Success Stories

The "Meet the Market" Field & Telesales Team

Business-to-Business field sales launches new product line
 

Client Description

  • Field Sales & Telesales
  • Custom Printing
  • Business-to-Business
  • Sales

Problem

This manufacturing and sales organization had decided to expand their product line to include new media packaging. These items were typically bought by the marketing department and not the operations or purchasing folks with whom their sales force had well-established relationships. Attempts to bypass purchasing and connect with marketing had begun to jeopardize core business.

To make it worse, 80% of their business was coming from 20% of their clients. Many of these client relationships included substantial discounts. So, even when they developed the opportunity for the new products, it was difficult to sell profitably.

New accounts were needed in order to meet sales targets and profit margins for the current year. But the field sales force had not been hired or trained for intensive new business prospecting. They were unaccustomed to the high activity levels and increased rejection. People who had been successful for many years were failing.

Without a game plan that included training, coaching, tracking, and rewarding, this sales force would not meet and conquer their challenges. And, the loss of loyal team members threatened to change the culture of the company.

Why Caras Training

In 1990, we opened our doors for the purpose of teaching business development. But not the stereotypical way that so many telemarketers and salespeople have been taught.

Caras Training’s “break all the rules” approach to professional prospecting elevates the image of the salesperson to “valued consultant”. In 15 seconds, sales representatives make a connection with business leaders that makes it easy to get in doors and sell consultatively. We have seen sales increases as high as 300% in the first month of using our models.

We do not stop at prospecting. Our fundamental sales methodology moves prospects through the process of buying solutions that make sense for their business.

This client needed the kind of comprehensive program we offer including:

Caras Training used a 3-person team of curriculum designers and trainers with sales expertise. We helped this client move from conception to roll-out using their in-house trainers in 6 months.

  • Teaching salespeople to find opportunities
  • Giving them statements and questions which open the doors
  • Providing a process for uncovering immediate and future needs for every product line
  • Practicing presentation of services as solutions to uncovered problems
  • Allowing salespeople to get results early and often
  • Tracking and rewarding each step of the sales process so the pipeline was filled with profitable new business they could close

Process & Deliverables

Only 1 Caras Trainer was needed to help this client get the results they required in 4 months.

The process included:

I – Understand
  A. Initial meetings with Corporate Leadership to understand current situation, past history, problems, goals and vision.
  B. Route rides with 30% of field sales force to observe current sales process and challenges customers present.
  C. Monitoring and observation of 30% of telesales team to observe current sales process, customer challenges and tracking tools.
  D. Review of reporting on current measurements and trends.
II – Recommendations and Action Plan
  E. Teach fundamental sales principles during a series of 8 self-paced and instructor-led training activities:
    1. Telephone prospecting (lead follow-up, cold accounts reactivation, cold calling)
    2. Handling the initial meeting with a decision maker (positioning, need development, presenting solutions, gaining agreement on next steps)
    3. Creating proposals that sell
    4. Closing sales
    5. Selling the value of new product line
    6. Selling against competition
    7. Pipeline Management
    8. Major Account Management
  F. Create new definitions for pipeline milestones with targets for quantity needed to achieve sales results.
  G. Create Coaching follow-up tools and activities so Manager can reinforce and re-train as needed.
III – Develop & Deliver Training & Implementation
  H. Eight 1-day classroom workshops each including self-paced pre-work and follow-up actions delivered over 6 months.
  I. Implementation program including targets for prospecting, presentations, proposals, samples and sales results.
  J. Six Coach activities for follow-up and re-training during team meetings.

Results

Immediate results included:

  • 1020% increase in new business in pipeline during first 60 days
  • Sales targets exceeded by 140% after 90 days
  • Sales targets exceeded by 205% after 120 days
  • No turnover