Overview
Close Brothers Asset Finance felt they needed a ‘high impact’, profitable growth programme to help deliver an ambitious five-year plan. They invited Sewells to start with the Senior Leadership Team and cascade to all levels in the business a Vision and Values-based culture change/business improvement programme to develop winning behaviours which included a series of sales management, sales, and sales support workshops to deliver unprecedented growth and customer experiences.
Highlights
Sewells designed and delivered a series of bespoke Culture Change, Sales Management and Sales Support workshops for all teams.
Sewells’ involvement proved invaluable in bringing an ‘unstoppable’, ‘one team’ unity and focus to the business growth strategy.
The embedding of the new culture turbocharged improved sales, profit, and staff and customer experience/retention.
The Challenge
Close Brothers Asset Finance felt they needed external help to build on the existing experience of the people within their business. This wasn’t a rescue operation. Close Brothers Asset Finance was doing well, but they wanted a business improvement partner who could help put them in a position to make the most of new opportunities in their tough and competitive marketplace.
As part of a five-year growth plan, they saw this as a chance to put an effective sales and sales management development programme in place for their staff and create a vibrant, sustainable, customer-focused and positive culture.
From the discovery stage, it was clear that they also needed a culture change programme.
How We Helped
As profitable sales growth had been identified as a key strategic objective that Close Brothers Asset Finance wanted to target, Sewells designed and delivered a series of bespoke Sales and Advanced Sales workshops to the teams. It also conducted specialist diagnostic profiling, to really get under the skin of the company and successfully pinpoint the major areas upon which to focus – and that included a ‘root and branch’ culture change.
Once Sewells discovered there was a wider issue to be addressed regarding the culture within the company and, after the success of the sales training programme, Close Brothers Asset Finance invited Sewells to help them take the Senior Management Team through the process of delivering a Vision and Values-based culture change/business improvement programme to best support the profitable growth development programme.
As many of the staff didn’t have a clear understanding of the direction in which Close Brothers Asset Finance wanted to go, Sewells’ involvement proved invaluable in bringing unity and focus to the business.
The impact of the groundbreaking cultural change that followed was immediate and sustained. Leaders knew how to lead, the sales teams how to sell, support teams how to support … and all knew how to work together as one team. Every area of the business experienced massive performance improvements.
Instead of plateauing in terms of growth, the embedding of the new culture improved sales, profit, and customer experience/retention.
The Results
Nothing is impossible!
- Profits improved from £8.1m, 14.2m, 20.6m, 35.4m, 50.5m to £65.2 in a five-year time-scale in a flat market!
- Created an ‘unstoppable’, ‘one team’ unity and focus to the business growth strategy
- Embedded a new culture and turbocharged improved sales, profit, and staff and customer experience/retention
Customer Quote
“What Sewells did helped launch the platform for profits improved from £8.1m to £65.2 in a five-year time-scale in a flat market!”
