Global training program deployment: balancing cohesion and customization.
With such a large, diverse company, operating across numerous industries, the primary challenge was as follows: how to deploy a training program that was globally coherent and comprehensive while respecting the differences in each region and specific industry segment?
The challenge
Rethinking sales: 100 markets – one challenge. Training, of any kind, is a balancing act. ABB’s sales teams were experienced, hugely knowledgeable product experts but the existing sales approach was fairly traditional and linear, focusing very much on technical aspects of the products, acquiring as many leads as possible and then pushing the portfolio.
“Mercuri always brings the guaranteed B2B sales credibility and challenge ABB requires to help raise our solution and Value Based Selling skills to world-class, be it in Bangalore or Beijing, Coventry or Cairo.”
Allan Mitchell, Head ABB
The solution
Before the academy’s creation, each division chose its training, lacking global consistency. A unified approach was needed to align sales with ABB’s high-quality products.
The academy adopted value based selling (VBS), focusing on the idea that a product’s value depends on the benefits it brings, not just its price. Sales teams were trained to analyze customer needs and offer tailored solutions.
Mercuri designed a seven-month certification program with modular e-learning, short webinars, and digital training to minimize work disruption. Three days of role-playing ensured practical application of the acquired skills.
“We tended to see ourselves as the expert in the room, but actually customers also want us to demonstrate that we understand their world – that we can listen to their challenges.”
Allan Mitchell, Head ABB
The outcome
Post-collaboration results for ABB
- Mercuri’s training program provided ABB with engaging and practical skills that aligned with the recipients’ real-world roles, generating a genuine sense of progress and accomplishment.
- Sales teams could actively see and feel the benefit of the new skills they were acquiring, which kept them coming back for more.
ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, driving industrial transformation through innovation. Headquartered in Switzerland, ABB operates in over 100 countries, providing solutions in robotics, power grids, and digital industries. With a strong focus on sustainability and efficiency, ABB helps industries and infrastructures optimize performance while reducing environmental impact.
Conclusion
Indeed, the VBS training that ABB has initiated for sales and
marketing teams has proved so popular and successful that
there are plans to roll out the program to other areas of the
company, with sales support staff the next to benefit. ABB’s
Allan Mitchell has noticed that the program has had a much
more profound impact than he’d initially anticipated.
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