In 2012, flooring company Tandus Centiva (A Tarkett Company) began working on a total sales curriculum package for its sales team. In August 2013, it saw those plans come to life as the company started to roll out the learning plan for its sales team. This comprehensive training curriculum focuses on four main areas of training:
- Fundamentals
- Core
- Market Segment
- Elective
Program Details
“Fundamentals” contains courses that are fundamental to the basic understanding of industry, customer, company, and product in order to initiate customer interaction. Course topics ultimately focus on account executives’ (AE) ability to better service their customers. Training on company, product, market, selling, and individual development are the focus of this training, which takes place in the first year of a sales associate’s tenure.
Tandus Centiva partnered with Priority Management International to integrate “Target Account Selling” (TAS) into its “Fundamentals” curriculum. This three-day sales training program was customized to fit the company’s business and selling model in the commercial marketplace. TAS allows salespeople to evaluate a business opportunity and choose an appropriate strategy. Components include compiling customer profiles; conducting opportunity assessments; determining the customer’s key requirements; identifying key players, influencers, and decision-makers; analyzing competition; and developing a final strategy.
Salespeople in the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe, and Asia currently are using TAS. To date, Tandus Centiva has an 85-plus percentage close rate for large projects where the AE has utilized the TAS plan.
A high-level “TAS for Leaders” was presented to all senior leaders to ensure that the entire company understands the TAS “language” and proper terminology is used when assisting AEs on closing a project.
“Core” training includes supplemental courses that are required to refine selling skills and improve customer interaction. These courses are required of all account executives. Courses such as “Strengths Finder,” “Myers-Briggs Type Indicator,” “The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity,” “Prospecting and Lead Generation,” “Strategic Planning,” and “Handling Objections” make up the “Core” curriculum and strengthen AEs’ sales abilities.
“Segment Path” training is paths of study assigned to AEs according to their market segment focus. This curriculum focuses on understanding the market segment’s various sub-segments and the players involved. Understanding of this portion of the curriculum is the most important piece of this curriculum package and has a major influence on the sales associate’s selling ability. This is where Tandus Centiva’s annuity account business is formed.
“Elective” training modules are continuing education courses that further refine skills. These courses are available to all sales associates via either classroom, Webinar, virtual on demand, or mobile learning. They must be taken after the “Fundamentals,” “Core,” and “Segment Path” courses have been completed. Associates can take as many elective courses as desired as long as minimum training hours are met yearly.
Tandus Centiva also offers additional sales training each year at its annual sales meeting. Sales topics include items such as selling to various market segments, product positioning, and connecting with the customer.
Results
Sales training is one of the most important pieces of Tandus Centiva’s training organization. Through sales training, the company grew its annuity account business from less than 30 percent in 2009 to more than 40 percent in 2013. The company also saw a 22 percent increase in total sales since 2009 and 6.5 percent in the first half of 2013.
