When organizations come under pressure, clear analysis, consistent prioritization, and decisive action are needed so that everyone involved can do their part.
Often, it is clear expectations, transparent structures, and consistent leadership that make all the difference.
My experience includes, among other things:
Background: At a large national organization of a building materials supplier, growth figures are below expectations
Assignment: Conduct an on-site sales audit as part of a time-limited project, identify potential improvements, and develop improvement proposals and recommendations for action for the country leadership
Result: Sales audit involving 80 employees; summary of the findings and observations; identification of potential improvements; and development of concrete recommendations for management in the following areas: a) Sales & Support Workflows, b) Process Definition & Discipline, c) Goal Setting & Performance Measurement, d) Use of Tools & Resources, e) Leadership by Sales Management.
Background: To make global market development more customer-centric and to ensure that available sales resources are deployed in a more targeted and efficient manner, it is necessary to establish guidelines in all three global regions (Americas, EMEA, Asia Pacific) regarding how markets should be developed and how pricing for major global accounts should be implemented.
Assignment: As a representative of the EMEA organization, serve as part of a global team that defines global standards for how a) list prices are defined and communicated, and how net and special prices are handled; b) sales information in the CRM system can be used to optimize sales efficiency and resource/customer allocation, and to improve forward-looking planning.
Result: Development and regional implementation of group-wide guidelines, with a focus on a) Annual price adjustments, customer-specific price inquiries, and price approval processes; b) Resource allocation (customer mapping), implementation of standardized sales processes and CRM information requirements, revenue budgeting and forecasting, opportunities (new and existing customers), and time management.
Initial Situation: There is no innovation within the company; portfolios are not actively managed; and product managers are focused on transactional issues. Since costs and quality are not under control, margins are eroding.
Assignment: Realign product management toward strategic portfolio and pricing management.
Result: Team expansion, portfolio streamlining and a focus on fast-moving products, introduction of an innovation process and new market-oriented pricing models. Reallocation of customers from direct support to channel partners.
Sometimes all it takes is a ray of hope or a clear set of expectations