Growth doesn't happen by chance — it is built CHIEF'S LETTER
Dräger's integration of its core values into its business strategy creates a positive experience for customers
Interview with Ulf Frisk, Sales Manager at Dräger
Dräger has succeeded in integrating the company's core values into its business strategies and created an overall positive experience for customers.
By sticking to its core principles while delivering a consistent customer experience, Dräger has secured successful business and loyalty from its customers.
From “Technology for Life” to Concept for Success
Dräger is the global company that supplies the world with medical and safety technology, here there is a passion for making technology meaningful. Ulf Frisk , Nordic Sales Manager for Safety at the company and named Sales Manager of the Month by Mindit, has not only understood the technical side of sales but has also managed to weave together the commercial sense in a success of safety and innovation.
Ulf Frisk's journey from chemical engineer to sales manager
In a time of recession and challenges, Ulf chose to make sales his career. With now 30 years of experience and a background as a chemical engineer, he began his career at one of the world's largest chemical companies. He soon became one of the youngest business area managers, and since then he has stepped into various sales leadership roles, always with a focus on development and progress.
Dräger Safetys: Five generations of life-saving innovation
Dräger, founded in 1889, and now a global family business in its fifth generation, has always strived to offer life-saving products that save lives. With a long-term vision to hand over the company in the best possible condition to the next generation, Dräger has steadily grown between 5–10% annually. Ulf has been a key figure in advancing the company’s technical innovations and increasing its presence in the Nordic market.
Mindit's motivation for the nomination:
Pelle Börjesson , Client Partner at Mindit, talks about Ulf's unique ability to unite staff and create a unified platform for customer interaction.
"Ulf has understood the importance of developing staff over time and creating a common platform that unites everyone in how to work with customers, from technicians to KAM and sales managers. He is quick to translate theory and training into real-world situations so that the investment has an effect"
Interest in sales development and collaboration with Mindit
After spending five years as Sales Manager at Dräger, responsible for over 100 people within the organization, Ulf realized that something more was needed to tie together the company's complex concept. The collaboration with Mindit over the past 1.5 years has played a crucial role in creating a sales training that is not just about selling products but conveying the entire Dräger concept and safety philosophy.
“Mindit connected us with an incredibly good trainer, Björn Forssén, an industrial guy who I have great confidence in. We have not only trained sales, the concept is to train the entire organization in different ways but to gain an understanding of the entire platform. We started with the leadership, then we went to the sales side, with product managers, system engineers, and everyone who works with customers, then we have also trained our technicians, and now we will train our support side. The next step will be to delve deeper into how we conduct key customer acquisition and the public sector.” – Ulf
More than just sales training – a complete concept for results
Mindit's contribution has been to tie the concept together. Ulf emphasizes the importance of getting customers to understand Dräger's safety mindset, which extends beyond the products to service, training and holistic thinking.
“We didn't just want sales training, we wanted a concept,” says Ulf, pointing out how Mindit's “Way of Selling” has become fundamental to structuring sales work.
A strong core of values creates a new view of sales development
Dräger's training efforts extend beyond salespeople to the entire organization. Ulf explains how they have focused on training not only salespeople but also managers, technicians and support staff. By connecting the company's core values to customer value, they have created a strong foundation for business success.
"If you have good core values and you know where you stand as a company, then collaboration with the customer is much easier. We can immediately see that when we align our core values, we do good business. Our sales development has come from our core values instead of our products, and that is also what Mindit has come in and helped us translate - what value we provide for the customer." - Ulf
The art of keeping goals moving
Dräger Safety has its daily challenges, despite its steady growth. Ulf Frisk sees his mission as “keeping the machine running”, to create a work environment where staff enjoy themselves and feel pride in their work.
"We are busy on a daily basis delivering on our goals, but things are going well right now and we had the best month in 2.5 years in October. I think this is partly due to the fact that we have worked with the staff in the commercial department, I see that we do business in a better way today, that we dare in a different way. It has had a good effect, which is fun to see." - Ulf
Ulf gives tips to others in the sales leadership role
– Understand the company's core values, get people to buy into it and share that understanding – Always lean back on the core values and be confident in them, also commercially and not just when developing the product – It's okay to say no to customers too, the core values help you get a better handle on which customers to work with
Dräger – from products to a holistic experience
Dräger Safety represents a successful fusion of technology and people-centric sales. They have managed to take a major step towards not just selling products but also offering a holistic experience of safety and quality – a journey from “Technology for Life” to a concept for success.
“It has been very smooth working with Mindit, I feel that the understanding has always been there for what we want to achieve. The cost of the course is not the big deal, the cost is to bring the entire organization together. It takes time but it also gives a big profit.” – Ulf