Challenge
A telecommunications company wanted to provide members of their sales department with advanced skills that would help correct low sales performance, reduce the cancellation rate of client services, and drive a better understanding of each customer segment’s needs.
The client caters to a variety of customer segments. To drive business, salespeople need to be able to analyze each customer and offer products and services that align with their specific needs. The program’s first objective was to provide the company’s sales staff with the skills to improve the company’s low sales performance. The second objective was to reduce the cancellation rate of client services by ensuring that the products and services salespeople offer are appropriate to the target audience.
Solution
GP Strategies partnered with the client to design a training program comprised of face-to-face and virtual classes covering sales techniques that can be applied to the sales team’s day-to-day customer interactions.
The first part of the program was an online web series focused on how to apply sales techniques to different segments and situations. In the next section, learners took part in a series of modules. The first two covered the BANT (budget, authority, need, and timeframe) and SPIN (situation, problem, implication, and need-payoff) frameworks, while the third focused on “Proposal Closing.”
In addition to these activities, learners also were given access to an eBook that provides information and tips related to situations that sales staff frequently encounter. GP also developed a chatbot to support the sales team by answering questions about how to best apply sales techniques to different situations. The training program helped the sales team achieve the annual sales target of $2M in just six months, and the initiative exceeded all expectations and will be maintained for 2024.
Results
- 86% of eligible sales staff participated in the training.
- The program achieved a participant score of 4.73 out of 5.
- The client experienced an 81% reduction in the cancellation rate of client services.
- 72% of participants could better identify client pain points after completing the program.
This program has been honored with a 2024 HCM Excellence Award by the Brandon Hall Group: Silver Award for Best Use of Video Learning.
