Dell Inc. is an American multinational computer technology company based in Round Rock, TX — one of the largest technological corporations in the world, employing more than 100,000 people worldwide. Though best known as a hardware vendor, Dell is also well known for its innovations in supply chain management and electronic commerce, particularly its direct-sales model and its "build-to-order" approach to manufacturing.
The Challenge: Salesforce Efficiency
Dell had decided to implement Salesforce as a unified CRM to coordinate the sales activities of a 20,000-member sales organization, including inside sales, field sales, channel sales, and specialists. Dell recognized two critical elements to drive Salesforce adoption:
- Field buy-in: To get reps to use Salesforce and the new sales process, Dell used a combination of training provided by Baker Communications, "field evangelists," and monthly webcasts to share best practices, updates, and key adoption metrics.
- Executive buy-in: To increase value for leadership, Dell interviewed executives to identify specific performance gaps and built dashboards and programs around pipeline management, win/loss analysis, and activity management.
Dell also identified three important best practices for driving adoption:
- Communication: Centralized messaging ensured consistency and relevancy across the organization during implementation.
- Support Process: Dell provided in-house support and made use of Salesforce Premier Support as a second option for timely, knowledgeable help.
- Targeted Training: Dell determined that a targeted Sales Enablement training process was essential for maximum proficiency and adoption.
The Training Solution
To create a targeted sales training program, Dell contracted with Baker Communications to include sales skills, management skills, and the effective use of Salesforce. Baker's unique program provided "day-in-the-life" practical sales skills training focused on generating revenue while accelerating adoption and generating significant, measurable ROI.
The Results
The initial pilot program deployed with a team of 15 inside sales reps in Canada focused on selling solutions to governmental agencies in eastern Canada. Inside of 12 weeks, the pilot team generated $10 million of pipeline and $5 million in new orders while simultaneously achieving the number 2 global ranking for Salesforce adoption.
As a result of the pilot's success, 6 additional teams of approximately 60 inside sales reps went through the same process and were able to:
- Increase revenues 19% over the same period the previous year
- Increase lead follow-up rates by 36%
- Increase account planning by 76%
To further validate results, Dell put 10 additional teams through the process and compared them against 10 identical teams that did not receive training. The trained teams produced:
The results left no doubt: structured, targeted training tied to CRM adoption delivered measurable, reproducible business impact at scale.
