Business Issue
A large automotive coatings and finishings company was seeking to maximize sales opportunities and expedite close decisions. Misalignment of salespeople’s communication process with customers also resulted in lost time and ineffective use of energy. While the highly seasoned salesforce had received process selling and technical product training, they lacked the knowledge of how versatility could improve their influencing skills with the customer, including establishing greater trust and credibility earlier in the selling process.
Solution
The solution consisted of the one-and-a-half-day instructor-led The Versatile Salesperson™ program, along with the Social Style profile. Participants learned skills to create business opportunities while focusing on building strong relationships with clients through style identification and modification.
The implementation of the program was strengthened by the involvement of the organization’s senior sales leaders who were certified in The Versatile Salesperson and facilitated the sessions. Because of their close involvement, they were able to make connections to their environment with relevant examples and blend The Versatile Salesperson content with their own sales approach.
Results
Feedback from an impact evaluation reported strong results in the salespeople’s behavior, performance, and business results. Achievements included:
- The total attributable value to date of The Versatile Salesperson is over $6 million in revenue.
- When asked to focus on a single sales opportunity, participants attributed, on average, 34% of the revenue associated with those opportunities to the skills learned from the Wilson Learning solution.
- 81% of the participants indicated sufficient to significant change in behavior as a result of this program.
Conclusion
This automotive coatings and finishings company experienced impressive results from all levels of salespeople who participated in Wilson Learning’s The Versatile Salesperson program. There was a clear indication of behavior change. Participants abandoned the “one type of selling fits all” approach and instead adapted their style to their customers’ styles, allowing them to decrease relationship tension before proceeding with the sales process. This style modification increased alignment between the salesperson and the client, allowing the salesperson to move the sale forward and gain agreement.
The new skills, such as the improved ability to identify and adapt to different Social Styles, have increased customer satisfaction and revenue. Continued growth is expected as The Versatile Salesperson program has been integrated into this company’s onboarding of new salespeople.