Name:  Sony, Kaizen Sales Development.

Description:

This solution-selling program revolutionized the way Sony sells its market-leading products to its distribution and channel partners.

It has enabled the sales team to focus on a partnership approach when working with their clients and elevate them above the industry competition.

Sony identified that it needed to move from a product-led to a solution-led sales culture that offers the whole portfolio of products to the channel partners.  This meant that a whole new mindset for the community needed to be enabled.

A modular approach was taken over a 12-month period to up-skill the sales team.

Each sales person was individually assessed and given a skills gap analysis prior to taking part in the program.

The Sony Kaizen program enabled the sales community to increase their sales through to resellers by 20% over a period of 12 months.

The new skills enabled the sales team to approach their customers with greater confidence, presence and knowledge:  enhancing their reputation as Reseller Account Managers.

Through deepening the level of conversations they have increased their breadth and depth of accounts and identified new IT customers.

Objective(s):

o    To increase the portfolio of solutions sold to the Sony Reseller Channel through a Partnership Sales Program.

Scale:

o    UK roll-out to the Reseller and Distribution Sales Teams.

Audience:

o    Sales people at all levels including management.

Measurement:

o    Assessment prior to the training.

o    Shadowing on the job.

o    Development of a “Go Green” that is linked into the quarterly 1:1.

o    Level 1 & 2 feedback forms.

o    Accounts Growth tracked in Sony 1 Reseller intranet site.