case study
Establish a B2B sales team for growth in National Telco
THE CLIENT
The Bulgarian Telecommunications Company, former state-monopoly incumbent telco - renamed Vivacom.
Recently privatised and acquired by Private Equity. Sales team of 400 people. Revenue €460m.
THE CHALLENGE
A cultural transformation was required in a newly competitive and de-regulated market.
-
Viacom offered a complete range of voice, data, internet and mobile products, being the only company in Bulgaria with the capability at the time. However, it had lost market leadership in the mobile sector a few years previously. New entrants were impacting the more profitable and high growth segments of international voice and internet services.
-
There was no sales activity in the B2B sector (Corporate and SME) and at best a transactional relationship with the customers.
-
To establish a pro-active direct sales force of 250 people from scratch. This was a greenfield project where little experience existed and few staff had been recruited.
THE SOLUTION
Developed, trained and managed the sales teams:
-
Designed and implemented the strategy, processes and value offer for the 110,000 companies in the small and medium sized enterprise (SME) sector.
-
Trained, coached and developed the teams to perform:
-
How to sell and build effective relationships for 250+ sales people.
-
Sales management for 30 line managers.
-
-
Implemented reporting and control procedures to monitor performance versus targets, of individuals and sales teams.
-
Organized inter-regional sales meetings to compare performance across 11 regions and recognise successful teams.
-
Initiated and launched the Sales Academy to provide ongoing development of all the sales teams and recognition for the high performers. Played a leading role in the creation of the Management Development Programme for high potential managers.
THE RESULTS
-
Protected and developed the valuable but vulnerable SME segment, retaining voice revenues above expectations and compared to other European countries.
-
Successfully launched and established the broadband and mobile services. Vivacom had been slow to develop its internet products, which became a major focus. These products required a considerable sales effort to grow in a competitive environment.
“In a short period of time, Mike was able to win the confidence of the Bulgarian sales teams and work with them in a way that was not confrontational yet provided leadership and direction. Without the strong sales effort that Mike had spearheaded, the mobile and broadband products would not have been the success that they subsequently became.
I have no hesitation in recommending Mike Kemball to your organization. He has the life experience that enables him to work with diverse people and cultures and the work experience that enables him to see the big picture without losing sight of the details and get the job done.”
Tony Robinson, Chief Commercial Officer