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Meet Our Level 4 Sales Executive Tutor, Campbell McLean
- Anaïs Hegarty
- Apr 20
- 3 min read
As part of our spotlight on the people shaping the next generation of talent, we sat down with our Level 4 Sales Executive tutor, Campbell McLean, to talk about what it really takes to build high-performing salespeople, and why apprenticeships are changing the game.
Here’s what Campbell had to say.
What attracted you to working with apprentices rather than traditional learners?
"Sales apprenticeships reflect how real sales capability is built. You don’t develop strong salespeople by putting them in a room for a day and hoping it sticks. It comes from structured development, applied learning, coaching and culture over time. Apprenticeships create that environment. They give people the space to learn, apply, get feedback and improve in real business situations, where it actually matters.”
How did you get into sales training and apprenticeship delivery?
“It felt like a natural responsibility. Over the last two decades in sales, I benefited from businesses that invested in my development. That shapes how you think. You realise quickly that if you want people to succeed, product knowledge alone isn’t enough; they need to understand how to sell. Now, my focus is on passing that on. Coaching, mentoring and working alongside people in the field to help them build confidence and perform commercially. Apprenticeships are the best way to do that properly, in the flow of real work, with structure and accountability.”
What’s one thing people misunderstand about developing salespeople?
“They think it’s a one-off event. It isn’t. Sales capability is built over time. It requires consistent development, reinforcement and coaching alongside the day job. The biggest shift happens when development becomes continuous, not something separate from the role, but something embedded within it.”
What’s a small change that makes a big difference to performance?
“Shifting the focus from products to people. When salespeople move away from features and start truly understanding customer needs and behaviour, everything improves: conversations, relationships and results. The real change comes when they adapt how they sell to how the customer buys.”
What do employers thank you for that they weren’t expecting?
“Alignment. Employers often come in expecting better sales numbers. What they don’t expect is the impact across the wider business. Sales, marketing, customer service and leadership start to align around the customer. Messaging improves. Value becomes clearer. Teams work towards shared outcomes rather than isolated targets. That’s when performance really accelerates.”
What separates an average salesperson from a high performer?
“Self-awareness and coachability. The best salespeople understand their strengths, recognise their gaps and actively work on them. They seek feedback, they keep learning, and they understand the bigger commercial picture. They don’t just sell a product, they understand the outcome and why it matters to the customer.”
Why is investing in sales skills so important right now?
“Because it gives businesses momentum. Strong sales capability drives revenue, builds resilience and creates options, especially in uncertain markets. But it’s not just about winning work. It improves the quality of conversations, strengthens relationships and builds confidence across the business. If you improve how a business sells, you improve how it performs, full stop.”
If you’d like to explore how the Level 4 Sales Executive apprenticeship could support your team, or your own career, our team would love to talk.
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If you're curious about how apprenticeships could work for your business, our team is always happy to talk.
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