CASE STUDY: BC TEL Success Story
Selling is an art. Or so many people think. And it was probably
true at one time for telecommunications companies operating in
monopoly environments. But, as they say, the times are a'changing
and never more so than at BC Tel where they have complemented
the art of selling with the science of selling in order to compete
effectively in an increasingly demanding and complex market.
BC Tel services over 2 million customers, employs 13,000 people
and has annual revenues of $2.2 billion. Since the beginning
of the deregulation process in 1980 with the open sale of equipment/hardware,
the move into competitive data networking and then into the lucrative
long distance market in 1993, the company has been continuously
improving its ability to compete in the BC marketplace. With the
deregulation of local access or dial tone this year, BC Tel is
now engaged in a fully competitive marketplace
Shifting from the art of sales to the science of selling began
close to two years ago within the Corporate Sales Division of
BC Tel, responsible for managing and maintaining the top 300 major
accounts for the company.
Historically, the sales organizations' role was primarily one
of defending marketshare, providing excellent customer service,
and maintaining relationships. The sales process lacked discipline
in identifying and tracking opportunities. As margins declined
due to heavy competition, sales force effectiveness became an
increasingly important objective
Faced with customers demanding faster response, new and innovative
offerings, better prices for commodity offerings, and the same
level of high quality service they had come to expect from BC
Tel, the sales organization realized they had to change. And
change quickly. "Sales" could no longer mean being reactionary
to customer issues and providing individualized support it had
to become a whole lot more
"The complexity of the sales process has increased dramatically
and is still escalating," illustrates Bruce Calder, Vice President,
Corporate Sales. "The emergence of information technology and
telecommunications as a strategic resource for business has resulted
in the need for our reps to become intimately involved in our
customer's business. This requires an in-depth understanding
of the threats facing our customers, the opportunities for growth,
and the deployment of our technology applications to help solve
their business issues."
"We needed to become a world class sales organization," explains
Rick Styles, Assistant Vice President, Business & Corporate
Sales. "Our focus needed to change to proactively identify new
opportunities and applications for our customers. We also knew
we needed help to achieve this."
After several attempts to undertake this transition internally,
Bruce's Team chose The PERFORMAX Sales & Marketing Group of
Toronto to determine, build and implement the processes required
to turn the division into an effective selling machine, and to
also facilitate the cultural change required to support it
According to Bruce, "We were impressed with PERFORMAX's thorough,
integrated, end-to-end sales effectiveness process and their depth
and competency in sales management, versus the many other sales
consultants we saw who lacked this vital dimension. Initial
consulting identified the immediate need for funnel management
and performance management tools. So we had to address these
first. "
PERFORMAX customized a sales funnel process and opportunity
management system unique to the requirements of BC Tel. Each
member of the sales and sales management team were trained on
the use of the funnel to track sales opportunities from early
identification to close and to use the process as a management
system. They were also taken through PERFORMAX's intense OPPORTUNITY
Management Workshop, which helped them to clearly understand
their roles, and gave them the tools to plan and monitor how they
are performing throughout the year
Key to the success of the sales organization is a set of proprietary
tools called The PERFORMAX System. The System is a customizable
software application for sales and sales management based on an
integrated set of Sales Processes. Created in a personal workbook
for sales professionals and sales managers at all levels within
BC Tel, the System breaks down the sales process into four key
areas:
- The Goal Sheet
- The Personal Success Checklist Tool
- The Strategy & Plan Tool
- The Opportunity Tracking and Forecasting Tool
Because of previous efforts with automation, it was decided
to focus on 1 and 4 above, with a plan to add 2 and 3 over time
The System components were customized for the individual and
designed to help the sales reps understand exactly what they need
to do to be successful in their role. In the BC Tel environment,
the system injected a level of discipline and organization into
the sales process by tracking the steps required for reps to create
new opportunities and close sales
"We've been extremely pleased with the results we have achieved
so far with The PERFORMAX System," said Bruce. "As sales managers
we have not only implemented discipline around funnel management
we have achieved a greater understanding of what is going on in
our customer base than ever before, enabling us to provide timely
and effective assistance to our reps."
As The PERFORMAX System becomes more integrated in the day-to-day
activities of the sales reps, a group not used to this type of
systematic approach, the response has been encouraging. "A few
of our reps see the System as more paperwork, but a good number
of them are using it as their key work planner for their accounts
and their working opportunities," acknowledged Bruce.
Nick Moss, Sales Rep with BC Tel, explains, "The streamlined
processes provided by PERFORMAX have allowed me to quite accurately
monitor my sales performance in comparison to my objectives.
I used to monitor my performance on an ad hoc basis with "made
at home" tools. Now I know exactly where I am and what I
need to do to achieve my goals."
In addition, the System also provides valuable information and
quick answers to sales reps and sales managers about the status
of every opportunity in the funnel, and the type of project so
that it is easy to spot sales staff who are selling new creative
solutions, and those who are wed only to the traditional services.
Monthly review meetings with their reps have become far more productive
because they focus on realistic opportunities and the resolution
of issues.
"As a management and coaching tool the PERFORMAX System is excellent,"
remarked Rick. "The formality and rigor of the process puts the
focus on the results we need to achieve, the customers and the
resources required to make the sale."
BC Tel is also finding that the adoption and use of the tools
by reps is having a dramatic change on the way they conduct their
activities. The most successful reps are now viewing their territories
as a business and, as a result, are developing a sense of accountability
Using the PERFORMAX System is having a number of spin-off benefits
within BC Tel. The marketing department was recently able to
design a new campaign working with the sales force that will allow
for the accurate tracking of contact, activity and results
This again underlines the secret to success of the PERFORMAX
System; ie: that it offers value to each of its users
After the initial training and roll out of the tools, PERFORMAX
was engaged in management coaching to provide feedback on the
use of the System during the monthly interviews. This played
a significant role in the "institutionalization" of the processes
at BC Tel.
The transformation of sales from art to science is well underway.
The next phase in the process for BC Tel and PERFORMAX is to pursue
the other elements of PERFORMAX's Integrated Sales Management
Process
"PERFORMAX has made a significant contribution to the cultural
change we had to make," sums up Rick. "We've made the transition
from art to science and are well on our way to realizing our vision
of becoming a world class sales organization."
###
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, PERFORMAX was founded in
1986 to provide a range of sales effectiveness solutions and consulting
services to companies demanding improvement in sales productivity
and revenues. Since its inception, PERFORMAX has partnered with
over 90 companies, delivered its programs to over 10,000 sales
professionals and sales managers in nine countries, and successfully
enabled client organizations to achieve significant increases
in sales force productivity and subsequent growth in corporate
revenues and profitability
For more information contact:
| Peter Michie |
Bruce Calder |
| PERFORMAX |
BC Tel now Telus |
| (561) 202-8163 |
(604) 663-5161 |
|
