Apprentice Sales Executive
GRUNDON WASTE MANAGEMENT LIMITED
Berkshire (SL3 0EG)
Closes on Thursday 30 April 2026
Posted on 17 March 2026
Contents
Summary
At Grundon, we are looking for a dynamic, passionate, and driven Sales Apprentice to join our team based in Colnbrook. This role is perfect for someone beginning a career in sales, offering structured training, hands-on experience, and an opportunity to work for one of the largest family-owned Waste Management companies in the UK.
- Wage
-
£23,000 a year
- Training course
- Sales executive (level 4)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday 09.00 to 17.00, although flexibility to work outside these hours is required.
35 hours a week
- Start date
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Wednesday 27 May 2026
- Duration
-
1 year 6 months
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
- Complete BMS apprenticeship training while meeting apprenticeship and job targets.
- Learn how to generate sales using a range of channels, including telephone conversations, in-person customer visits, and social media engagement.
- Support the management and development of an existing portfolio of customer accounts, building positive and long-term relationships.
- Respond to and follow up on sales enquiries in a timely, professional, and customer focused manner.
- Maintain accurate and up to date customer records using internal systems and tools.
- Assist with the preparation of monthly sales performance reports for the Head of Sales, developing an understanding of sales tracking and reporting.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues and internal teams across Grundon to help resolve customer account queries and issues.
- Ensure full compliance with all company policies and procedures, including health and safety and employment.
- Any other duties, such as ad hoc projects, as requested by the job holder’s Manager/Supervisor or the Board of Directors that are within the skills and capabilities of the job holder.
Where you'll work
Lakeside Road
Colnbrook
Berkshire
SL3 0EG
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
BMS PROGRESS LLP
Training course
Sales executive (level 4)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
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 andmove 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 team work: 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.
Training schedule
With the support and guidance of the Regional Sales Manager and our approved apprenticeship provider, you will begin your sales career by learning how to build strong, long-lasting relationships with customers and help them identify the most suitable waste and recycling solutions with Grundon. From day one, you will receive support to develop key sales skills, gain real-world experience, and build your confidence within a fast-paced, purpose-driven business.
About the Apprenticeship
- The apprenticeship is delivered by BMS Progress.
- You will receive support from a dedicated mentor, with regular progress reviews alongside your BMS performance coach and manager.
- This is an 18-month apprenticeship which follows a comprehensive sales-focused curriculum.
- Level 4 qualification - Equivalent to a Foundation Degree.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade A*–C / 9–5)
- Maths (grade A*–C / 9–5)
Other in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Team working
- Creative
Other requirements
- Sales experience is preferred but not essential, as full training and support will be provided.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high volume calling environment as part of your learning and development.
- Keen to develop professional communication skills, including supporting client conversations and presentations with coaching.
- Confident using Microsoft Office and motivated to learn new systems, databases, and sales tools.
- Strong time management skills with the ability to prioritise tasks.
- Ability to work independently on tasks while also contributing positively within a team.
- Right To Work in the UK.
- Ideally, the candidate would live within a 30-mile radius of SL3 0EG due to our client base.
About this employer
If you're ready to roll up your sleeves and dive into a career that's both impactful and rewarding, you've come to the right place! Founded in 1929, Grundon Waste Management is an award-winning and highly successful family-owned waste management and environmental business (we were the first to introduce the wheelie bin to the UK). You may have seen our distinctive blue lorries around or driven past our advanced Energy from Waste facility on the outskirts of London. We provide waste collection, recycling and environmental monitoring services to all kinds of businesses, from shops and manufacturers to hospitals and airports, so you can bet we have state-of-the-art treatment and recovery facilities. We continue to invest millions of pounds in new technologies. Overall, ours is a fascinating and fast-moving sector to work in. Join us and you will be one of more than 800 employees in our mainly Southeast operating area, including other apprentices. We're also committed to training and career progression and have our own fantastic Learning & Development team.
https://www.grundon.com (opens in new tab)
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
Progression through the Grundon Sales structure or other routes i.e. contract management.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
GRUNDON WASTE MANAGEMENT LIMITED
Sophie Burnett
Sophie.Burnett@Grundon.com
01491 834311
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000021542.
Apply now
Closes on Thursday 30 April 2026
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.