Case Studies - UPS |
|
Huthwaite and UPS: Creating a high-powered, world-class sales force United Parcel Service dates back to 1907, when Jim Casey founded the company in Seattle and adopted the slogan, “Best service and lowest rates.” In the new millennium war for market share, however, UPS found that service is only half the battle. In the face of global expansion and stiffer competition, the company is taking a new attitude toward sales – hiring and training potential stars to pursue new business like never before. “We really needed to transform our existing people into a high-powered, world-class sales force,” says Vice President of Sales Joel Rossman, and, with Corporate Sales Training Manager Doug Barnes, he is doing just that, with the help of Huthwaite. THE HUTHWAITE SOLUTION First, for the UPS sales force to operate at peak efficiency, share information and communicate clearly and effectively, they needed a common sales language. One of the components of that global language was Huthwaite’s SPIN® Selling. UPS and Huthwaite launched a customized, worldwide implementation of SPIN® Selling to their sales force, followed by coaching training for their management team so that managers could coach and reinforce the new skills. The goal in training salespeople on the principles of SPIN® was a simple one: Rossman and Barnes wanted to give their team the know-how to net more sales. “SPIN® is a consultative model in which the goal is to get a sales resource on the same side of the desk as the customer,” says Rossman. “Thanks to SPIN®, our sales have taken a turn for the better.” HOW MUCH BETTER? “We did a study applying the SPIN® assessment to business plan results,” Rossman says, “and we clearly saw a marked improvement in those results… It is having an impact, and we are extremely excited about that.” ONGOING RELATIONSHIP During the 10-year relationship with Huthwaite, UPS has expanded the range of the initial engagement to include all levels of Marketing, Telesales and Logistics staff. Huthwaite and UPS worked together to design skill improvement processes that were specific to these audiences. In addition, UPS has included Huthwaite tools and planning documents in their Customer Relationship Management system. To insure resident expertise for each of the 50- plus independent UPS buying centers, UPS also partnered with Huthwaite on coaching and trainer certification initiatives. MOVING FORWARD With their successful launch into the U.S. stock market, UPS continues to invest in developing their global sales force. The latest UPS/Huthwaite initiative was launched in February 2001 with a customised version of the Account Strategy for Major Sales programme. A sales simulation based on real UPS selling scenarios forms the central skill development platform for the learning. UPS is no longer just a carrier; it offers a wide range of services that can bring customers a total solution for their transportation needs. Their salespeople now have the selling skills and resources to help UPS capitalise on this new business focus and create greater value for both UPS and its customers. And it’s working – UPS was once again recently named Fortune Magazine’s “World’s Most Admired” company in its industry. |
