We are an industry leading graduate recruitment, sales recruitment, apprenticeship and training provider with 30 years experience providing organisations with top talent and training.
Pareto began back in 1995 with a commitment to providing high-performing talent to organisations across the UK and the US.
For three decades we have taken our “Pareto Approach” across the globe and have been partnering companies with the very best talent.
We take people all the way from learning to leading.
PARETO DNA
We aren’t recruiters - we are talent partners.
While recruitment is part of our offering, it’s not our sole focus.
We support organisations to attract, develop and retain top
performers, with 30 years experience placing emerging talent sales roles
such as SDR and BDR all the way to senior sales
positions.
We apply our industry leading talent approach to
our apprenticeship offerings across sales, digital and commercial
apprenticeships.
We’re not CV-led, we’re focused on the traits that determine who will be a high-performer for your organisation.
It’s about more than filling a seat, and all of our talent solutions can be matched with training and development beyond our supportive onboarding process.
We’re your talent partner for attracting, ramping, and retaining the best of the best; our “Pareto approach” spots potential in every candidate we place (from early career positions such as SDR and BDR all the way through to C-suite executives.)
We have successfully helped hundreds of organisations with their recruitment, training & outsourcing processes. Since 1995, we have been delivering successful placements, courses and support to businesses from every industry sector and market.
CASE STUDY
Apprenticeship
Dell is a global technology leader dedicated to enhancing lives through its extraordinary capabilities. Dell's influence extends worldwide from innovative hybrid cloud solutions and high-performance computing to impactful social initiatives and sustainability endeavours.
After establishing a partnership with Pareto, Dell used their 2023 apprenticeship funding to create a specific apprentice programme for their public sector sales team. For many years, Dell focussed on their graduate programme to provide early career talent for their sales teams However, with the expansion of suitable frameworks under the UK government apprentice programmes, and specifically the Pareto sales programmes, Dell saw it as a perfect pairing to explore how this talent could be utilised within the organisation.
The programme aimed to address some misconceptions about apprentices. There was a concern that apprentices might be perceived as lacking the knowledge, "life skills," and maturity commonly associated with graduates.
Additionally, Dell wanted to ensure a smooth integration of apprentices into the sales organisation to minimise the risk of challenges and failures during their onboarding process. The goal was to create a supportive environment for apprentices to transition seamlessly into their roles within the company.
Problems faced
Apprenticeship success
CASE STUDY
Training
With nineteen years of expertise, Smoove has been revolutionising the software solutions space, providing unparalleled options and efficiency to the housing market. Their innovative products have significantly streamlined operations for home movers, conveyancing professionals, and estate agents, facilitating time-saving and enhancing communication between all involved parties.
The Smoove team's main goal is to contact mortgage brokers throughout the UK, encouraging them to utilise property technology solutions. The team comprises diverse experience levels, ranging from experienced sales professionals with over 20 years of mortgage broker experience to university graduates.
Smoove's sales team faces several challenges in communicating with their target audience, mortgage brokers, via telephone. These brokers are incredibly busy individuals, and engaging with them has, in the past, proved difficult as Smoove's offerings may not be their main priority. Additionally, the Smoove team struggles to assert their value during interactions due to the brokers' competing priorities, leading to a need for a mindset shift within the team.
Overcoming these challenges requires Smoove to find ways to capture the brokers' attention, foster meaningful engagement, and confidently convey their value proposition during conversations.
Furthermore, using their skilled data analyst team, Smoove can track conversation outcomes to gauge the likelihood of securing sales. Despite initial progress before Pareto's training, they wanted to refine their approach further to achieve greater success. Their primary goal focused on optimising conversations to boost the probability of customers purchasing their products.
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Build confidence and change the mindset of the team when engaging with new and existing customers.
Increase the number of calls accepted by clients.
Increase the number of successful sales per interaction.
One of the team's biggest challenges was a fear of disrupting their customer's busy schedules, impacting the team's confidence in engaging with clients. By changing the approach to the call, particularly the initial introduction, Smoove have seen engagement levels increase.
In October and November 2023, the number of people engaging in telephone conversations was less than 20%. Following the training, Smoove have seen this increase to 25% in January 2024. This success shows that clients see good value in engaging in conversation with the team.
The change of mindset, behaviours, and engagement success has seen Smoove’s data show that the team averaged a sale from every 10 customers they had spoken to. Following the training, in January 2024, five team members averaged a sale out of every three conversations.
Following their recent training session, Pareto encouraged the team to implement biannual SMART targets for each sales agent. During quarterly reviews, progress against these targets is assessed. If targets are missed, then analysis is conducted to understand why, potentially revisiting training topics or exploring new angles. Through this structured approach, the team continuously strives to meet and exceed their goals.
The Pareto training sessions have also equipped the team with enduring skills that extend well into the future, significantly enhancing their career advancement prospects.
Problems faced
Results
CASE STUDY
Training
Tyl and Pareto began working together towards the end of 2022 when Lisa Range, the firm's Chief Commercial Officer, commissioned Pareto to start the sales training initiative.
Lisa identified specific challenges within the Sales team, particularly a shortfall in employing a consultative sales approach. One noteworthy observation was the team's tendency to ask limited questions, assuming they had a sufficient understanding of the customer's needs. This approach provided customers with excess information, resulting in customer disengagement and loss.
The issue of 'feature dumping' also surfaced as a concern, causing customers to feel overwhelmed and, at times, dissuaded from further engagement. In response to these findings, there is a recognised need to reassess and refine the team's approach to customer interactions, emphasising a consultative and measured sales methodology to foster more constructive engagements.
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Challenge - The sales team lacked communication, consultative, and conversion skills.
Core Elements of the Sales Process.
Implemented training across Sales and Leadership Teams.
Participants engaged in a personalised, in-person two-day training session at the Tyl offices, gaining the expertise and abilities essential for the successful implementation of the post-programme.
A one-day coaching session conducted on the sales floor, fostering positive workplace behaviors while also facilitating the implementation of skills and knowledge.
Challenge - An inexperienced team and organisational skills gaps
Enhanced coaching skills within the leadership team.
A two-hour Management Fast Track session aimed at ensuring understanding and effective integration of the sellers' training.
Implementation of the Management Skills Scan to facilitate the identification of skill gaps, strategise coaching, and plan for succession.
Two days devoted to performance management, fostering accountability and developing skilled, engaged sales professionals who are aligned with their plans and objectives.
This 1.5-day individual accreditation is focused on coaching and developing others, providing feedback and success plans to instil accountability for their personal management development.
Set Up Slack Chats - Slack chats were established for each cohort to facilitate ongoing collaboration and knowledge-sharing. This platform served as a space for exchanging best practices and discussions related to the training.
Set up an Internal Accreditation - Due to the success of the leadership accreditations, Tyl set up their own internal accreditation, running every quarter to help them understand the progress and development areas of the sales team.
Presentations - As part of the accreditation, the team was asked to do a 10-minute presentation on what they had learned through the Pareto training, what they’d embedded so far, and what they were still working on.
Recorded Observed Role Plays - The leader would first role-play with an internal leader observing and it being filmed. The leaders would then watch the video back and critique themselves. They would then discuss their critique with the trainer and senior leaders. This leads to a pass or fail result.
Created Skills-Focused Observation Forms - Tyl updated their observation forms to reflect the skill progression and changes from the Pareto training. The gold, silver, and bronze scoring system was implemented to drive a ‘one and done’ approach, which helped to reduce the number of repeat calls to a lead and close the sale on the initial call.
Due to the success of the accreditations, Tyl have continued to do these once every quarter and will follow the same format, assess the sales team’s skills, and ask the key questions - what are you still working on with your Pareto skills? What’s going well? What still needs improvement?
This has been a significant shift in mindset for the business, as before Lisa joined the company in 2022, there were limited observations and no call monitoring, meaning there was little scope for making improvements and developing the sales team.
One of the most significant positives from the training is the impact on conversion rates. Tyl's conversion target for 2023 was 19% across all lead types, up from 17% in 2022. While there were initial challenges in the early weeks, with conversion dropping to 15% while changes from the training were made and the team were trying to embed their new skills, the rate is now at 21%, exceeding the initial target. This increased conversion has led to Tyl doubling their sales vs 2022.
Furthermore, going into 2023, Tyl had an inexperienced team, with a third of the team brand new to the company. Following Pareto training, the team are heading into 2024 with more experience, confidence, and enhanced skills to continue to drive the conversation rate even higher and provide outstanding customer service.
Realise your business's potential with Pareto's coaching and training expertise.
Problems faced
Limited questions led to customer disengagement and loss.
'Feature dumping' overwhelmed and dissuaded customers.
Sales team successes
The conversion rate increased from 17% in 2022 to over 21% YTD in 2024.
Overall sales performance doubled.
A continuous role-play and observation culture was created to improve skills.
A quarterly internal accreditation programme with a bronze, silver, and gold marking system was developed.
CASE STUDY
Training
Wavin are the UK’s leading supplier and manufacturer of plastic draining piping solutions for below and above-ground projects. Due to their status as a market-leading contributor to the built environment, they are committed to leading the industry in sustainability by 2025.
Wavin commenced its partnership with Pareto in December 2022 when it needed a professional sales training provider to support the recruitment and development of their new cohort of 8 branch developers. Wavin operates in the built environment, which, while a highly rewarding and exciting industry to work in, can be demanding and challenging for new recruits.
Wavin wanted a programme that ensured that the new employees had the skills, knowledge, and support they needed throughout their first year with the business to succeed in their role.
Alongside developing their skills and knowledge, Wavin wanted the sales training to drive retention rates of their new starters and enable them to see this as the start of a long and prosperous career with the company.
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Challenge - Finding high-potential and dedicated candidates to begin a branch developer career with Wavin.
Pareto’s internal recruitment team conducted thorough telephone interviews and screening calls for applicants to assess their suitability for their vacancies.
A shortlist of 26 individuals was subsequently invited to an assessment day. During the session, the candidates were assessed against numerous personality-based competencies in line with Wavin's ideal candidate profile and taken through a variety of different tasks, including self-introductions, group activities, and presentations.
The result was that eight outstanding candidates were offered the opportunity to join the Wavin team.
Challenge - Not overloading new recruits in a single training session but embedding it throughout the year.
Pareto adopted a strategic approach to training the new employees. The programme was deliberately divided into five 2-day training courses spread across the year. The courses are aligned to the Wavin sales process, supporting sales essentials through to account development, giving the cohort fundamental sales skills to be successful and deliver a return on expectation.
This flexible training timeline provided a long-term and focused learning experience.
It also allowed the branch developers to actively apply and enhance their skills in real-world field activities throughout the programme.
A fast-track management and coaching enablement supported the programme to ensure that managers had the tools and techniques to embed and lead the team to success.
Challenge - Ensuring the training addressed the needs of the business and participants.
Before each training session, the Pareto trainer met with Chris Lockwood, Wavin's Branch Development Manager. In these sessions, they discussed the details of the training agenda, outlined the objectives, and discussed practical examples directly related to the daily responsibilities of sales professionals at Wavin.
This meticulous planning and coordination were instrumental in ensuring that the training content was precisely aligned with the participants' roles and the specific work environments they encountered with Wavin.
Challenge - Avoid ‘death by PowerPoint’ and allow participants to communicate and express ideas.
The training programme featured both presentations by the trainer and breakout sessions. In the breakout sessions, participants worked on individual tasks and later regrouped to share results, exchange ideas, and strengthen communication within the team.
This approach aimed to deliver a comprehensive and engaging learning experience, combining informative sessions with active participation to ensure a clear understanding and positive reception from the team.
Challenge - Wavin needed support to address any challenges the participants had throughout the sales training.
Pareto proactively addressed challenges related to the new starters' development, such as time management or communication. Working in partnership with Wavin's HR team, they implemented month-long improvement plans.
These plans provided participants with clear expectations, actionable steps for improvement, and necessary support. The focus extended beyond professional skill development, emphasising a holistic approach to individual growth within the business.
Chris provided valuable support to the new branch developers by pairing each of them with either himself or a technical sales manager for a two-week field experience. This immersive training covered various aspects of the job, including:
Merchandising
Trade days
Customer visits
Branch audits
How to get past gatekeepers
After this initial field experience, the new developers were strategically paired with seasoned colleagues to concentrate on specific areas of development for designated periods. For instance, they would dedicate focused weeks to activities such as trade days, allowing them to deepen their understanding and expertise in specific aspects of their role.
These field experiences allowed the new starters to apply their Pareto training in practical situations, enhancing their confidence and skill set.
Seven out of the eight branch developers who joined more than 12 months ago have been successfully retained, highlighting the positive impact of Pareto's training on their onboarding process. The training has been instrumental in driving the essential skills and attitudes required for the branch developers to thrive in their roles.
Pareto's training brought about notable improvements in negotiation skills, specifically in addressing issues related to stockists' presentation and stock management. Successful communication and negotiation with a particular stockist resulted in a significant 65% increase in sales.
Following Pareto's support with the employee improvement programmes, Wavin saw a marked improvement in the conduct and performance of employees experiencing challenges in their roles. This highlighted that Pareto's support goes beyond just providing sales training; they are focused on the well-being and behaviours of the participants in their day-to-day roles.
The sales training's impact became evident in real-life scenarios when a participant utilised the acquired skills during a trade day to commence negotiations for a new account with a non-Wavin stockist. In this situation, the team member used the following skills:
Product knowledge
Storytelling and presentation
Asking discovery questions
Strategies for getting past gatekeepers
Overcoming objections
The team, having personally experienced and appreciated the benefits of the course, actively communicated their willingness to support upcoming programmes for new branch developers at Wavin. Their enthusiasm stems from the desire to ensure that incoming hires receive the same level of value and benefit from the sales training.
Problems faced
Results
The number of workers who would quit if they weren't offered opportunities to "future-proof" their skills
Proficiency in using AI tools
Wondering what you'll get when you partner with Pareto?
Whether you're looking for a career change or have a business need, we're here to help. Use the form to send a message, or visit our Contact Us page.
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September highlights! 🎉
• Website launch! 🚀
•
Successful “Gen Z Code” breakfast on the Clipper Stad
Amsterdam 🚢
• Northern team 120% club
celebrations🥂
We’ve got more exciting things coming your
way in October. Stay tuned!
This month's highlights included 👇
🥳 We celebrated a massive milestone: Our Pareto 30th Birthday (Pearl Anniversary) The team gave us some ‘Pearls of Wisdom’ to mark the occasion.
🏆 A huge congratulations to Serena J. on her award win as CRN UK Apprentice of the Year 2025!
🎙️ Kay Green featured on the Boostara AI podcast last week.
🗣️ Conor Griffin and Meg Picken were invited by Dataquest Group and Street Soccer Foundation to speak on how Pareto enables people to enter the workforce and kickstart their career in sales.
🚀 We celebrated a huge number of promotions: Alice Mcloughlin to Business Development Executive, and Matthew Mills & Louis Butler to Business Development Managers.