Our dedication to excellence is reflected in every interaction we have. We ensure that every individual we work with has the tools they need to succeed and thrive in their careers.
With a focus on achieving results and driving transformation, we understand the unique needs of businesses and aim to match top talent with opportunities that elevate both personal and professional growth.
Hear from Chris Pickles about how partnering with Pareto has had a positive impact on Maris Interiors.
We have successfully helped hundreds of organisations with their recruitment, training & outsourcing processes. Since 1995, we have been delivering successful placements, courses and support to businesses from every industry sector and market. As our client base is constantly growing, we are continuing to add and update new case studies.
CASE STUDY
Apprenticeship
Dell is a global technology leader dedicated to enhancing lives through its extraordinary capabilities. Dell's influence extends worldwide from innovative hybrid cloud solutions and high-performance computing to impactful social initiatives and sustainability endeavours.
After establishing a partnership with Pareto, Dell used their 2023 apprenticeship funding to create a specific apprentice programme for their public sector sales team. For many years, Dell focussed on their graduate programme to provide early career talent for their sales teams However, with the expansion of suitable frameworks under the UK government apprentice programmes, and specifically the Pareto sales programmes, Dell saw it as a perfect pairing to explore how this talent could be utilised within the organisation.
The programme aimed to address some misconceptions about apprentices. There was a concern that apprentices might be perceived as lacking the knowledge, "life skills," and maturity commonly associated with graduates.
Additionally, Dell wanted to ensure a smooth integration of apprentices into the sales organisation to minimise the risk of challenges and failures during their onboarding process. The goal was to create a supportive environment for apprentices to transition seamlessly into their roles within the company.
Problems faced
Apprenticeship success
CASE STUDY
Training
With nineteen years of expertise, Smoove has been revolutionising the software solutions space, providing unparalleled options and efficiency to the housing market. Their innovative products have significantly streamlined operations for home movers, conveyancing professionals, and estate agents, facilitating time-saving and enhancing communication between all involved parties.
The Smoove team's main goal is to contact mortgage brokers throughout the UK, encouraging them to utilise property technology solutions. The team comprises diverse experience levels, ranging from experienced sales professionals with over 20 years of mortgage broker experience to university graduates.
Smoove's sales team faces several challenges in communicating with their target audience, mortgage brokers, via telephone. These brokers are incredibly busy individuals, and engaging with them has, in the past, proved difficult as Smoove's offerings may not be their main priority. Additionally, the Smoove team struggles to assert their value during interactions due to the brokers' competing priorities, leading to a need for a mindset shift within the team.
Overcoming these challenges requires Smoove to find ways to capture the brokers' attention, foster meaningful engagement, and confidently convey their value proposition during conversations.
Furthermore, using their skilled data analyst team, Smoove can track conversation outcomes to gauge the likelihood of securing sales. Despite initial progress before Pareto's training, they wanted to refine their approach further to achieve greater success. Their primary goal focused on optimising conversations to boost the probability of customers purchasing their products.
| Requirements | Results |
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Build confidence and change the mindset of the team when engaging with new and existing customers.
Increase the number of calls accepted by clients.
Increase the number of successful sales per interaction.
One of the team's biggest challenges was a fear of disrupting their customer's busy schedules, impacting the team's confidence in engaging with clients. By changing the approach to the call, particularly the initial introduction, Smoove have seen engagement levels increase.
In October and November 2023, the number of people engaging in telephone conversations was less than 20%. Following the training, Smoove have seen this increase to 25% in January 2024. This success shows that clients see good value in engaging in conversation with the team.
The change of mindset, behaviours, and engagement success has seen Smoove’s data show that the team averaged a sale from every 10 customers they had spoken to. Following the training, in January 2024, five team members averaged a sale out of every three conversations.
Following their recent training session, Pareto encouraged the team to implement biannual SMART targets for each sales agent. During quarterly reviews, progress against these targets is assessed. If targets are missed, then analysis is conducted to understand why, potentially revisiting training topics or exploring new angles. Through this structured approach, the team continuously strives to meet and exceed their goals.
The Pareto training sessions have also equipped the team with enduring skills that extend well into the future, significantly enhancing their career advancement prospects.
CASE STUDY
Training
Tyl and Pareto began working together towards the end of 2022 when Lisa Range, the firm's Chief Commercial Officer, commissioned Pareto to start the sales training initiative.
Lisa identified specific challenges within the Sales team, particularly a shortfall in employing a consultative sales approach. One noteworthy observation was the team's tendency to ask limited questions, assuming they had a sufficient understanding of the customer's needs. This approach provided customers with excess information, resulting in customer disengagement and loss.
The issue of 'feature dumping' also surfaced as a concern, causing customers to feel overwhelmed and, at times, dissuaded from further engagement. In response to these findings, there is a recognised need to reassess and refine the team's approach to customer interactions, emphasising a consultative and measured sales methodology to foster more constructive engagements.
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Challenge - The sales team lacked communication, consultative, and conversion skills.
Core Elements of the Sales Process.
Implemented training across Sales and Leadership Teams.
Participants engaged in a personalised, in-person two-day training session at the Tyl offices, gaining the expertise and abilities essential for the successful implementation of the post-programme.
A one-day coaching session conducted on the sales floor, fostering positive workplace behaviors while also facilitating the implementation of skills and knowledge.
Challenge - An inexperienced team and organisational skills gaps
Enhanced coaching skills within the leadership team.
A two-hour Management Fast Track session aimed at ensuring understanding and effective integration of the sellers' training.
Implementation of the Management Skills Scan to facilitate the identification of skill gaps, strategise coaching, and plan for succession.
Two days devoted to performance management, fostering accountability and developing skilled, engaged sales professionals who are aligned with their plans and objectives.
This 1.5-day individual accreditation is focused on coaching and developing others, providing feedback and success plans to instil accountability for their personal management development.
Set Up Slack Chats - Slack chats were established for each cohort to facilitate ongoing collaboration and knowledge-sharing. This platform served as a space for exchanging best practices and discussions related to the training.
Set up an Internal Accreditation - Due to the success of the leadership accreditations, Tyl set up their own internal accreditation, running every quarter to help them understand the progress and development areas of the sales team.
Presentations - As part of the accreditation, the team was asked to do a 10-minute presentation on what they had learned through the Pareto training, what they’d embedded so far, and what they were still working on.
Recorded Observed Role Plays - The leader would first role-play with an internal leader observing and it being filmed. The leaders would then watch the video back and critique themselves. They would then discuss their critique with the trainer and senior leaders. This leads to a pass or fail result.
Created Skills-Focused Observation Forms - Tyl updated their observation forms to reflect the skill progression and changes from the Pareto training. The gold, silver, and bronze scoring system was implemented to drive a ‘one and done’ approach, which helped to reduce the number of repeat calls to a lead and close the sale on the initial call.
Due to the success of the accreditations, Tyl have continued to do these once every quarter and will follow the same format, assess the sales team’s skills, and ask the key questions - what are you still working on with your Pareto skills? What’s going well? What still needs improvement?
This has been a significant shift in mindset for the business, as before Lisa joined the company in 2022, there were limited observations and no call monitoring, meaning there was little scope for making improvements and developing the sales team.
One of the most significant positives from the training is the impact on conversion rates. Tyl's conversion target for 2023 was 19% across all lead types, up from 17% in 2022. While there were initial challenges in the early weeks, with conversion dropping to 15% while changes from the training were made and the team were trying to embed their new skills, the rate is now at 21%, exceeding the initial target. This increased conversion has led to Tyl doubling their sales vs 2022.
Furthermore, going into 2023, Tyl had an inexperienced team, with a third of the team brand new to the company. Following Pareto training, the team are heading into 2024 with more experience, confidence, and enhanced skills to continue to drive the conversation rate even higher and provide outstanding customer service.
Realise your business's potential with Pareto's coaching and training expertise.
Problems faced
Limited questions led to customer disengagement and loss.
'Feature dumping' overwhelmed and dissuaded customers.
Sales team successes
The conversion rate increased from 17% in 2022 to over 21% YTD in 2024.
Overall sales performance doubled.
A continuous role-play and observation culture was created to improve skills.
A quarterly internal accreditation programme with a bronze, silver, and gold marking system was developed.
