Harlow, UK, 10th October, 2012: Local business Pitney Bowes has stormed onto the shortlist for the National Sales Awards 2012. Pitney Bowes has seven of its employees on the shortlist at this year's awards, where the winners will be announced on 6th November 2012 at Grosvenor House.
 
Pitney Bowes shortlisted employees:

• David J Warrington, Inside Sales Manager - Telephone Sales Executive of the Year
• Sean Evers, Business Manager - Sales Manager of the Year
• Rachel Cleary, Telesales Manager - Telesales Team of the Year
• Natalie Coates, Supplies Specialist - Telephone Sales Executive of the Year
• Precious Benson, Telesales Account Manager - Telephone Sales Executive of the Year
• Colin White, Senior Sales Consultant - Field Sales Executive of the Year
• Louise Pegrum, Inside Sales Manager - Newcomer of Year

Fiona Gore, Head of International Training, at Pitney Bowes said, "This is another brilliant result for Pitney Bowes. Simon Lindsay from Hertford came away with the Newcomer of the Year award last year, after just 18 months with Pitney Bowes. We're hoping for more success from our 7 employees that have made it to the shortlist this year."
 
The news bodes well for Pitney Bowes's Sales Academy, launched in July, which formalised the company's longstanding commitment to staff training by implementing a rigid, structured training program in order to promote consistently high standards in customer service across all business units.
 
Believing that sales experience is a crucial factor in boosting customer loyalty, Pitney Bowes has invested in the Sales Academy in order to boost KPIs. This new strategy has helped to encourage career development from within and raise employee aspirations. By assigning more responsibility to each individual sales person, Pitney Bowes's Academy encompasses a long-term strategy to improve customer relations.
 
The new training program exercises a blended learning approach, providing internal updates on the business and wider market, to ensure that staff achieve a greater understanding of the industry. This provides the optimum environment for organic development, and it is hoped that the method will build and strengthen existing client relations.
 
Pitney Bowes hopes that this new initiative will attract new talent and provide an environment in which the sales team can grow, thrive and increase their efficiency.