From being a trained dancer and beautician, 21-year-old Holly Danks was plunged headlong into the somewhat less glamorous world of Black Country manufacturing when she joined the family business, IRSP three years ago.
“I was a blank canvas. I didn’t know anything at all,” she admits. “Now, as a result of Sandler Training I have so much more confidence. They have taken me way out of my comfort zone. I’m doing things now that I never thought I would do!”
IRSP manufactures insulated roller shutter doors from its HQ in Brierley Hill, West Midlands and sells to the trade through a network of installers. Together with a strong UK customer base, major export markets include UAE, Russia and Spain.
Holly attended Sandler Boot Camp and is a regular at the President’s Club. As IRSP International Sales Executive, she is now making a key contribution to achieving the company’s overall target to boost monthly sales by 20%.
“My Dad, Graham (MD and founder of the firm) viewed the Sandler Training programme as equivalent to a college course,” Holly explains. “I like the Sandler way of doing things. I’ve been on those daylong sales seminars with other providers and walked away with nothing. With Sandler’s ongoing support, you get the opportunity to keep refreshing your mind. Sandler’s always there. That’s what makes it so good. I can go away, practise what I’ve learnt, get feedback from the trainer and make progress.”
“The training has helped my outlook in dealing with people. When I first started for example, I was hesitant to answer the phone or make calls. Now I have a clear strategy and stick to a plan and system.”
IRSP has reengineered its sales implementation process and introduced a traffic light system to manage quotes which makes it easy to see the status of each potential job.
“I’ve come a very long way in a really short time,” says Holly. “I can now talk confidently with the CEO of a £40 million company in Dubai. What’s more, in the past, a £3000 order would be have been my maximum, now I regularly handle jobs as big as £100,000.”
Such is the success of Sandler Training for IRSP that the company is thinking of running a Boot Camp for its UK installers. “This would focus exclusively on our roller shutter doors and help our installers be much better equipped to go out and sell our products,” adds Holly.
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