Blueprint Operations has recalibrated both its sales function and its strategy under the direction of Iain Graham the company’s recently appointed Head of Account Management.

The newly formed sales department which comprises five Account Managers each with allocated geographical regions and customers have been empowered to spend the majority of their time in the field and less time in the office.

Iain Graham explained: “The conventional lowest common denominator approach to sales is to get your team together in the same place at the same time hitting the phones and maximising the number of customer contacts in the cheapest approach possible.

“The Blueprint strategy is 180 degrees removed from this approach and is all about getting the team in the field meeting with their customers face-to-face, experiencing their venues in operation, developing relationships and building a clear understanding of their needs.

“Since moving to our buy direct model we now have more than 600 active accounts across single site, FEC, AGC, casino and bingo which the team engages with on a regular basis.

“We have improved efficiencies by giving team members the ability to complete a sales contract working within a structured pricing framework.”

The new sales function has also included adopting a more consultative approach. “Although having a detailed knowledge about the product range and how to maximise machine income is absolutely paramount our customers also want to be able to discuss broader industry issues such as the White Paper timetable, likely outcomes/scenarios and how they will impact product development and design” noted Iain Graham.

“The team has a broad range of experience gained from single site, customer service, recruitment, product management, operations and of course sales – all of these skills and insights are shared at our regular monthly meetings.

“Our expectation is that in addition to answering questions regarding cabinets and content that the Blueprint team should also be able to speak with confidence about broader industry issues and share insight from across the sectors that we serve.

“The skill-set of the modern sales executive is significantly different from what would have been the norm even five-years ago.

“Customers who invest in the Blueprint range quite rightly expect more and I’m delighted that we are raising the bar and building customer relationships which go way beyond simply closing the sale.”