How new processes sell a vision of the future to everyone’s satisfaction

Sales Operation: Strategic changes help to get results fast and help breed staff loyalty, reports Susann Jerry.

This year’s awards produced an exceptionally high calibre of entries and the Sales Operation category was an exception. In keeping with worldwide trends, the number one priority for sales organisations is shifting from protecting the bottom line to seeking real year-on-year growth.

This year’s shortlist of finalist comprised Geopost, The Hillarys Group, Lyreco, Pfizer and Yahoo. The judges looked for “the organisation that has a strategic vision of the role and importance of sales at the hub of its commercial success and evidence of the effective use of people, processes and technology within a sales led culture across all of its functions”.

After much deliberation, the judges awarded the coveted ride to The Hillarys Group, acknowledging the changes in sales processes and increased growth brought about by Melissa Bunyan, director of sales, and her team.

Melissa’s achievement was made all the more remarkable because the Hillarys Group sells exclusively through the indirect channel. Getting her sales team to adopt new processes and maintain loyalty commitment and trust was a challenge she met with verve and considerable success.

Hillarys is a clear market leader in a buoyant and growing market. With a total of 948 employees and a turnover (in 2003) of £78.4 million, the Nottingham-based sales and instillation operator regularly surveys customers and reports satisfaction levels “ in excess of 95 per cent.”

Award sponsor Miller Heiman specialises in building exceptional sales organisations. Since 1979 it has been helping companies to dramatically improve sales productivity through consistent , field-ready processes. Benchmarking tools, development programmes and consultant consulting.

Best known for its Strategic Selling Programme, Miller Heiman provides solutions for introducing strong sales processes throughout entire organisations – to help get results fast, win business consistently and build a roadmap for success.

Commenting on The Hillarys Group success, Miller Heiman’s director of marketing and sales operations, Lynda Marston, said: “Miller Heiman is a proven resource for sales leaders. Through our programmes, and indeed our sponsorship of this category, we’re committed to helping organisations make real progress in growing sales. We’ve been delighted to sponsor this year’s award and in particular recognise the achievements of The Hillarys Group.”