An online sales forum, designed to explore and share sales best practice both within and beyond the fenestration industry, has been launched by Conservatory Outlet.
The exclusive group, accessible only by sales professionals employed within its Conservatory Outlet Network of retailers, was officially launched via Zoom on 30 March and has engaged weekly during the COVID-19 lockdown period and beyond.
With participants in excess of 70 per session, the concept is said to have proved popular with design consultants, sales people and senior directors.
Greg Kane, CEO at Conservatory Outlet, explained: “We have some exceptional sales talent across the Network who thrive on teamwork and are able to spark ideas and discuss concepts that ignite excitement and energy to achieve new heights. Our concept is simple – get people talking – harness this innovative capacity and spread it far and wide so we can maximise our sales potential.
“Admittedly, our forum was born out of necessity, prompted by the overnight disruption of the retail landscape we faced during lockdown, but what we very quickly realised was that there was a huge demand for this best practice sharing to continue, and even evolve. There’s already a long list of future topics covering everything from good basic selling skills to product training and NLP. The possibilities are infinite.”
The development has already proved to be extremely valuable to the fabricator and its retail installers, supporting its teams to achieve more than £4m in sales during lockdown by applying their extensive industry knowledge to thrive in an online environment.
Sean Dennigan, design consultant at Network member, Clearview Home Improvements, commented: “Conservatory Outlet’s online forum has been a massive support to me personally over the past few weeks. Working from home can feel a very isolating and lonely place at times, especially when you’re feeling the pressure to perform in difficult circumstances. The conversations I’ve been a part of have been really inspiring. Yes, I’ve learned some new ideas, but more than anything I value the camaraderie, the competition, and the comfort than I’m not alone… I’m part of something much bigger, and that gives me great confidence.”
