Bahrain Maritime and Mercantile International (BMMI) teamed up with WLM Marketing Management and Training to enlist its sales team in an in-depth sales and marketing programme.

The programme is accredited through the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management - a professional body in the UK representing the interests of sales professionals - and it offers qualifications based on the National Occupational Standards for Sales and Marketing.

Of the BMMI sales team, from BMMI Bahrain and the group’s subsidiary ZAD Marketing in Qatar, that participated in the ISMM training, 11 salespeople from Bahrain were recently presented with certificates on having obtained the L2 Award in Sales & Marketing. The others will be receiving their awards in the coming weeks.

The certificates were presented to the recipients by Mike Eastwood, COO, Retail and Distribution, who praised their diligence and dedication in successfully acquiring the Award.

“The programme is a great way for our sales personnel to achieve their developmental goals whilst at the same time gaining an accredited qualification,” he said. “It is also proof of BMMI’s ongoing investment in providing our people with opportunities for training and development to better deliver exceptional service to our customers.”

The main objectives of the ISMM are to promote standards of excellence and ethics in sales and to raise the status of sales as a profession. From the Award in Sales & Marketing, the team will progress to the Certificate and, eventually, Diploma level to become the only accredited sales personnel in Bahrain.

“BMMI is the first company in Bahrain to accredit their sales team. This qualification will provide them with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in today's dynamic business world. Having a qualified sales force will also offer a competitive distinction to both the company’s principals and its customers,” said Bill Levell, a WLM Consultant who led the programme for BMMI.

Farheen Mehdi, from the Training and Development division at BMMI added that “BMMI believes in continuous Training and Development for its employees, with a focus on developing the person and not just the skills. Training and Development helps in optimizing the utilization of human resources and not only aids the employee in achieving the organizational goals, but also their own individual goals. This training programme was implemented with this in mind, coupled with a vision of setting standards of excellence and ethics in sales to raise the status of our workforce. Today, we are realising that vision.”