Transforming a Sales Culture: Caterpillar
How can visual tools build rapid alignment to transform a global organizational culture?
Caterpillar Inc. is the the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. The brand represents products and services for customers working in Construction, Resource, and Energy & Transportation industries. The enterprise relies on a distribution network of more than 220 dealers in over 180 countries.
ThoughtForm helped to secure alignment across Caterpillar teams to develop a comprehensive, global CRM strategy that could be used to transform the sales culture at Cat dealerships worldwide. After the strategy was set, ThoughtForm created a suite of highly visual implementation tools that help Caterpillar reps explain the new strategy and the importance of CRM to dealers. These tools were also used to help dealers determine which areas of CRM to focus on and how to take action with CRM improvement plans.
Who did we help?
Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. The Cat brand is the cornerstone of the Caterpillar portfolio, representing products and services for customers working in Construction, Resource, and Energy & Transportation industries. Caterpillar relies on a distribution network of more than 220 Cat dealers in over 180 countries.
Caterpillar is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, and has regionally-based teams (Distribution Services Divisions) that work directly with Cat dealers to implement corporate strategies that help them improve their operations and grow their business.
“I think the customers see that we’re better aligned internally … they certainly appreciate that we understand their business better.”
What did we do?
Developed a framework for building a CRM strategy that resonates with dealers.
ThoughtForm helped Caterpillar outline a structure of elements that, once completed, would become a strategy for improving CRM practices at dealerships worldwide. ThoughtForm facilitated a four-day, in-person workshop that assembled regional teams in one location for the first time, all to work on completing the framework.
ThoughtForm presented a diagram that outlined dealer process and planning activities. Working in small groups with participants from different regional teams, each group organized the activities to create Key Areas for CRM. After a large group discussion to evaluate each small group’s approach, ThoughtForm and Caterpillar built a master version that all regional teams agreed to use with dealers. This was a critical milestone: the Key Areas were set and the rest of the workshop could be spent filling in the rest of the framework.
Aligned with the enterprise strategy to form an integrated approach to CRM.
The regional Caterpillar teams continued to work remotely to refine the initial drafts of each element of the framework. ThoughtForm facilitated a second in-person workshop with the global team to finalize the strategy and plan implementation with dealers.
New Caterpillar participants were invited and asked to share an update on their teams’ efforts that impact CRM. Participants quickly learned that there were two CRM strategies in the works at Caterpillar—the one developed with ThoughtForm for Cat dealers and another one that started internally, and focused on the Caterpillar enterprise as a whole. Some elements across the two strategies were similar, but a closer examination was necessary to prevent confusion for dealers who interface with both teams. ThoughtForm quickly shifted the course of the workshop and led exercises to merge the two strategies without compromising either team’s goals.
Visualized the strategy and created a toolkit that could be applied across communications.
ThoughtForm developed a fundamental visual model that defines the Key Areas of the strategy. It provides a quick overview of the activities involved in CRM and conveys how information sharing across each dealership is critical to successful CRM. The model is used in a variety of communication materials, while elements of the model are also used to discuss nuances within each Key Area.
While the model was being developed, ThoughtForm proposed a communications and change management plan to Caterpillar that outlined the tools that regional teams would need to drive CRM adoption at dealerships. The Caterpillar team prioritized the materials within the plan so ThoughtForm could create a communications suite that enticed dealers with the benefits of CRM, educated them on the strategy, and then helped them to develop and act on an improvement plan.
What did we create?
A brief animated video
Introduces salespeople to key aspects of the new CRM strategy and describes how it will change the way that dealers call on customers.
A short brochure
Captures the value story of CRM for dealers, provides a visual overview of the strategy, and includes brief case studies of dealers benefiting from CRM.
A series of role overview posters
Integrates the CRM strategy into the description of each team member’s role and responsibilities.
An interactive tool
Caterpillar reps can use with dealers to evaluate CRM maturity and plan steps for improvement.
A comprehensive field guide
CRM champion at dealerships can use to help them understand the details of the strategy and act on their improvement plan.
The Results
Through the course of this visual, organizational alignment process, Thoughtform:
Defined what CRM means for Cat dealers
Planned and facilitated global team meetings to reach consensus on the elements of the CRM strategy
Helped build the strategy
Created common definitions for CRM terms
Documented the process of developing the strategy to share with internal stakeholders and new team members
Proposed a communication and change management plan for rolling out the strategy to dealers
Prepared internal presentations to help the project champion get buy-in and secure funding to carry out the plan
Developed a suite of highly visual implementation tools for the global team to use with dealers