Sales optimisation for an office services player
Developed a detailed strategy to double gross margin in a key customer category for this provider of B2B document management solutions.
For the client’s commercial customers, based on contract and financial analysis as well as customer insight, we developed a pragmatic customer segmentation, and tailored value propositions. The strategy would double the gross margin generated by commercial customers, improving value per sale, volume of sales, salesforce productivity and cost per unit of sales.
Context
Our client, as a new CEO, had originally brought us in to support him in quickly developing a financial turnaround plan. One year on, having successfully followed the plan, the company was stabilised, and attention turned to growth.
The client had identified a need to optimise their commercial salesforce activities to ensure they were focusing on the right sort of customers with the right propositions to maximise profitability. Our team combined deep knowledge of the client’s business with B2B sales and marketing expertise.
Approach
We married contract and financial analysis with qualitative and quantitative research insight into the decision-making process and criteria used by commercial customers in different business sectors. Based on this we created simple client targeting and prioritisation criteria. These enabled the salesforce to tailor their pitch to commercial businesses, and improve their win rate and commercial terms.
We prioritised four segments, and for each created a guide to developing those customers, detailing what was required from prospecting, selling, sales support, account management, and customer support.
Impact
The strategy targeted a doubling of gross margin in commercial customers by increasing the value per sale, increasing the volume of sales, improving salesforce productivity, and reducing cost per unit of sales.
The client targeting and prioritisation tool was adopted, and performance improved in line with plans.