In 1917, Texas Iron Works (now TIW) began operations as a general oilfield repair facility. As more and more requests came in for new tool innovations, it started a vital way of doing business: listen to the customer and do everything possible to meet their needs. For almost a century, TIW has been a leader in introducing new tools and technologies to the industry with hundreds of patents under the TIW name. Today, TIW is still led by the original founding family, continuing the proud tradition as a leader in providing custom-engineered drilling and completion solutions for the global oil and gas industry.
The Challenge
Despite TIW's strong customer focus, they faced a challenge many companies encounter in today's fast-paced sales environment: helping their sales team shift from product selling to a customer-first sales process. They had also just implemented a CRM system to help manage customers and pipeline, and their sales leadership team needed help getting everyone onboard.
How the challenge manifested:
- Lack of goals, structure, support system, and transparency
- Plenty of short-term opportunities but no focus on long-term pipeline
- Not enough customer outreach
The Solution
Sales manager Lloyd French heard of Baker through a consultant friend who highly recommended the BCI approach. Working together, Baker and TIW developed a 16-week training cadence and revenue-generation play, which included:
- Consultative Selling Skills two-day workshop for the sales team, followed by mini-modules to reinforce class experience
- Ultimate Sales Coach training for the sales manager
- Master Sales Team Meeting discipline built into their cadence
- Activities and discussion focused on pipeline and forecasting
- CRM initial training and a plan for ongoing adoption
"Our trainer had her work cut out for her. Some members of our team were old school and resistant to change. But the training wasn't just for my team — it also worked for me personally. Week over week, the trainer turned over more and more of the work to me, so I got to learn and practice being a leader."
Lloyd French, Sales Manager, TIWThe Results
"Baker delivered a best-in-class coaching and training solution, which has turned around our organization, structure, and practices," said Lloyd. "This process totally changed the mindset of our sales people. Even our most senior guys say they got something out of it, and it made them better at what they do."
TIW saw these results play out in many ways:
- Sales people now go into meetings with a plan and strategy, rather than just getting to know customers randomly
- They are seeing more customers — and wanting to see more customers
- The organization now has a real process, methodology, and accountability for everyone
"Before this, we couldn't tell you what was going on or what to look for. But now that we're using CRM — and using it fully — we have a dashboard that has the pulse of our company. There isn't a more transparent department, and other departments are looking to follow our path."
Lloyd French, Sales Manager, TIWSince TIW adopted their new sales process, the oil and gas industry hit a downturn. But TIW's new process and customer focus helped them keep their relationships strong — and they knew they would be able to hit the ground running when the industry swings upward again.
"I don't think you can ever invest in your people enough," Lloyd said. "If you take the time to coach and train your people, you will see results. And if you're not training and building up your sales force, you're impeding your growth."
