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12 June 2026

The UK has a commercialisation problem, not just a skills problem

Employers regularly invest in technical capability, leadership and digital skills, yet sales – one of the most commercially influential functions in the economy – is still too often treated as instinctive rather than professional
Rob Marklove Guest Contributor

Managing director, Institute of Sales Professionals

4 min read
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The UK has become very good at creating expertise and surprisingly poor at commercialising it.

For years, the national conversation around growth has focused on digital capability, engineering, healthcare and green jobs, all rightly important. But there is another capability hiding in plain sight: the ability to turn expertise into economic value.

Brilliant products do not create growth on their own. Commercial capability does. The UK does not just have a skills gap. It has a sales capability gap, and we rarely talk about it on the main stage.

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