The French post office La Poste was facing a major shift in their market and needed to sell new and different solutions to their B2B customers. But how do you convince customers who have a very strong opinion about you and your offer? And how do you ensure your sales people have the necessary competencies to do so?
The challenge
Traditional mail is decreasing every year. The French post office, La Poste, had seen the impact on revenues and the need to reinvent itself, mainly within the important B2B business. But how do you sell to customers who only know of your traditional offers? It served a major change for La Poste’s salespeople to present a new and sometimes unexpected offer to customers. A new sales approach had to be built. This is where Mercuri International came in.
“The percentage of salespeople selling our whole offer has increased by 15%.”
Adèle Albano, Director of Corporate Customers at La Poste.
The solution
The study on sales managers and their teams focused on two methods of Differentiated Selling: Relationship selling and Assertive selling. Relationship selling involves building trust with the customer, while Assertive selling involves convincing the customer of the salesperson’s proposal. The study found that aligning these methods with observed behaviors and necessary actions led to success.
The outcome
Post-collaboration results for La Poste
- La Poste went from conventional sales to a streamlined process with a more controlled approach.
- Sales Managers dedicate more time and care to their contact with the field, which has a positive effect on team motivation and dynamics. Exact figures for sales increases are confidential, but they are significant.
La Poste is a French postal service company operating in France and its overseas territories, as well as in Monaco and Andorra. Established in 1991 after the split of the French PTT, it remains a public company despite the privatization of France Télécom. La Poste is part of Groupe La Poste, which includes banking, logistics, and mobile services. While postal activities have declined due to the Internet, parcel delivery and banking are growing, contributing significantly to the company’s income.
Conclusion
A new sales approach is not that easy, but with the right partner, the process could be smoother and more effective. Sometimes you just have to let go and embrace the change.
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