Company
£250 million UK subsidiary of International PLC.
The Challenge/ Problem
This utilities supplier had grown from an operation working from a handful of UK outlets employing less than 100 people to an 80+ site operation employing over 1,000. Business was growing but mainly by acquisition and senior management thought that there should be opportunity for more organic growth.
The majority of the salesforce had either been with the company “in the good old days” or had recently joined from a variety of industries and backgrounds. Staff turnover was high, morale and performance low.
We were contracted to improve the performance of the sales force who were
The Action Taken
A full review of the responsibilities, method of operation and ability of the entire salesforce was undertaken including extensive field accompaniments, sales meeting attendance and one to one sessions with senior and middle sales management.
A new structure of the salesforce and management was recommended and implemented with a focus on individuals being clear on their areas of responsibility and what was expected of them. From there individual training programmes were developed to include sales skills, effective time management and a more structured method of operation.
The Outcome
At the end of the assignment the productivity and profitability of the salesforce had improved such that a planned increase in headcount was reduced by 25%. The Company continued to absorb smaller competitors but make them profit producing much more quickly.
