PostNord Strålfors - creating key insights and value for customers in a competitive market

Written by Huthwaite International

Challenge

PostNord Strålfors work in the highly competitive digital communication space. Relying on product knowledge and technical expertise was no longer enough to support their growth ambitions - the sales teams needed to elevate their sales conversation with clients to create the value and emotion needed to differentiate their products and services.

Solution

A Huthwaite sales skills pathway was developed and delivered by training professionals who really understood their business and culture. The pathway allowed them to use their real-life knowledge and expertise within a collaborative learning journey that helped them learn with and from each other as a group.

Outcome

The entire sales organisation now presents a consistent face to customers with everyone talking a common language. Client facing teams are able to think more strategically in their approach to providing solutions and recognise that agile selling is actually the best form of customer service there is.

Consulting Partners

PostNord Strålfors has evolved into a consulting partner in the implementation of customer communication solutions and needed to motivate and upskill the sales team to meet new customer expectations with regard to value creation and problem solving. As customers have adapted to changing business opportunities and challenges themselves, PostNord Strålfors recognised that it was no longer enough for sales people to advise themtalk about the features and advantages of particular solutions. Customers are looking for advice and help in solving their unique communication challenges.

“PostNord Strålfors has evolved into a consulting partner in the implementation of customer communication solutions and needed to motivate and upskill the sales team to meet new customer expectations with regard to value creation and problem solving. As customers have adapted to changing business opportunities and challenges themselves, PostNord Strålfors recognised that it was no longer enough for sales people to talk about the features and advantages of particular solutions. Customers are looking for advice and help in solving their unique communication challenges.".

Martin Nyberg, Managing Director, PostNord Strålfors

The Huthwaite Learning Journey

Huthwaite’s rigorous behavioural research and skills development programmes are built on what the very best salespeople, communicators and negotiators in the world do differently. Each behaviour change journey we undertake is appropriate to the unique business environment of our clients and we work together to agree the best learning approach.

The Huthwaite Sales Academy learning journey implemented at PostNord Strålfors ensures the sustainable delivery of behaviour change through the following stages:

  • Acquire knowledge – online digital learning – completed before classroom sessions

  • Practise skills – within both face to face and virtual classrooms:

    • SPIN Selling – face to face and virtual classroom programmes delivered pre and post Covid.

    • Virtual and face to face SPIN Refresher modules

    • Verbal behaviour analysis real case benchmarking and consultancy sessions

    • Account Strategy – virtual sessions

  • Workplace transfer – applying the principles and skills to actual opportunities with workplace transfer tasks reviewed and feedback given, within the collaborative platform.

  • Coaching support – SPIN Coaching sessions include verbal behaviour analysis, continuous benchmarking, coaching and consultancy support around real business cases from Huthwaite experts

“We’ve created the best learning journey for PostNord Strålfors to succeed with its growth strategy. As behaviour change happens, people fine tune their skills in our coaching sessions where we use the SPIN Coaching tools to work on real case scenarios and simulations - our relationship has developed into a strong partnership over time.”

Anders Hjort, Regional Development Director, Huthwaite International

“We felt that the approach and company culture at Huthwaite was different from others and that we would be fully supported - we have built more of a cooperation model, a true partnership together”.

Giovanni Belli, Head of Business Development, PostNord Strålfors

Key Outcomes

  • Coaching real cases was key to work on specific skills that ensured that performance expectations were met. The sales team were always clear on the skills they needed to focus on and could see behaviour change happening for themselves.

  • The main goals for the project were perfectly met using SPIN and Account Strategy as the main two sales programmes that could meet the growing complexity of the sales proposition and develop the skills for salespeople to be able to identify the ‘right’ solution.

  • Working together to identify skills gaps before mapping out learning pathways was key to the success of the project. Benchmarking at the beginning helped Stralfors gain a real perspective on skill levels and allowed us to plan the most effective learning journey.

“The skills benchmarking we did at the beginning of our learning journey gave us valuable data that encouraged discussion about the types of skills we needed as a team. We were able to drill down into performance gaps and identify specific areas for improvement which we could then work on in our coaching sessions. We’ve made a point of continuing with the benchmarking process as we’re keen to encourage a mindset and culture of continuous improvement”

Giovanni Belli, Head of Business Development, PostNord Strålfors

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