Spotlight

Need:

ADCO Manufacturing lacked a well-defined process for how salespeople could conduct strategic analyses of complex opportunities. The company often found multiple decision makers requiring different approaches to address their needs and concerns.

In the absence of a consistent and defined process, each salesperson would apply their own, individualized process to analyze their position within an account. While not totally ineffective, when multiple individuals are following different approaches, lack of team collaboration makes it challenging to manage. Applying a defined process helps improve forecast accuracy and the ability to plan.

Action:

ADCO contacted the Miller-Heiman Group, a leading global sales effectiveness training organization, to help address these challenges. ADCO outlined their specific needs and Miller-Heiman Group custom-designed a three-day training program. To minimize distractions and fully-immerse the participants in the experience, ADCO convened the entire sales team, key support staff and executive sponsors at an off-site location to attend the training.

Result:

Not only is ADCO’s sales team now working from a consistent platform to develop and analyze their account strategies, but their feedback has also been overwhelmingly positive. Now that everyone is using the same processes and tools, including key support personnel and executive sponsors, the ability to collaborate and share approaches across the team has greatly improved. In addition, managing and assessing their position across opportunities and between salespeople has become much easier. While it is still early in the process, ADCO leadership is confident that the longer-term outcome of these activities will produce more consistent, winning strategies.

What Can You Do:

The PMMI U Skills fund supported ADCO's initiative. You too, can have these types of results for your company.

Created by PMMI, the PMMI U Skills Fund offers the financial support you need to provide valuable learning and development opportunities to your employees.  Use the PMMI U Skills Fund to match your company’s contribution up to $10,000 per year for work-related, multi-employee corporate training initiatives like PMMI’s in-plant industry training offerings (Certified Trainer, Risk Assessment and Fundamentals of Field Service Workshops) or external offerings such as the one ADCO chose.

The PMMI U Skills Fund makes it easier than ever for you to offer additional training, for your employees, thus increasing the skill level within your company and assisting you in retaining qualified workers.
For more information and to apply, contact Kate Fiorianti, senior manager, education, PMMI at kate@pmmi.org or 571.266.4406.