Precor’s Global Sales Process Implementation
About Precor
Precor is a fitness equipment manufacturer and health solutions provider based in Woodinville, Washington. The company is one of several brands in the sporting goods portfolio of Amer Sports based in Helsinki, Finland.
How FSS Helped Precor
For two and half years, Flannery Sales Systems (FSS) provided Precor with content, instruction and coaching services to support a global rollout of the Precor Sales Process (PSP). The program was deployed to 14 countries to enable a consistent way for Precor sales teams to engage with customers in key markets. FSS provided Precor with a global training structure which has been vital in gaining field alignment and propelling sales results.
During year three, Precor brought the program in house, enabling a small team of their own employees to be responsible for the implementation of the PSP. FSS partnered with Precor to identify credible internal evangelists in order to ensure a successful migration. The PSP leaders were responsible for delivering customized training material for each of their regions. They came from different customer-facing departments such as Global Sales, Marketing and Sales Operations, and each provided a unique insight into customer requirements.
When FSS interviewed these leaders, they emphasized the importance of staying focused on the ultimate goal, which was to deliver an exceptional customer experience. They emphasized that old school sales tactics like product pushing had no place in their sales process. Precor sales teams had to focus on listening and fully understanding customers’ most important business needs.
“Shifting from a product first, product-only conversation to a focus on learning what the customer wants to achieve with their business has been huge” said Dan Albaum, Precor Global Marketing Director. “These deep insights are reflected in all of our marketing content and sales support tools, which are designed to nurture our customer relationships.”
One of the key differentiators of the PSP was the Meeting Summary (MS). It is is what really set Precor apart from its competition. First if all, It helped to raise the customer’s confidence in the sales rep. In addition, it allowed managers to coach their team members through each opportunity in order to reinforce skill development. As a result, better opportunities were developed, and the overall health of the revenue pipeline increased.
A Precor Channel Partner enthusiastically agreed, stating “I started to notice that I am using the MS in my long-range pipeline to ask better questions and follow through more completely. I have found that reviewing closed sales is always worth the extra time.”
Guy Williams, Precor Global Director of Networked Fitness Sales, said the following key factors of the PSP have been the primary reasons that Precor direct and channel partner sales teams have been able to meet and exceed customer expectations:
- Tight go-to-market alignment through stronger cross-functional engagement from all Precor customer-facing roles and across all executive levels
- Defined metrics and documentation that build accountability and more effective coaching
- Strong focus on process — a commitment to hard work in training workshops translates to sales success in the field
As Guy pointed out, “there is no substitute for live role playing.”
In addition to benefitting Precor direct sellers, the PSP also had many advantages for Channel Partners. A Precor Channel leader in North America pointed out, “the PSP provides the overall structure and related sales skills for gathering pertinent customer information and confirming that information with the prospect. This leads to an opportunity offer relevant and timely value with specific Precor solutions.”