Case Study: A Security and Safety Company

Client locks in sales force commitment to new product launch.

Situation

New product launches always pose critical challenges. To hit the ground running, a company needs to bring its sales people, channel partners and dealers on board before the launch. This Client can testify these challenges are only compounded when launching a new version of a highly successful, bestselling product. The Company had recently developed a dramatically improved version of its widely recognized and respected brand of commercial and residential door hardware.

A recent issue of the company magazine succinctly described the dilemma the company faced as it approached the product launch: “Customers love it. Salespeople love selling it. So why would the Company risk such successful relationships by altering the hardware – the most widely purchased commercial lock in North America?”

Extensive product testing demonstrated the new product to be clearly superior to its popular predecessor – twice as strong, five times as durable and easier to install. Despite the obvious engineering success, the Client anticipated understandable skepticism and anxiety from a sales force concerned that its best selling product line was being replaced. To successfully execute one of the most important product launches ever it knew it needed to do more than educate its sales force about the product’s specs, features and benefits – it had to win hearts and minds as well.

Time constraints complicated matters further. The Client understood that a rapid product rollout would maximize the success of the launch and preempt competitors from trying to neutralize the Company’s competitive advantages with counterclaims and price breaks. The new product training program needed to reach 800 sales professionals across the country in one quick blitz.

Solution

Maritz developed and facilitated a training program designed to teach sales professionals essential product knowledge, provide a forum to deal with their concerns, enthuse them about the new product and equip them with best practices for selling it.

• The program featured 4-hour seminars delivered in 26 cities over a 2-week period. Through tutorials, demonstrations and discussions, participants learned the key points about the product and how to leverage its competitive advantages to make the sale.
• Participants reinforced and demonstrated product knowledge by taking knowledge evaluations online.
• The program integrated incentives designed to enhance learning and participation, rewarding participants with small prizes for answering questions correctly, and for other incremental successes.
• Maritz provided program participants online access to product resources and sales tools designed to enhance on-the-job performance.
• By leveraging Maritz’ Performance Management System, the program enabled centralized administration and online delivery of product knowledge assessments and simplified tracking of program participants.

The System also provided participants an online discussion forum to pose follow-up questions following the training sessions.

Results

The product launch achieved dramatic success:

• The sales training program for the new product contributed to what the Client describes as the most successful product launch in the Company’s history.
• The rapid rollout educated and energized the sales force: The Client reported that prior to the launch, its sales force and channel partners were more knowledgeable and energized than they ever have been about a new product to date. Also, the entire sales force received product training over a two-week period – a fraction of the time it took IR in the past.