A Japanese electronics group and automotive supplier had lost its Global Sales Manager and several Key Account Managers for premium OEM customers and international system suppliers within a short space of time. Customer confidence had been severely damaged and the Japanese company was at risk of losing its status as a preferred supplier.
The interim manager was commissioned as Group Sales Manager German OEM & Tier One to rebuild the sales team and realign sales activities. One of the challenges was to change the Japanese client's corporate culture to meet the requirements of German customers.
Restructuring the sales team and taking over key accounts at the same time
At the start of the assignment, the international sales team was virtually non-existent. The last of the remaining employees had resigned or been dismissed. There was only one new key account manager, who was still being trained. The internal sales service was provided by an external employee. The interim manager therefore initially faced two major challenges: In the first few months of the mandate, he took over the important accounts himself. At the same time, he began to build up the new team.
After the interim manager had gained an initial overview of the current situation, he initiated a comprehensive recruitment process. In order to recruit qualified applicants for the upcoming cultural change, he first optimized the job descriptions - and later conducted the interviews with the new Key Account Managers and his successor as the hired Global Group Sales Manager together with HR.
Corporate culture aligned with OEM and supplier requirements
At the time of the mandate, the supplier's corporate culture was not aligned with the needs of the customers. On the one hand, there was no proactive relationship management with the internationally active customers. To make matters worse, technical developments from the Japanese headquarters sometimes did not meet the requirements of German OEMs.
In order to improve collaboration with the OEMs and system suppliers, the interim manager developed a new communication policy. Now, the regional managers on all continents regularly consult with the Japanese headquarters on technical and commercial issues. The results and recommendations for action are documented and tracked. This means that all regions have the same level of information and can act in a coordinated manner towards the customer.
Improving internal communication is spreading throughout the company
In order to drive the cultural change and improve collaboration even further, the interim manager introduced monthly divisional meetings in the Global Sales Team, which were also attended by the Sales Director. In addition to technical and commercial topics, the current customer relationships are presented at the meetings and options for action are jointly defined. The interim manager attached great importance to facilitating open and honest communication. His "open door" management approach gradually spread throughout the company.
In communicating with the supplier's customers, the interim manager actively approached the OEMs and system suppliers. He announced weekly customer meetings in the technical and commercial areas. In order to meet the high expectations of the customers, he selected the right employees in each case. If necessary, the assigned KAMs were mentored.
Roadmap enables targeted acquisition & development of innovations
In order to improve product developments as well as sales and revenue planning within the group of companies, the interim manager initiated the development of a "road map" for each key account. The SOPs of the current and future vehicle series were presented in the road map, as were the current and potential products that are or could be used in the respective series. This enables targeted acquisition and the development of innovations. A welcome side effect of this was that the customer and product portfolio could be focused on high-demand and profitable offerings.
Customer trust regained and preferred supplier status retained
Within a year, the interim manager succeeded in regaining the customer trust that had been severely damaged. His client retained its status as a preferred supplier. By streamlining the customer and product portfolio, the company was able to focus its resources on valuable projects.
At the end of the mandate, the interim manager was able to hand over his role as Global Group Sales Manager to his chosen successor. The successor now has a very well-positioned and internationally networked sales team that works together successfully. Cultural change, regular communication and the right staffing continue to have a positive effect on the atmosphere and sales results.
