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The Challenge
GFMI’s client, a multi-faceted financial services organization, had a unique challenge: how to get their Fixed Income Relationship Management Sales team familiar with the nuances, strategies, and potential objections of six very different target client profiles. Having their sales team more in touch with the needs and workings of these groups would certainly increase sales solution capabilities and overall profitability. In doing so, the client needed to address the major obstacle in their organization, which was the varying levels of experience and knowledge across their geographically dispersed sales organization. This diversity manifested in varying degrees of sales skills and presentation capabilities The client knew that they needed help educating their sales groups and equipping them to anticipate and understand needs from their six target client communities more intimately so that the sales teams could present the most appropriately fitting product solutions.
GFMI’s Recommendation
To educate the sales teams geographically dispersed across EMEA, APAC, and the US, GFMI recommended a multi-pronged approach:
- Customized prework and session materials individually tailored to each of the six target communities
- Live instructor-led sessions presented by subject matter experts who are also former professionals with career experience in the six target communities
- Intensive role plays and hands-on practices
The Solution/Implementation
GFMI delivered two 3-day-long sessions in the US and Italy to the sales professionals. These sessions incorporated the following:
- Introductions and perspectives on roles, issues, challenges, problems, conflict, tensions, core items, and current developments affecting needs and functions of the target communities
- Client success stories for each of the target communities
- Product knowledge including features, benefits, and issues
- Role-plays and case study practices facilitated by and incorporating GFMI instructors, who had professional backgrounds in each of the six target markets
- Presentations by the sales professionals to the GFMI instructors, wherein the participants used their newly gained knowledge of their industry, needs, and product application
Results
Following the learning intervention, the client’s Global Head of Sales measured an increase in the competency of the new sales strategy. Specifically, the sales groups demonstrated “highly competent” approaches to addressing each of the six different client types, executing solutions-driven processes. The bottom line was a year-over-year sales increase of 7% for four years running, compared to an industry standard YOY increase of 2%.