Growth doesn't happen by chance — it is built CHIEF'S LETTER
Skills development gave existing salespeople a chance to break into new ruts
Interview with Fredrik Tarenius, Sales Manager at Nevotex
Complex sales process with many stakeholders places high demands on salespeople
Over the past two years, Mindit and Nevotex have worked together to develop the skills of the company's salespeople. Thanks to a customized approach, they have jointly developed a sales manual, which became the basis for training the entire sales force according to best practice for the industry and the challenges faced by salespeople. Fredrik has a long career within Nevotex
Fredrik has been at Nevotex for 18 years and started his journey in the warehouse. He then worked as a salesperson and has had personnel responsibility for the last five years. In 2020, he took over as sales manager.
"A lot has happened at Nevotex in the last 4 years! We have a new externally recruited CEO who brings with him extensive experience from other industries and businesses. The company has a total of 150 employees throughout the group, of which 50 are here in Nässjö."
Need to be able to stand out with expertise and solid knowledge
Nevotex is a leading supplier of textiles, leather, technical materials and tools for interior design and furniture manufacturing. In a mature industry with many players, it is difficult to compete on quality, range or prices.
"We need to be present and top of mind with the customer. Production & delivery was partly a challenge during the pandemic, but we managed it well and probably benefited from having good inventory. The company's growth has been largely towards architects and interior designers. There it becomes extra important to create good relationships with the right people, at the same time as everyone else does; we need to be able to contribute with expertise and solid knowledge!"
Many stakeholders complicate an already complex sales process
The sales process is often complex and can take up to two years from first contact to deal:
"We find that there are often more stakeholders involved with a customer. Then there are many individuals to reach and who need to be influenced."
10 salespeople and integration project with Nässjö Municipality
In Sweden, Nevotex has 6 outside salespeople and 4 inside salespeople. Fredrik also has personnel responsibility for 5 seamstresses who are part of an integration project together with Nässjö Municipality.
The project benefits both the municipality and the company – the seamstresses can take on simpler projects that do not suit the factory in Estonia, and the company gains increased flexibility and diversity.
Opportunity for existing sellers to start thinking new things
In 2021, Nevotex developed its Way of Selling according to Mindit's model. This was a boost for the outdoor salespeople, and in 2022, they followed up with training for the indoor salespeople:
"We have had a good collaboration with Mindit and they have felt very professional - They developed a tailor-made solution for us, which we appreciate. Always good trainers and professional service. We have also used the additional service Insikt with digital lectures and it has been good - excellent as a preparatory tool for training sessions!"
Critical review of customer base has yielded results
The investment led to a rethinking of the customer base and a new view of customer potential:
"Now we value each customer's actual potential, instead of 'just' being a customer with a large turnover. Now it feels important to do a solid job of selecting the customer base. We have also worked harder to identify the key people at the customer."
It feels like a given that the training produces results.
"I am convinced that such an investment in education will yield results in the long run. I say like Ingemar Stenmark: The more I train, the luckier I get. Without being able to point to specific numbers, it feels like a given that it will yield results."
Part of a broad strategy for skills development within Nevotex
Nevotex took the initiative to develop sales. Competence development is generally a priority area throughout the group:
"Our new CEO had a contact who had previously conducted training with Mindit. It was a good reference and we also got a good feeling about Mindit ourselves!"
Fredrik's tip: Listen respectfully and release the handbrake!
– As a manager, it is important to listen actively and with respect to your employees.
– It's easy to keep the pace too fast if you've been a salesperson yourself.
– Dare to release the handbrake! If you have the conditions – take the chance and drive!