4. Sales management processes and tools

Vectia Case: TDC

 Finding solutions for a solutions provider

Starting point
Although TDC considered itself good at establishing and maintaining relationships with its customers, they wanted to validate and systemise their sales management process. With a segmentation project with Vectia successfully executed, TDC wanted to continue with managing sales and contacts, with the understanding that they needed to find a standardised solution platform that also allows for taking a customer perspective.

Objective of cooperation 
TDC continued working with Vectia thanks to Vectia’s ability to integrate solid theory with software. The answer to TDC:s needs was found in SalesDriver, which is a modular IT-based toolbox for systematising sales management. Because of its modular structure, new tools could quickly be added in order to meet up current requirements. SalesDriver also allowed for a fast deployment schedule with clearly defined implementation steps.

Results and business impact
After implementing SalesDriver TDC’s sales activities have doubled and hit rate has increased by 5 percentage points. The quality of customer data has improved as has the reporting of lead generation. As a whole, resources are used more effectively. The results have also been measured objectively as TDC took second place in a recent survey for “The best sales Organisation in Finland”.

Based on case article in Vectia Explore magazine Autumn 2010.

TDC provides communication solutions for businesses.

Vectia Case: Itella Information

Selling the value of value

Starting point
Being a forerunner in supplying solutions for financial information flows and electronics invoicing, Itella information identified the challenge of selling the value of the process transformation to its customers, with the aim of reaching higher margins. Hence, Itella needed new ideas to what could motivate people to change habits, as the features of a groundbreaking future solution were not enough.

Objective of cooperation
An integral aim of the process was to implement the idea of value selling among the personnel. After working out processes and tools for value selling, the idea was rolled out by means of training and coaching. Externally a model for global value selling was developed, according to which Itella is selling not the features of the new solution, but rather the value the solutions offer to the customers.

Results and business impact
When implementing value based selling, recent customer cases have gone well. It is, however, still unclear if this results directly from selling value instead of features. Nonetheless, the concept of selling value has a lot of additional potential in other Itella Information markets. Itella also accepts that the two ways of selling, traditional and value based, will coexist for some time.

Based on case article in Vectia Explore magazine Autumn 2010.

Itella Information is a pioneer in electronic invoicing and solutions for enhancing financial information.

Vectia Case: YIT

Go east, construction business

Starting point
Although construction business in YIT’s home market was slow, the international construction especially in Russia was booming with a growth rate of 40 – 50 % in recent years. The challenge for YIT was to control the growth in culturally different markets, because the logic of business might not apply to that of Finland.

Objective of cooperation
Vectia and YIT jointly designed VIP, a customer-oriented proactive sales process, that supplies YIT with real-time sales data and includes an analysis of the customer’s buying process, a proactive sales process, a sales funnel management methodology, and a CRM tool. In order to better manage the international operations and especially to better manage the scope of the Russian housing markets, YIT introduced VIP in the Russian market.

Results and business impacts
VIP sales process and customer database proved to be a necessity for YIT dealing with thousands of customers and thousands of apartments nationwide. VIP has a significant role in the future as the appraisal of good service spreads and the number of customers and the volume of customer data rapidly increases. Consequently, YIT is currently running VIP process workshops with Vectia in Moscow and St. Petersburg. YIT has become one of the best-known and highly regarded construction companies in Russia.

Based on case article in Vectia Explore magazine Autumn 2008.

YIT is one of the major Northern European construction companies.

Vectia Case: Philips

Finding the key to success

Starting point
Philips DAP (Domestic Appliances and Personal Care) faced the situation of managing a growing product portfolio with numerous different national and international distributors and retailers. Philips is perceived in the market as an innovative quality brand. However, on certain distribution channels low value competitors are penetrating the market. The challenge ahead was to create growth in an increasingly competitive situation.
 
Objective of the co-operation
To identify where Philips stood at that moment on a country, product and customer dimension, an assessment using internal and external best practice scenarios was carried out. The assessment revealed that Philips was active on a lot of boards,  but the structure was missing. Most alarming was the unclear situation between marketing and sales, also it was unsure how to define the strategic accounts. The assessment led Philips to enter Vectia’s Key Account Management (KAM) program. Through goal setting and program metrics, roles and responsibilities were defined.
 
Results and business impacts
As a result of the project, marketing and sales are more aligned, roles and responsibilities are clearer and resources better allocated. There is new clarity in priorisation of tasks. Strategic and Key Accounts have been defined.  Deep strategic cooperation with these most important customers will enable cooperation on strategic decisions of the customer, including e.g. purchases, marketing and logistics. Also the customers see that they can benefit from the clarification of Philips’ direction.

Based on case article published in Vectia Explore magazine in Autumn 2007.

Philips is a global leader in healthcare, lifestyle and technology.

Vectia Case: Skanska

Building from the base

Starting point
In the volatile construction industry which involves considerable resources and several stakeholders, customers need be provided the right kind of premises or cash flow rather than walls and square meters. The salespeople’s way of doing business, however, tended to be engineering-oriented and could best be described as spontaneous and reactive. Sales processes and tools were mainly considered restrictive.

Objective of the co-operation
Skanska needed to equip itself with proper, more systematic sales tools. Together with Vectia Skanska embarked on systematic sales case development. The idea was to proactively start with customers and their needs, not with walls and square meters. The training consisted of sessions and homework, a combination of theory and practice. Real-life examples were used as cases in the training to make the project as concrete as possible. The attending salespeople considered in teams the customer’s needs and challenges, how to formulate and articulate a value proposition for the particular customer, and what activities would be necessary to close the deal. 

Results and business impacts
The sales plan approach is now applied to all major projects and a systematic way of working creates better opportunities to succeed. The practicality of the training, especially the use of real-life cases, appealed to the participants and the results have been appraised. The sales training has later also been attended to by salespeople outside the Helsinki Metropolitan area – with promising results.

Based on case article in Vectia Explore magazine Autumn 2007.

Skanska is one of the world’s leading construction groups.