Yale notes a radical shift in the role of the B2B salesperson

Yale Materials Handling Corporation has marked the graduation of its first intake for its new training initiative to meet the needs arising from "a radical shift in the role of the B2B salesperson" in the last decade.

The first Academy by Yale graduating class completed the program in December 2017, with additional classes expected to follow soon.

With approximately 60% of customers now beginning their buying process online, digital access to product information means control lies in the hands of the customer. This transformation means customers now look to salespeople to deliver value as a consultative solutions provider, the manufacturer claims.

The Academy by Yale is a multi-phased training program designed to better position sales professionals as experts in distribution and fulfilment markets.

"Just as technology has affected the nature of our industry, it also affects how customers get information and what they expect from the sales process," says Evelyn Velasquez-Cuevas, Yale manager of product sales and training. "We're in the age of a self-educating customer who is more informed than ever and wants deeper insights - not just basic equipment information. The Academy by Yale offers a tremendous opportunity to build a consultative corps of salespeople ready to deliver valuable, application-driven insights rooted in the challenges customers face."

The Academy by Yale draws on a variety of industry associations, academic programs and other expert sources to provide a comprehensive, well-rounded view of distribution and fulfilment environments, including racking and storage, batteries, warehousing, order picking and more. This input enables recommendations beyond the equipment, to workflows, service, and solutions to help improve overall operational performance.

The program allows students to apply classroom teachings in a supervised manner and blends in-person instruction with remote training events, ultimately building toward a final capstone project.