Salesperson. The title conjures up images of a suited professional, briefcase in hand, moving from appointment to appointment, presenting his or her wares to a potential customer. Sound familiar? Not for long, according to Unisys, a worldwide information
by Site Staff
March 1, 2006
Salesperson. The title conjures up images of a suited professional, briefcase in hand, moving from appointment to appointment, presenting his or her wares to a potential customer. Sound familiar? Not for long, according to Unisys, a worldwide information technology services and solutions company.
“Our industry has become more commodity-oriented over the past decade and in response, we are moving our portfolio sales executives, or PSEs, out of the data center and into the boardroom,” said Bob Ruscoe, director of training for the Unisys systems and technology business unit. “We realize that to be competitive, we must connect business to the IT infrastructure. Unisys, like many other companies, is in the process of moving its sales force out of the role of product sales to solution consultant.”
Sounds like a good idea, but Unisys needed a way to implement the transition in its sales executives. According to Ruscoe, the transition is “an evolutionary process, not a revolutionary one.” Unfortunately, as any anthropologist will tell you, evolution takes time. Given that one Unisys solutions sale can generate profits ranging from several hundreds of thousands to several millions of dollars, lost time in the field translates to significant losses in revenue. How can in-depth training be provided to hundreds of PSEs without lengthy downtime? How will seasoned sales professionals be engaged and entertained during “just another training seminar”? By thinking outside the box, or rather, outside the classroom, Unisys found its answers.
“It is difficult to take people out of the field,” Ruscoe said. “A good training program can take several days or even weeks to complete.”
According to Unisys consultant Larry Thomas, the company solved its problem through a simulation training program. “By choosing to utilize a simulation training program, we were able to provide elegant sales training in a fraction of the time required by traditional classroom-only methods,” Thomas said.
CompeteNet, a provider of simulated learning solutions for soft-skills training, partnered with Unisys to customize a simulation that re-created a PSE’s sales environment and integrated with Unisys’ sales excellence program. Using a product called SimSell, which creates an experiential, interactive learning environment, Unisys created a case study for the PSEs, which allowed them to get to know their customers and tailor questions for identifying performance gaps and solution needs. The simulation training was then combined with classroom sessions to provide a blended-learning program. “The simulation training allowed us to progress to a blended curriculum using today’s technology and producing results like no other method we’ve tried,” Ruscoe said.
Unisys trainers were sold, but what about the sales executives? Unisys decided to survey the training participants about whether they enjoyed the simulations and how they would rate the effectiveness of the training. The comments were practically unanimous. “Participants loved it,” Thomas said.
However, satisfied trainers and enthusiastic participants make for great morale, but they do not necessarily boost the bottom line—a subject very much on the mind of Unisys management since the deployment of the simulation training program five months ago. “We just received a major win from a financial institution for just over $1.4 million in solutions and services,” Ruscoe said. “We won the account using this approach and as a result of this training.”
The deployment of the simulated sales training program as a vehicle for transforming PSEs from vendors to consultants might appear to be a Unisys success story in the making. However, Thomas and Ruscoe know a happy ending can only come through skills mastery and reinforcement. “The beauty of simulation training is that I can take a Web-based course as many times as I want to master the skills,” Thomas said. “You only have one shot with classroom training.”
Ruscoe added, “The sales teams must apply what they’ve learned, and it’s our job to validate those skills. We’re working with the solution provider on a continuous learning program to take this to the next level. At every step of the process we’re now going to use simulation training.”
Bentley Radcliff is the founder and CEO of CompeteNet Inc. He has more than 20 years of experience in the information technology and financial industries working with several notable top-tier corporations such as HP, Sun Microsystems, Apple Computer, Unisys Corp., Xerox, Scottrade and the Weiss Group. He can be reached at bradcliff@clomedia.com.