A financial services’ industry leader set course to aggressively pursue emerging markets to build marketshare. Their most successful and largest revenue-producing sales group was charged with leading this endeavor. However, the sales group was largely homogeneous in gender and race and had rebuffed a need to diversify in staff composition to resemble their clients and target markets. Prior efforts to develop marketshare in emerging markets had only low to moderate success. The HRC was charged to create a mindset and strategy shift among the leaders within only 3 half-day sessions over a course of 9 months. And, they were known for a 10 minute attention span. An interesting challenge!
We recognized we needed to immediately engage these high performing sales leaders in a high energy and competitive event to keep their attention the first ½ day. Through a team-based, experiential exercise, we proved to the group they had substantial room to grow interpersonally and in revenue. It worked perfectly. With their appetites whetted, we gave them research assignments before session 2. The results of their research provided the data for a business case to pursue the emerging markets with gusto. Session 2 was focused on advanced, cultural behavioral skills to support their success and provide them an assignment prior to Session 3… to design new products and services to support this new customer group. Session 3 included invited, high volume customers who also had an interest in emerging markets. The attending customers were excited about their supplier’s innovations as a result of the work we had guided and provided our client with additional marketshare on the spot. Additionally, the sales organization won the Chairman’s Award that year as a result.