A combination of restructuring sales teams with goal alignment and implementation of lean tools like differential selling, customer kanban, root cause analysis and daily work management significantly improved sales team productivity and market share.
Context and Challenges
Largest Salt manufacturing company in East Africa, having more than 70% market share in export markets, had stagnant market share (less than 20%) in core territory due to strong hold and brand name of competitor existing for more than 30 years.
Our Approach
As part of a comprehensive sales improvement program, we followed a four-step process:
- Assessment & Data Analysis: Assessment of Sales performance, market share, SWOT analysis to identify key improvement areas
- Identification of Key focus areas: Identified key focus areas - fill distribution gaps, improve sales team productivity, improve material availability, improvement of customer service and formation of project teams for implementation
- Sales & Marketing Alignment: Alignment of goals of Sales team and marketing team and restructuring of sales team
- Implementation & Project Reviews: Facilitated Kaizen workshops with internal teams, targeting high-impact areas based on the 80/20 principle, leading to increased output with reduced effort.
Key Strategies Implemented
- Differential selling to increase focus on adding value to customers business through support on operational efficiencies and enhance customer service
- Daily work management to review and improve sales team performance, identification and closure of gaps, Focus on immediate implementation
- Root cause analysis to identify and eliminate major causes of gaps on sales performance
- Implementation of pull system and distributor kanbans for top 20% customers to minimize stock outs and improve material availability
- Focus on High Impact Low Performing Areas in focussed regions for immediate results
Results Achieved
- Increase in Market share from 20% to 30% in span of 15 months
- Improvement of sales team productivity by more than 30% (increase in sales per person, strike rate, repeat orders)
- 80% Reduction in stock outs at distributors, wholesalers & stockists
