It is against the backdrop of this increasingly competitive marketplace that the management at Telenor Mobil has recognised that in order to remain the leader in its field, the company must demonstrate unequalled professionalism in its service provision. A long-term training strategy has been identified as a key focus for achieving this goal.
An important part of this training strategy is the sales skills development, which is the focus of Huthwaite Norway’s work. This commitment to training is benefiting a variety of staff at Telenor Mobil, from secretaries to senior management. The aim is to develop a shared understanding of the sales values.
Tor Malmåsen, project manager at Telenor Mobil says: “It is important to Telenor to develop the training strategy in such a way that our staff are not limited to a one-off training event. That is why we are working with Huthwaite, to create an on-going process in order to change the attitude of learning at all levels.”
The company’s extensive training strategy has included Account Strategy for Major Sales - a longer programme that can incorporate team sales - Negotiation Skills and, importantly, Coaching Skills. It is essential that the staff are able to gain a range of competencies. Huthwaite training consultant, Sigurd Solbu, emphasises the significance of Coaching Skills training to Telenor: “The value of the training can be increased several-fold through ongoing coaching. That is why the coaching training has become so important within Telenor’s whole training strategy, as it enables the sales managers to transform their role from purely managerial to one of coach and training developer to give the most benefit to current and future sales staff.”
Tor Malmåsen adds: “Huthwaite offers Telenor the most professional approach to our training development. The company is willing to work with us to provide a long-term training strategy to suit our specific needs. Our experience so far is that the training has been very successful. Our sales managers, in particular, have been very positive, viewing it as the most effective and useful management training that we have ever had.”