The role of the sales leader at a Steelcase Dealership has never been more critical and complex than it is right now.

The Current Situation

Shrinking Margins

The traditional product sales approach that has worked for the past thirty years in the contract furniture industry is yielding smaller margins than ever.

ENCROACHMENT

Corporate Real Estate firms, PM firms, and A&D firms are focused on owning strategic real estate and space conversations and working to minimize the value creation opportunity for all downstream businesses, including furniture manufacturers and dealers.

Complexity

Steelcase is increasing the number of categories and product offerings in an effort to own and be able to deliver on the “space matters” value proposition – which adds detail-complexity to specification and order entry and dynamic-complexity to the sales process.

Specialization

There are more and more specialized roles required to sell, specify, order, manage, and install the whole solution offer. The development of sales people to effectively delegate, leverage company assets, and lead a coordinated team effort is a critical role shift that requires vision and performance coaching.

The Challenge

In order to move out of the commoditized furniture market, space needs to matter, and the dealer needs to be the one to make it matter. The majority of Steelcase dealers are executing a 30-year-old product-based sales model and relying on A&D partners to make the case that space matters. This approach yields a 20 – 35%-win rate at increasingly smaller margins.

Implementing a solution-based sales framework and creating a high-performing sales team to execute it is a complex organizational development challenge.

Meeting this challenge takes a leader who has the mindset, skill set, tools and discipline to:

  • Set sales strategy
  • Structure and coach the organization to execute the strategy
  • Build systems and tools that enable value creation during the sales process
  • Create a market-focused, high performing sales culture that leverages organizational capabilities and technology
  • Find and develop sales professionals better than their market competitors.

Dates & Locations

  • May 15, – 17, 2019 @ One Workplace in Santa Clara, CA
  • July 17 – 19, 2019 @ Business Furniture in Indianapolis, IN
  • October 16 – 18, 2019 @TBD
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Engagement Objectives & Goals

Upon completion, you will:

  • Embrace the appropriate mindset of a sales leader and define the critical activities that they must prioritize in order to be successful.
  • Develop a vision of their sales organization and assess the gaps in strategy, structure, controls, culture, and capability that they will have to close to achieve the vision.
  • Explain and prioritize the key levers necessary to improve sales team performance.
  • Know the value and importance of having a proven sales process for team performance.
  • Explain the structural and capability changes required to have both New Business Development and Account Management focused teams.
  • Maintain a sales management cadence – that includes territory planning, setting sales and IGP targets, account planning, monthly sales meetings, development planning, forecast management, and 1:1 meetings.
  • Establish time management discipline that balances high priority strategic and tactical activities.
  • Engage with best practices to drive effective adoption and use of a CRM and other technology platforms and tools.
  • Learn best practices and key ratios in sales force compensation.
  • Create behavior-based interview questions for both New Business Development and Account Management roles.
  • Practice conducting a 1:1 coaching conversation, demonstrating appropriate supporting and directing behaviors, and using effective feedback models to improve performance and maintain employee self-esteem.
  • Use a proven framework to effectively communicate their future vision to their team and build the case for change.

What Our Engagement Looks Like

Pre-Workshop Call –  2 1/2 Day Workshop – 4 months of group mentorship

Pre-Workshop Calls

Call between the instructor and dealer principal to align on Sales Leader Performance Expectations and current sales system effectiveness

Call between the instructor and the sales leader participant to discuss program objectives and current job role challenges

Day 1

Introduction and Assessment

Critical Role Outcomes Exercise

Use of Time Exercise – Building the Case for Sales Management

Organizational Development 101 – levers that a leader needs to pull to bring about changes

The business of the sales organization – The relationship between revenue, margin, and compensation

The Necessity of the Right Sales Process and tools for complex, team-based solutions sales vs transactional sales

Best practices in CRM adoption and use

Day 2

Sales Management Cadence: Annual, Quarterly, Monthly, Semimonthly responsibilities of a sales leader

Tools and Skills Needed for Each Responsibility

  • Targeted Account Profile
  • Territory Planning Template
  • Sales Rep Checklist
  • Account Planning Template
  • Sales Behavior Commitment Worksheet
  • Monthly Sales Meeting Agenda and Management Best Practices
  • 1:1 Agenda

Management 201 – Setting Expectations, Coaching, Providing Feedback, Recognition, and Rewards

Day 3 (1/2 Day)

Prioritizing and Managing Your Time

Building the Case for Change

Personal Vision and Quarterly Action Plan – Commitments and Accountability Partnerships

Post-Workshop Calls (4 Months)

Monthly 90-minute group calls for participants to discuss challenges and share best practices in using the tools provided in training

Monthly 30-minute individual calls between the consultant and each participant to provide 1:1 coaching support to remove roadblocks and encourage implementation

Connect with us

email: shawn.merritt@huronassociates.com

phone: 616-881-3380

SLP Cohort 5 Indy

(C) 2016 Huron Associates