Case Study – New Marketing Strategy

 

Business Challenge: To implement a new segmentation marketing strategy that would significantly change the way a 700 person national sales team sold their products.

Organizational Assessment:  This mature sales force had been selling a class of products that had been around for almost 50 years.  The average sales person tenure was over 10 years with many having over 20 years with the company.  This sales team did not have a good working relationship with the marketing team that was about to introduce the new strategy.  Most of the sales representatives had “seen it all before” and were quick to make judgments (usually negative) on what came out of marketing and “corporate”.  However, marketing was staffed by many seasoned marketing and former field sales professionals. They felt very strongly that this new strategy would make a huge, positive difference in sales if executed well out in the field.

What was recommended:

Result: 

  1. The change communication plan focused on the role that senior marketing and home office sales management and senior field management needed to play.  Particular attention was paid to the relationship between marketing and field sales.  The leadership of both departments worked together on how to be united in their approach, and as a result began to work together as a cohesive unit.  This showed in their ongoing interactions and had a positive impact on the field.
  2. The change and transition plan used a pilot to build a “guiding coalition” out in the field. Sales people participating in the pilot were a combination of tenured and high performing representatives.  Their feedback was regularly sought out and incorporated into the final model.
  3. The management training plan focused on implementing positive change.  Special focus was placed on how to manage a tenured representative who, although the change was positive, might have a negative reaction.  The managers were given tools on how to recognize and manage resistance for a positive result.    
  4. Particular attention was paid to training for this multifaceted marketing strategy.  Field sales management played a bigger role in training than ever before.  Soon after implementation sales began to climb as anticipated.

 

Bottom Line:  Sales increased several percentage points in the months following the initial rollout.  The potential for a negative sales impact of new competitors was blunted.  Unfavorable publicity surrounding one product was managed positively and with less than anticipated adverse affect on sales.

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