McCrone Associates sought a sales training provider who could help their technical staff learn and retain sales and communication skills as part of a total culture shift.
Through deep discovery and research, Janek Performance Group was able to develop, implement, and execute a fully customized, holistic sales training solution.
About McCrone Associates
McCrone Associates, a division of the McCrone Group, provides material and particle identification solutions for a variety of clients in the fields of academia, industry, clinical laboratories, government agencies, and scientific researchers. The team consists of scientists who consult and work directly with clients, using advanced microscopy techniques and instruments to help solve clients’ problems.
The Challenge
The McCrone Group wanted to grow the division’s overall sales by establishing deeper relationships with existing clients in all departments (procurement, engineers, lab managers, etc.).
They also wanted to provide their technical staff with the sales skills and mindset as part of an overall corporate culture shift from reactive to proactive sales model – one built on staff with strong communication skills that sought Trusted Advisor status.
The Solution
Janek Performance Group’s team worked closely with McCrone Associates’ leaders and staff to understand the division’s role within the larger organization and their business model. Research methods included discussion with key stakeholders at all levels during on-site visits.
A critical part of the solution formulation and execution process hinged on two components: 1) Realizing that McCrone’s scientists did not consider themselves salespeople and 2) Recognizing and respecting the training audience’s high-level technical expertise and background. Acting on both factors alleviated concerns and helped establish buy-in.
Once discovery was complete, Janek designed and executed a wholly customized Critical Selling Skills program that included hands-on exercises, role-playing scenarios, interactive examples, and utilization of subject matter experts – tying in relevant, true-to-life scenarios faced by the audience.
Reinforcement came via webinars, refresher courses, ongoing discussion, and work with McCrone’s managers and leaders to instill them with sales coaching skills and techniques.
The Results
Since the 2013 launch of the sales training initiative, McCrone Associates has seen consistent year-over-year improvement in sales. Also trending up are the number of repeat customers, customer interactions, deeper reach into new markets, and average deal size.
The cultural shift, too, was successful. McCrone Associates’ technical staff is now oriented to becoming Trusted Advisors who seek to better understand customer needs, expand relationships, and identify new business opportunities. Also worth noting: the training participants have been able to take on the sales knowledge and skills without diminishing the necessary technical and scientific expertise to sell services with confidence and authority in McCrone’s industry.
