Technology Industry

An engineering and consulting firm was recognized as an innovative and reliable technology provider by their clients in the media industry in North America. The company had grown dramatically through acquisitions.  Although their entire sales force was technically proficient, the salespeople varied tremendously in their sales approach and methodology. 

Sales Training Needs Assessment

The sales force was geographically dispersed throughout North America and it was not economically feasible to bring them all together for face-to-face training.  Upper management, including the Vice President of Human Resources, decided that online sales training workshops would be the most cost-effective and time-efficient way to teach everyone a needs-based sales process that they could all follow.

Sales Training Solution

The client selected Peak Selling's Essential Selling Skills Online Training Series. Each salesperson registered and signed up individually for this 4-part webinar sales program. The entire sales team finished all of the sales training in a few weeks with no travel expense or lost time from the field.

Upper management was very pleased with the results of the online sales training, and contacted Peak Selling for additional sales coaching and consultation. Based on a selling skills assessment survey tool that each seller had completed in the webinar, we compiled aggregate results in the form of assessment sales skills reports for the two main sales divisions. This allowed upper management to view the strengths and areas of improvement for each salesperson, and to compare and contrast the results of the two divisions. We provided personal sales consultation that gave upper management the necessary information for them to then do their own 1-on-1 coaching with individual salespeople.  This was a great follow up action to the webinar sales training because the internal sales managers could interact and work with each person individually to work on improving sales skills and achieve sales goals.

A technology leader in a specialized telecommunication segment was recognized as one of two dominant worldwide suppliers. The ability of this firm to offer innovative and technologically superior solutions allowed them to win a disproportionate number of new clients. However, their technological superiority did not reflect itself in the terms and conditions of the final contracts. Management felt that a lack of negotiation savvy by their employees caused some inter-related problems, notably conceding too much, not responding to tough demands by the client ("I’ll go to the other provider if you don’t agree”), and losing control of the negotiation.

Sales Training Needs Assessment

Based on the client's business issues cited above, Peak Selling did some follow-up interviews with management to validate the above comments and to gather additional information. We verified that the initial issues were correct (for example, "our people concede too much, too soon”) but we also identified some additional issues, such as how to plan better for a negotiation and how to form and negotiate effectively as a team.

Sales Training Solution

Peak Selling designed a customized Sales Negotiation Skills and Team Selling Skills workshop to address these challenges. Client-specific negotiation case studies were written to ensure that all of the practice activities were very realistic. A series of reinforcement tools and resources were also provided, notably several email reinforcement kits. Management and employees attended the workshop together, and the initial assessment of management was that everyone learned how to plan effectively for contract negotiations, and to become much more skillful at getting and giving concessions.

A mid-sized IT consulting firm was in a growth mode but the sales force did not meet three consecutive quarterly targets for sales growth with new clients.  Sales management and the principals in the firm hired some new salespeople, but results did not improve substantially. 

Sales Training Needs Assessment

Peak Selling worked with the Sales Manager to diagnose the underlying reasons for the performance gap.  Three inter-related issues emerged: first and primarily, it became apparent that the entire sales team was more comfortable in selling and servicing existing clients rather than prospecting for new clients.  They were trapped in their "comfort zone”.  Second, the sales team followed no consistent sales process because each of them had worked at different companies, with differing sales methodologies, in the recent past. Finally, from a skill-development perspective, most of the sales team made the mistake of making "canned” sales presentations rather than tailoring their approach to each individual prospective customer. 

Sales Training Solution

Peak Selling designed a series of 1-day customized workshops based on a combination of modules from our Sales Presentation Skills and Sales Prospecting and Business Development workshops.  We worked extensively with the entire sales team, as well as 1-on-1 reviews of videotaped sales presentations, to provide individualized feedback to each sales professional.  Sales targets for the next quarter and beyond were met or exceeded by every salesperson. 

Additional training materials available for managers through our Coaching Kits product line, specifically the Questioning Skills, Elevator Speeches, and Pre-Call Planning kits.  

After a series of major account issues surfaced, a computer manufacturer decided to reorganize their sales force.

Sales Training Needs Assessment

Rather than rely on the traditional, "Lone Ranger" approach to selling, the company formed a series of sales teams, each team to either be responsible for a major account or market segment.  After consultation with management there were three main training needs identified for the newly formed sales force.

Sales Training Solution

Peak Selling designed a workshop based on our Influence Skills and Essential Selling Skills workshops.  The workshop was designed to accomplish the following three objectives; first, how to form and lead a sales team; second, how to provide selling skills to those team members that previously had not been expected to support the sales effort; and, third, how to influence other colleagues inside the organization to obtain the necessary resources to resolve special customer requests.

A major chip maker realized that they needed to change the way their highly technical salespeople sold to a more consultative approach.

Sales Training Needs Assessment 

For years the sales management team recruited and expected their sales force to sell based on their technical expertise and technology leadership. However, after other competitors entered the market, it became apparent that the old way of selling was counterproductive. The challenge was to transform the selling style and approach of the experienced sales people so that they would act and be perceived as consultative sellers.

Sales Training Solution

Peak Selling designed a customized workshop based on our Essential Selling Skills and Selling on Value workshops. In order to fit their corporate culture, the training was a very fast-paced and highly focused training session.  The sales management team helped design and also attended the course, so that the concepts could be reinforced by coaching from the managers. 

An information technology consulting firm had successfully focused on prospecting and bringing in new customers.  The sales force had done well at this, but unfortunately, had lost focus and attention with their current customer base.  The situation had deteriorated to the point where the number of new customers did not match attrition of existing customers. 

Sales Training Needs Assessment

Peak Selling consulted with the top sales executive and owners of the firm to assess the major selling skill gaps for the sales force to do a better job of building and maintaining customer relationships.  A customized selling skills survey was used to identify the individual strengths and weaknesses of each account executive. 

Sales Training Solution

Peak Selling designed a sales training curriculum to be implemented on a monthly basis with the entire sales force.  Topics included how to enhance existing customer relationships, how to Selling on Value, how to present effectively to higher-level decision makers, and prioritizing available selling time to strike an optimal balance between prospecting and customer management.  Management was also provided with reinforcement tools to encourage managers to work one-on-one with salespeople for skill retention.

Global software and process controls firm needs management and leadership upgrade in influencing skills

Business Issue

A global software and process controls firm needed to upgrade their leadership and management curriculum, notably in the area of influence and communication skills, to ensure managers from various acquired businesses could work together effectively.

Sales Training Needs Assessment

The corporation had expanded significantly, largely through acquisition of different businesses throughout the world.  They needed to ensure that managers from various international offices could work well together.  Influence skills were identified as a critical competency for mangers at the U.S. headquarters and other international facilities.  The corporate training and HR manager searched for a training and consultant firm to assist them in this effort, and selected Peak Selling after auditing our How to Achieve Results Through Influencing Workshop.

Sales Training Solution

Because the client needed to teach the Influence Skills workshop globally, they decided to use several internal instructors, who then attended Peak Selling's train-the-trainer workshop.  We taught the trainer workshop for several instructors who collectively were responsible for the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia.  Furthermore, because the client expected to teach hundreds of managers, they opted for our licensing agreement for the workshop materials.   This allowed them the flexibility to customize, translate and then print the workbook in each country.