Distrupol trains to ensure delivery on its promise

In keeping with its leadership position, Distrupol, a member company of Univar and a major European polymer distributor, technical service provider and application development partner, has been honing the skills that underlie its service statement, ‘Knowledge that delivers’.

In addition to maintaining a high level of technical knowledge relating to products, processes and applications, Distrupol also puts a premium on its staff understanding the value-needs of its customers. And, while this might be said to be commercial common sense, the reality is that the sales staffs of many companies too often focus on the subsidiary rather than the primary issues faced by their customers and Distrupol has no intention of falling into that trap.

To enhance positive customer interaction techniques and eliminate any negatives Distrupol contracted with KSi, a leading UK industrial sales training firm with global experience. Initially trialled at Distrupol in the UK two years ago, the workshop-based KSi programme is being progressively extended throughout the organisation. The most recent beneficiary has been Distrupol’s Nordic region.

“Key is the improvement of the whole sales process, with particular emphasis on reducing sales costs both for us but of equal importance for the customer too,” explains Petri Karhu, managing director, Distrupol’s Nordic business.

“Central to this is making concern for the customer’s profitability the focus of activity. Although this is to a large extent already embedded in our selling philosophy, the KSi training programme has given us a fresh insight and techniques that help us to better identify what is of true value to customers’ businesses and better organize ourselves to deliver it.”

According to Colin Stokes, founder and senior partner of KSi: “What we do is not rocket science. Sales organizations and their customers each have the same fundamental goal, profitable growth. The route to this is through value creation and cost reduction. By working with the customer to achieve these objectives for his business, the professional sales person brings the same benefits to his own company. It’s based on a simple premise; a successful customer makes for a successful supplier. We train sales teams to target their customers’ profitability.”

For Distrupol’s Nordic team, training workshops were held in June for managers and September for the sales professionals. “Virtually everything in the programme had immediate practical application,” says Karhu. “As well as presenting us with new methodologies to be adapted to our needs, the workshops also served to reinforce existing good practices. I have no doubt we have all benefited from what we have learned and that over time those benefits it will be progressively reflected in our customer relationships.”