns and complaints. Handle all customer interactions professionally to the customer’s satisfaction.
• Digital skills: Effectively use digital tools to conduct research and target customers in line with the overall sales strategy. Able to deliver presentations and meetings using digital communication. Complete accurate records and process sales in accordance with your organisation’s policies, procedures and digital CRM systems.