Salespeople need an edge above their competition
Company: Manufacturing
Development needs: Convert a "good old boy" sales culture into a polished, sophisticated sales entity by developing better sales people, leaders, coaches, and mentors.
Challenges: Employees "grew up" in the organization. Therefore, they are more resistant to change and are comfortable with their current environment. The question being asked by the sales team was, "I am already achieving my sales goals. Do I really need to change?" The real question needed to be, "How much more could I sell if I had the right communication and relationship building skills?"
Solutions:
A customized version of VoicePro's The Distinct Advantage™ focused on creating an edge on industry competition via improved communication and relationship-building skills. Leaders developed techniques for "on-the-spot" coaching that produced behavioral change throughout the sales organization and helped employees communicate more effectively, particularly in impromptu situations.
Development of a powerful relationship-building program that challenged sales department employees to assess their style of communication — how they evaluate current challenging relationships, respond to stress, and deal with conflict. New methods of interaction led to fresh insights into human behavior and gave sales people the confidence to handle difficult situations with greater ease and flexibility.
One-on-one coaching was provided for those individuals who needed to "fast track" their new skills or were particularly challenged in these areas
What did these solutions do to the company's results and bottom line?
Increased company revenues
Raised the bar for sales performance
Cut back on the amount of time it took to close a sale
Enabled sales people to make allies of gate keepers
Instilled confidence and credibility in the sales staff
Created a balance between building long-term relationships and making a sale
Allowed for the "trickle down" affect of new, improved behaviors to others in the organization