Look-of-success standards have proven to be practical tools to drive superior sales performance.
The Company is located in Asia and operates with 1,202 route salesmen. It wants to design and develop practical “look-of-success” execution standards for its sales team. The standards will demonstrate how the company wants its brand products presented in the marketplace and serve as a tool for measuring sales and service performance at the point of purchase.
About Look of Success Standards
To ensure maximum sales effectiveness from retail outlets, developing a practical outlet development standards handbook that demonstrates successful examples of best-in-class sales activation schemes for the sales force is essential. The Market Development Manual is an effective tool that helps the sales team emphasize the key marketing concepts that drive sales and profit by focusing on pulling sales “out of the outlets.” The outlet standards are channel-centric and developed based on outlet channel needs – demonstrating the appropriate package sizes, space requirements, equipment, prices, and communication materials. After introducing the look-of-success, the salesman’s core objective is to sell and execute the look-of-success. Moreover, make sure you display it in every worthy outlet.
The look of success comprises four essential planning elements, which are designed and developed as a standard setup for each prioritized channel. The standard planning elements for each prioritized channel segment include an outlet planogram that illustrates the hot spots and optimal product placement based on shopper traffic flow through the outlet channel, a brand and product portfolio that provides minimum product assortment recommendations (SKUs) for that channel; the equipment, racks, and display types that enhance sales in that channel; and lastly, the communications, signals, and messaging materials that create sales demand and facilitate ease of shopping at the point of purchase for that channel.
Developing look of success
The introduction of a market development manual demonstrates to all participants how to maximize outlet traffic, revenues, and profits through a win-win concept.
TPC Consulting designed and developed the channel-specific look of success standards as follows.
- General merchandising principles
- Outlet planogram design
- Brand and product portfolio
- Equipment, racks, and display types
- Communications, signals, and messages
- How we measure and monitor sales performance
Clearly visible sales results
Experience has shown that companies that design and implement execution standards for their sales team increase sales by 7%—28% in activated outlets (developing markets). Activating all outlets in service of the “look-of-success” standard is essential. Sales benefits correlate with the market stage: established, developing, or emerging.
In the last few years, this company’s sales have been on a growth trajectory of 0%, and after the changes were implemented, they have grown by 28% the first year.