Insight
In the FMCG and distribution sector, product advantages between suppliers are eroding ever more rapidly. The products of competing brands are often very similar, and purchasing decisions made by retail chains, distributors, or restaurants are based on many factors beyond product specification alone.
In such conditions, commercial conversations with retail chain buyers very often center on the level of discounts, price promotions, and trading terms.
Key Account Managers focus primarily on maintaining customer relationships and meeting short-term sales targets, while strategic account development and the business value of the partnership receive less attention.
Additionally, many organizations lack a clearly defined customer segmentation, which makes it difficult to manage the sales effort of commercial teams effectively.
Business Consequence
Organisations gradually lose margin, and sales becomes a function of discount levels rather than the business value of the partnership.
The absence of customer segmentation also means that sales teams devote a similar amount of time to customers with very different business potential.
Our Approach
We help companies move from selling on price to selling on value.
In conversations with retail chain buyers and key customers, the Sandler Selling System plays a central role -- it is a methodology that allows Key Account Managers to move beyond the logic of discount negotiations and conduct conversations about the real business value of the partnership. Sandler techniques such as diagnosing the buyer's actual priorities (PAIN) and precisely qualifying customer potential enable better allocation of sales effort and the building of relationships based on partnership rather than purely on pricing terms.
Our projects include:
- Customer and sales portfolio segmentation
- A key account strategy based on the Sandler methodology
- Developing the competencies of Key Account Managers
- Designing a standard for commercial conversations with retail chain buyers
Team
Head: Andrzej Skowronski
Consultants: Dariusz Milczarek, Lukasz Pawul, Krzysztof Rzepkowski
