The client for this 15-month interim mandate was a Belgian group. The company produces and markets technical plastic parts. It was looking for an operational sales manager for its German subsidiary on a temporary basis, who would also be responsible for restructuring sales. The responsibilities included multi-level sales to the civil engineering and building materials trade, to utilities and waste disposal companies (including municipal utilities) and to industrial companies. The role also included internal consulting and tender preparation as well as order management with a total of around 65 employees.
The interim manager was part of the German management team in the Group matrix and also the European sales organization for Commercial Excellence.
Restructuring concept for sales developed and implementation planned
After taking stock and analyzing the situation, the interim manager developed a restructuring concept with five key elements as well as a plan for implementing the concept.
Target and development plans agreed and consistently followed up
First and foremost were personal target and development plans for the field and office managers. They contained detailed results and activity targets on an individual and team basis. These agreements were also used to determine commission and bonuses. In addition, they contained a "development contract" with personal development goals and expectations of the employee as well as the company's development measures. The interim manager discussed this development section with his managers every six to eight weeks. He discussed deviations and agreed on corrective measures in line with the Deming Circle. He also had his managers introduce this method for their employees.
Teams reorganized | Works-Breakdown-Structure and RACI implemented
Secondly, the interim manager reorganized the office and field teams. By reducing the number of teams, adjusting the territories, changing responsibilities and streamlining processes through digitalization, he was able to save considerable personnel and quality costs. At the same time, efficiency increased, particularly in the form of increased speed. The interim manager developed the reorganization in consensus with the teams. He used tools such as Works-Breakdown-Structure and RACI.
Sales method of the parent company adapted and successfully introduced
The parent company had developed a comprehensive "Commercial Excellence" sales method that had previously been rejected and not introduced in Germany. The interim manager first adapted this methodology - procedures, tools, artifacts - to the local conditions and to the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM system to be introduced. He also developed a training and implementation plan. In the final part of his involvement, he achieved acceptance, understanding and the introduction of methods, including through workshops and training sessions that he organized himself.
Introduction of a self-developed tool for condition analysis and control
The fourth element that the interim manager professionalized was the relationship with the key accounts. These were essentially specialist wholesalers. For the preparation and implementation of the annual negotiations, he introduced a self-developed tool for analyzing and managing conditions. This tool makes it possible to quickly and reliably determine the effects on results of every change request and every change idea in the historically very complex condition agreements. This analysis-based responsiveness enabled the interim manager to achieve volume growth and improved conditions in personal negotiations with all key accounts.
Cooperation established between marketing, product development, ITC and supply chain
In addition, the interim manager worked intensively with the local and European management team to rebuild lost trust. For example, he optimized cross-team processes with Marketing, Product Development, ITC and Supply Chain through clear, improved responsibilities, achieved through the use of Work Breakdown Structure, RACI and in negotiations and agreements. The data transparency optimized by the interim manager also helped him here. This included better use of existing systems and the introduction of the company's own newly developed analysis and simulation tools.
Successful restructuring with sales increase of more than 10 percent
The interim manager successfully restructured sales and increased efficiency and - in coronavirus times - achieved market success with a sales increase of more than 10 percent compared to the previous year. His initiatives realized a price increase of more than two percent and the volume of commercial contracts grew by almost 20 percent with improved conditions.
