Manufacturing
One qualification standard for a national sales force
A manufacturing group (name withheld)
- Audience
- Field sales, inside sales and their managers
- Program
- Sales Training & Enablement
- Delivery
- In-person workshops, virtual clinics
The challenge
Forecasts slipped every quarter. Discovery stopped at product features, so price became the only lever reps had when a customer pushed back.
Context
A national sales force selling through both direct and channel routes, with wide variation in how deals were qualified.
Our diagnosis
There was no shared definition of a qualified opportunity and no common language for value, so pipeline reviews were optimistic and coaching was inconsistent.
The intervention
A sales capability programme covering qualification, business-value discovery and objection handling, followed by deal clinics with sales managers in the room so the standard was reinforced by the people running reviews.
How it was delivered
Managers attended the clinics deliberately, reinforcement sits with them, not with the facilitator.
Outcome
- A single qualification standard adopted across direct and channel teams
- Unqualified opportunities were exited earlier in pipeline reviews
- The weekly call-review cadence introduced during the clinics was retained by managers
Start with one cohort. Judge the behaviour change.
Most engagements begin as a single pilot cohort, so your team can evaluate the facilitation and the follow-through before a wider rollout.