Networking for Sales Results Ups Warm Leads 20 – 30%

As a company specializing in interior design for other businesses, Kinnear Office Furnishings depends heavily on networking. “There isn’t an obvious title,” says CEO Janice Bell about identifying the right contact at a business. “Sometimes the office manager is in charge of furnishings and office space. But it can just as easily be the CEO!” Thus finding the right person, and getting “them talking about furnishings and interior space design” is vital for discovering sales opportunities.

“We have a product that is of very high value to a company but, frankly, difficult to sell,” says Bell, “so we’re constantly looking for any edge we can to get our foot in the door.”

Networking filled their sales funnel. However, reducing the amount of time their sales people spent networking, while increasing the effectiveness of their efforts, would generate more opportunities at less cost.

They brought us in to conduct our flagship training program Networking for Sales Results. Over two days, the sales team learned our 5-Step Networking Method for contacting and landing appointments with new prospects. Then we sent them on the road with a mobile-friendly 12-part series of 20-minute training modules that helped them put what they’d learned into practice.

“What I really like about the program,” says Bell, “is that there’s no fluff or theory. Right from the first module, there were tips and tactics our sales team could implement right away.” In fact, the virtual training modules were the most popular feature with Kinnear’s sales team. The team also appreciated the 180 days of one-to-one coaching and support we give after the initial 2-day training.

Did the program pay off? Bell says her sales team is getting their feet through doors from 20 – 30% more often. “In fact, that’s how the training program helped us the most.”

Would she recommend the program to other companies? “Without a doubt. It’s a very effective program, especially for sales teams like ours that rely on networking to build sales. I’d highly recommend it!”