Business Issue
Known for exquisite spirits and being a catalyst for connection, this organization understood that delivering sustainable success and being recognized as the world’s leading premium spirits house depended on building best-in-class capabilities and putting the consumer at the heart of everything they do. To achieve this, the company needed to empower salespeople to become agile professionals within a culture of continuous learning and consistent improvement. Leadership needed to implement it, own it, and reinforce it.
Leadership and salespeople were called to embrace new behaviors and skills to optimize the customer experience, capitalize on new resources to build their capabilities and careers, and collaborate to create a world-class selling organization that directly aligns with its commercial priorities.
Solution
The organization turned to Wilson Learning to build a framework for success, one that would help salespeople achieve their career aspirations while delivering business results.
Because the organization and its distributor work synchronously to meet the needs of their consumer, a strategic alignment session between the two helped determine future strategic goals, ensure executive buy-in and support, and identify any impact to business operations. Input from both groups was incorporated throughout the entire process.
An Assessment of Current to Future State served as a guiding foundation. It provided specific recommendations on how to leverage strengths and avoid or reduce obstacles as they moved forward.
Research conducted defined the customer experience and enabled its optimization. Focus areas included how to best engage with customers, distribution partners, and the rest of the commercial organization.
To provide salespeople with clear direction for career development and equip managers to provide consistent feedback, five competency models with behavioral anchors were created that aligned with the company’s future vision.
A 360 multi-rater process using the new skill models enabled salespeople and managers to receive feedback and prioritize their development areas. Group reports allowed the company to determine specific training priorities and learning opportunities.
Executive and manager coaching workshops prepared leaders to effectively coach using the skill models and 360 assessments. Beginning with the VPs, each level of management went through the multi-rater process and workshops to better prepare them to lead successfully.
A structured Implementation Plan and Learning Strategy empowered the company to develop and equip its salesforce to execute with excellence. This allowed each market to tailor and cohesively implement and support each key training element.
The initiative was launched at the National Sales Meeting, conveying leadership’s trust and solidifying the vision moving forward. Learning Academies targeted to specific skills and knowledge areas upskilled salespeople to take action. Consulting around change management and the creation of an impact analysis defined the direction of the solution, informing and guiding key business decisions.
Outcome
This holistic approach enabled the company to bring clarity and focus to an otherwise complex process. Defining clear ways of working together resulted in efficient, seamless commercial execution and increased customer engagement.
Role-specific career development roadmaps provide visibility and clarity for career development and current and future opportunities. Managers are better equipped to coach and help develop those most directly connected to the consumer.