"Thanks to Adviser Partner, we received several million extra in sales"
The collaboration with Adviser Partner removed the threshold for Ework's employees, who all have an offensive sales responsibility. Sales and Marketing Director Pernilla Nilsson explains how sales training is now a natural part of all the company's teams.
Ework is the market leader in consultant placement in Northern Europe. The company was founded in 2000 in Sweden, but is currently also represented in Denmark, Norway, Finland and Poland. They have framework agreements with over 170 leading players in most industries, are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and manage 9500 consultants on assignment.
The group is structured on the basis of a matrix organization, where each employee has an offensive sales responsibility. Pernilla Nilsson joined the company in 2004.
When she became Sales and Marketing Director in 2016, she immediately set herself a clear goal: to steer the group's pipeline management.
Pernilla Nilsson, Sales and Marketing Director, Ework
Background information
Before working with Adviser Partner, Pernilla's sales organization had been growing rapidly for many years. At times they had experienced growing pains, making them reactive with a focus on delivery.
- There was too much focus on order taking. I saw it as my task to provoke them a bit and get them to be outreach instead. We have to be; we work with so many framework agreements. Framework agreements are just a hunting license. My goal was for us to be the best sales organization in the market. I wanted Ework's sales work to be something that people talk about.
Challenge
She describes it as classic timing, or fate. Adviser Partner called at just the right moment, made a good impression and was invited to a meeting.
- I realized right away that they understood my situation. They described how all the salespeople were running in different directions and put their finger right where it felt: we had no structure. It was so true, if I had gone out and asked the department what our sales process, business and offer looked like, I would have gotten as many answers as I had salespeople.
In addition, activity levels had been challenging for several years. Pernilla describes how salespeople were not out there influencing customers enough.
Solution
Ework needed to create a foundation to stand on and build on.
- I wanted all salespeople to have a higher minimum level. Adviser Partner directly contributed with the right culture, values and an effective way of working. We first went through different methods that felt right straight away - like the Way of Sales and Ideal Scenes. Then we got started! The start was quite extensive, it was needed. Adviser Partner trained everyone for four days and coaches for six days. Everyone received a basic training and the dedicated salespeople also received coaching days.
It gradually became a matter of course that other roles in the organization were also trained in Ework's Sales Academy. At Ework, everyone works with sales and is in contact with both clients and consultants.
Outcome
She describes the result as a new sales culture.
- The most obvious example was when we established our production meetings at campaign level. In the production meetings, we budget activity levels and do sales training. In just one quarter, we grew a product significantly. Thanks to Adviser Partner, we brought in several million extra in sales.
Pernilla is positive about recommending other sales directors to get the same help:
- I have recommended Adviser Partner to several other companies because I think they are very good. They have really made a difference. There is no threshold anymore, the sales training is a natural part of our teams. All teams have production and sales meetings every week or two. Adviser Partners' approach is extremely effective in implementing new behaviours, services, products and pitches in the organization. It also makes it easier to measure the results. In addition, we have coaching days on an ongoing basis; both for new employees, new coaches and those who need a recap.