Can a modern design process transform a sales culture?
Client
Caterpillar
Project
Transforming a global sales culture
Caterpillar® and Cat® dealers use data from technology-equipped machines to provide more insights into customers’ equipment and operations. Cat Connect, the commercial offering for digital services, gives customers visibility into the performance of their fleets and businesses, as well as empowers them to make smart decisions.
But, dealer sales teams were used to selling iron. Cat Connect requires them to understand customers’ needs, recommend solutions, and prove ROI—a process they haven’t done before.
ThoughtForm created a two-day instructor-led training course with clear language, visual explanations, and interactive adult learning techniques to help Caterpillar teach dealer salespeople how to use a consultative selling approach with customers. In deploying the course, Caterpillar brings consistency and accountability to the way Cat Connect is sold around the world.
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 businesses.
What did we do?
Developed a simple consultative sales process.
To create a solid foundation for salespeople to build from, ThoughtForm created a clear, four-step sales process that could become more robust over time and easily transfer to future offerings. The content of the course applied to multiple industries across Caterpillar’s global footprint and helped Caterpillar to rollout a consultative selling approach across its dealer network. Most importantly, the sales process was intuitive enough that it could easily become a part of salespeople’s daily operations.
Designed interactive exercises that help salespeople practice what they learn.
Once the sales process was defined, ThoughtForm created a series of engaging exercises and activities that helped Cat dealers’ salespeople learn by doing. The exercises helped the training participants spend most of their time role-playing lifelike client scenarios with their peers, rather than simply imagining what a real-world application of the sales process would entail. Participants used the exercises to focus on collaboration, one of the “soft skills” that is essential in consultative selling.
Packaged the course as a complete kit.
Finally, ThoughtForm compiled the sales process and exercises into an engaging and complete kit of parts for trainers to use to deliver the course. Anyone with some training experience can use the presentation and exercise materials to facilitate the course without in depth guidance or instruction. The kit was consistent, but adaptable. The core process within the kit is industry-agnostic, so it can be used by any salesperson. The examples and exercises are industry-specific so that it’s applicable and relevant to each individuals’ area of focus.
Course Materials
ThoughtForm created a package of course materials that builds on the foundation of the consultative selling process. It includes a detailed presentation with script notes, exercise tools, and a workbook that helped participants apply their learning to real-life client experiences.
Facilitation Tools
To support trainers in delivering an engaging course, ThoughtForm created a guide with instructions for facilitation, script notes, a materials production guide , and an overview of the course to attract participants.
“The consultative sales process has been ingrained in our team here and seems to be working wonders. We’re actually getting traction and signing contracts. ”
The Impact
This two-day, instructor-led training course designed to help Caterpillar teach dealer salespeople how to use a consultative selling approach with customers, allows Caterpillar to:
Bring clarity to ideas and concepts related to consultative selling
Help dealers learn by doing through interactive exercises
Provide participants with a workbook with takeaways so they can apply what they learned to real customer scenarios
Drive consistency and accountability to the way Cat Connect is sold around the world