'Fulfilling' Sales Results
| Client |
The Fulfilment Store – Late 2005 on-going |
| Challenge |
To increase new business whilst being highly selective of customers with 1 Sales Director and 2 in sales support |
| Approach |
One-to-one sales coaching sessions to integrate proven sales management processes – the focus, an increased penetration of specific vertical markets |
| Results |
- Defined selection criteria to prioritise new business opportunities
- A tool for managing pipeline and measuring conversion rates, “Mind the Gap” which has to be maintained
- Planning methodologies to protect existing customers to avoid 'the leaky bucket'
| |
Based in Rugby, Warwickshire, The Fulfilment Store (TFS) stores, manages and distributes point of sale (POS) and other marketing material. The Wrigley Company, one of the customers for whom TFS stores wire racks and POS which are distributed to the field sales force and direct to retailers. TFS has grown to £6 million annual turnover and employs 70 full time staff. Having searched the web, Jeff Larcombe, Managing Director, invited Salespunch™ to assess his small sales operation. His driver was to manage the risk of client attrition by winning more new business. Opportunities to improve efficiency at each stage of the sales cycle needed to be analysed – one lost contract might not come up for renewal for 5 years. Too often, Jeff felt that TFS were ‘the bridesmaid’ and rarely ‘the bride’. With no formal sales background himself, Jeff quickly realised to move to the next level he needed to provide his Sales Director with the external support of an experienced sales mentor. Joanna Hoskin admits now that she was reluctant at first. She had met sales consultants before who gave the impression of ’knowing everything’ and did not listen to the particular nuances of her business. Quite rightly, the last thing she wanted was a prescriptive solution imposed on her. However, the truly consultative approach and one-to-one coaching by her Salespunch™ mentor quickly put Joanna’s mind to rest. Key Inputs:- - Tighter selection of prospective customers
- Targeted vertical market campaigns; selection of prospects, mailers & telephone calling, creation of an objection bank
- Development of a Win-Win probability measurement tool to make go/no go decisions about sales in progress, and to act as a trigger for all actions required to bring the sale to a conclusion
- Feedback on sales visits in the field to provide critique on sales skills
- Construction of an induction programme for new sales support person
- Analysis of the sales and sales support teams preferred communication styles to improve customer service
- Introduction of SISTEM Lite™ key account planning tool to protect, nurture and measure the strength of relationships with existing customers
Joanna concludes “Since working with Salespunch™ I have developed the skills and tools to plan, drive and measure inputs and outputs. I continually look to improve our key performance indicators and find my Salespunch™ coach and his wealth of sales experience acts as an invaluable sounding board for me. Salespunch™ continues to bring superior focus to our sales operation and I'm sure we'll be working together successfully for quite some time.” |