Are your salespeople recognised as trusted advisors?

Many companies are still striving to achieve that all-important “trusted advisor” status with their customers. In our article “Two steps to trusted advisor status” we describe how to make this transformation. We have helped many clients along this path, and the case study below is an example of one. Click on the client testimonials in the right hand pane for more examples.

Making the transition from box seller to solution consultant

Business Situation	Business communications systems company that had just been through a merger and was re-launching itself Fiercely competitive, technology-focused market Moving from a direct sales model to a greater reliance on resellers
Opportunity	Capitalise on a newly merged, “best of both” portfolio that includes advanced applications Take a fresh, solutions-orientated approach to the market
Challenges	Salespeople in this market are used to selling on the basis of a “technology shoot-out”
Needs	Educate and excite salespeople about the new merged portfolio Lead salespeople towards a solutions selling approach Must work for resellers across Europe
Solution	Marketing workshop elevated the thinking above the technology Focused the team on customer needs, how communications applications can help customers meet their needs and the business benefits that accrue Market specific Interactive Sales Kits produced for small, medium and large enterprises, plus one specially focused on the hospitality industry Solution selector created: takes salespeople through an online Q&A session to advise which products best suit their customer’s need Interactive Sales Kits hosted on their extranet so their resellers across Europe always see the most up to date information
Result	Sales kits were well received by their salespeople The project has helped salespeople to make the transition from box sellers to solution consultants