Background

The client, producing and marketing a wide variety of cables globally, employs around 10,000 people. Market competition is fierce, and large supply of less advanced products has created pure commodity submarkets.

Different pricing strategies have so far proved most effective at increasing market share. Virtually all producers use wholesalers to achieve local market penetration but this makes it hard to add extra value. Client management wanted to change their sales organisation from one that worked reactively and had a short term strategy driven by sales orders, into one that worked proactively.

The overall objective was to influence end customers to market the client's brand, instead of just their products. Accordingly the challenge was to find the unique values in the brand in order to ease the price pressure.

Implementation

In Phase 1, Mantec jointly with the Management Team established the structure for improvement, which comprised the following strategic areas:

• Route to market were mapped and the value chain defined
• Establishment of new market segmentation 
• Definition of value addition specifics to market towards end customers
• Conceptualisation of sales, with the core products as ground pillars we packaged services in different levels and connected them with the client's unique values.
• We formed a custom made sales processes per segment
• Revision of the sales organisation.

Phase 2 started actual implementation, targeting first the leaders and then the whole organisation, via these activities:

• Customer Panels were held
• Special Concept Teams were formed
• Sales personnel gave presentations on the sales process
• Sales managers were trained as and transformed into sales coaches
• Tailor-made management tools and systems were designed and implemented.

In Phase 3 training and coaching were initiated and special needs within the sales organisation were accommodated. A custom-made training toolbox was created in order to train the trainers after which key focus areas were:

• Sales training
• Partnering training in order to strengthen customer relationships
• Sales coach training
• Coaching and co-visits with Mantec consultants.

Results

The project gave the client the appropriate tools to manage their end customer-relationships much more efficiently. Tangible results for the sales organisation have been:

• Face time with customers increased by 45%
• Within nine months of project completion:
  • European sales increased by 15%
  • US sales increased by 25%
  • Asian sales increased by 15%

• Profit margin was raised by 0.5%.

Background

The client, part of one of Europe's largest energy companies, producing mainly oil and gas, employs approximately 20,000 people worldwide. The segment in question produces and market lubricants to mechanical repair shops. The short-term objective was to make an impact on the Nordic market and raise the brand awareness fundamentally, and long-term to roll out the brand globally, starting with Europe.

The challenge was to find strategic markets with buyers and possibly also distributors who could help to determine the use of different qualities of lubricant.

Implementation

The first step was to create a business mission for the global market, targeting specific markets and customers. After that a message for the Nordic users was developed, and efforts were focused on making the sales process more efficient.

In Phase 1, Mantec jointly with the Management Team established a structure for improvement, which consisted of the following strategic areas:

• Creation of a Balanced Score Card with relevant KPIs
• Formation of a global mission and strategy
• Definition of market and segment
• Unique values where defined and added to the concept, We added different levels of services to specific end customer groups
• Definition of sales and marketing process
• Development of resources, roles and competence profiles

Phase 2 started actual implementation, targeting first the leaders and then the whole organisation, via these activities:

• We changed the external message and communicative platform, focus were put on client brand rather than product brand
• Change teams were formed to get a quick start, we focused on some customers where we had a potential to fulfil their needs
• Improvement teams were formed, to work with the sales process
• A leadership for change were implemented
• New management tools and systems were utilised

In Phase 3 training and coaching were initiated and special needs within the sales organisation were accommodated, focusing on the following key areas:

• Define my part in the sales process
• Sales Leader training and coaching 
• Sales training, techniques and behaviour
• Customer mapping
• Sales resource; coaching planning and manning.

Results

Overall the project was very successful and the client became significantly more market oriented. The new sales organisation succeeded in signing new customers and finding new money and business opportunities.

In Europe:

• 50 new customers were found within 6 months
• Sales increased by approximately EUR 30 million.

In the Nordic region:

• Sales were moved into five different customer segments
• Sales increased by 35%, equivalent to approximately EUR 20 million annually
• Profit margin improved by 1.5%.