ISSUE 6 · WINTER 2009/10
DAN G CON EROU INS TENT S IDE These symbols can save your life A quick guide to the most commonly used danger pictograms
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A MEMBERSHIP WITH ADVANTAGES BUILD TO LAST 6 IS OUR LUCKY NUMBER WE’RE READY TO SERVE
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Welcome
A membership with advantages
Being part of a family has it’s advantages
8 HardTalk 10 Pictograms that can save your life A quick guide to the most commonly used danger pictograms
14 Build to last Beijer makes huge deliveries
16 6 is our lucky number The story of our fitness ratio
24 DT Quiz Winn a candy machine!
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Dear customer, we’re ready to serve
Improving skills and competencies
USEFUL NUMBERS: DT Group Wolseley Starkki STARK Beijer Neumann Silvan Cheapy Woodcote
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+45 39559700 +44 118 929 8700 +358 3 850 900 +45 89343434 +46 752411000 +47 55549800 +45 87308730 +46 431443540 +420 226539100
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THIS SUMMER we all got a new boss. Ian Meakins was appointed the new CEO for Wolseley. I couldn’t help thinking what this would mean for me. The news caught me of guard. I started wondering what it is about new bosses that makes people feel alert, maybe even uncomfortable? Then it struck me. Your new boss has the key to your success firmly in his/her hands. A lot is said and written about how a new boss survives the first hundred days. Not a lot of attention is being paid to how you survive your boss. I found a few pointers I would like to share with you. To start with, figure out how you’ll be evaluated. What is important to your boss? Figure that out as soon as possible so you can start helping her/him to achieve his/her goals. While doing so, be dependable. Or in other words, do what you say you’re going to do. Finally, my favorite: come prepared. If there’s a problem, don’t just point it out but come with suggestion how to solve the problem. Be prepared also at meetings and be firm in what you know you know. And if that doesn’t help, you might find some comfort in good old Churchils’ words: “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” Charlotte Gullach, Editor editor@dtmagazine.dk
Editor-in-chief: Charlotte Gullach (DT Group). Concept, production and articles: Radical Communications, Pat May. Graphic Design: Appetizer.dk, Simon Johnsen. Photos: Flemming Schiller. Translation: Languagewire. Print: Cool Gray.
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Wolseley appointed new CEO Wolseley recently (July) appointed Ian Meakins the new CEO. Meakins took over from Chip Hornsby who’s been CEO since August 2006. Ian Meakins, 52, comes from Travelex Holdings Ltd, the international foreign exchange and payments business, where he was Chief Executive. Meakins: “Wolseley is a company with a proud history and an exciting long term future and I am delighted to be appointed Chief Executive. I look forward to getting to know the business and working with employees to help manage through the current tough conditions, while further clarifying the strategy and
execution to ensure we deliver value to our shareholders.” Read also Hard Talk (page 8 & 9) for Steen Weirsøe’s comment on the appointment.
Me and my project This is not something that you necessarily learn from textbooks or courses. However, we instinctively know when we experience it. DT Magazine is looking for these service gems – where you or a colleague – or a group of colleagues – have made an extra effort and helped a customer to solve his or her problem. We’d like to hear from you and we’d also like to interview your customer and get his/her side of the story.
The idea is to get insight in what extraordinary service is and what it takes. We don’t expect you to write a novel – the journalists from DT Magazine will do this for you – but if you could drop us two lines in a mail with your name and phone number, we will call you! Send your mail to info@ DTmagazine.dk.
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A GOOD PLACE TO WORK
A membership with advantages DT Group for most of us is not a lot more than a name. It’s not something we reflect upon on a daily basis at least. We’re employed at Cheapy, STARK or one of the other divisions in DT Group. That division is your first reference and a part of your professional identity. But being a member of DT Group has certain advantages nevertheless. For example, when 4A and CC Vejle closed their doors, STARK offered employees jobs. Beijer took over 3 Silvan shops and their employees in Sweden when they closed down. And even though
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the individual divisions because of their market approach differ from one another, there’s common ground to be found. There’s more. You can use your membership pro actively. For example if you want to advance your career.
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Åsa Holgersson and Christina Svensson Beijer, Malmø
Or if you would like to work abroad for some years.
Swapping uniforms is the easy part Åsa Holgersson started up the Silvan store in Malmø in 2005. At the beginning of this year the shop closed. To open again in August but now as a Beijer store. And once more Åsa helped getting the shop ready for the grand opening on August the 20th. This time the Silvan blue was replaced by Beijer yellow. “I got used to the new uniform quite fast” she laughs. “I wish I could say the same about the work. We do things different in Beijer compared to Silvan. At Silvan we focused upon private do it yourself customers who enter in the shop, pick their goods, pay and leave again. At Beijer we focus on professional customers. I had to get ac-
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customed to taking orders over the phone without getting payment first”, Åsa says. Beijer has chosen to keep the focus on diy customers in Malmø, but added the professional customer segment. The shop got a drive in, which is also new for the ten Silvan employees that made the transition to Beijer. “I think it was hard for most people to have to take down the Silvan store”, Åsa says. “At the same time, it was a big relief that we still had a job. We’ve been in a limbo for a few months where we didn’t know whether we would have a job. For every day that goes we’re getting better. We’re developing new routines and we’re slowly but surely adapting to the Beijer way of doing things. It’s hard work but I am happy to be here.”
Learning the Beijer way Christina Svensson started in Beijer two years ago. It has been her ambition to become a leader and to back up her ambition she signed up for Beijers’ leadership academy. She graduated in March this year and already in June she was offered to lead the new Beijer shop in Malmø. “I knew that I was taking over Silvan people who were quite happy to work for Silvan. My experience from the shopfloor helped. I have been working all functions and know the work, how it’s done and what it takes. I can relate to what they’re doing and what they are thinking. Except for that, I try to do an effort to get to know people and relate to them where they are.” Christina has no doubt that there are cultural differences between Beijer and Silvan. Magazine
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“I am under the impression that Silvan works more instructive – things are documented and described. In Beijer we do not have that many guidelines. That must have been frustrating for the Silvan people in the beginning. They went to a Beijer store near by, all of them, to get familiar with what it means to work in a Beijer store. After all, unlike Silvan we cater professional builders and that requires a different approach. What really impressed me is the work they have done with building up the shop. They have been working hard to make things work here. Could I imagine working in another division? Not for the moment. I have a yellow heart. But never say never.”
Supporting job shopping “At Silvan we support people that want to make the shift to other divisions”, says Morten Elbro responsible for HR at Silvan. “It doesn’t happen enough if you ask me. This is due to the fact
Jens Nielsen Former CC Vejle, now STARK
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that the divisions in DT Group operate independently. It’s natural for people to want to change scenery or responsibilities when they have been in a function for some time. It’s a good opportunity for employees do get experiences from different divisions and have the possibility to develop a career across divisions. It’s good also for Silvan (or any of the other divisions) because it makes us a more attractive employer if we can offer opportunities that are beyond our own division.” According to Morten this is not a privilege that should be reserved to higher rankings. “If you’re a shop assistant and have a dream to work abroad, we can facilitate that opportunity. Why not? We recently for example send a Silvan employee who got a girlfriend in the UK to Wolseley.” If you have the ambition, talk to your HR department about it. They can help you identifying your opportunities and establish the contact with the other
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divisions. Morten: “It’s a win-win situation as I see it. Employees get a fantastic experience and we as a company get to share best practice from other divisions in an effective and constructive way.”
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“Things are collegial. We know each other and I feel there’s a large portion of mutual respect. Administrative aspects that needed taking care of were handled fast and efficient and we share the same professional attitude towards the market.”
Challenging decision-making CC Vejle has a proud history. The company has existed for 167 years and closing it down was a heart bleeding experi-
Coming home “In June I learned that I was going to get a job in STARK”, says Bjarne Davidsen, former CC Ve-
Swapping uniforms is the easy part. Getting used to a different way of working is another story! ence for its employees. “We made a huge turn around from being a product focused to being a customer focused company. We seriously felt that our hard work was starting to pay of”, says Jens Nielsen, former managing director at CC Vejle. “But the figures unfortunately showed a different reality. We had to dismantle the shop and transfer the best of our insights, concepts, and 26 of the remaining 38 employees to STARK.” Which was a challenging experience for Jens. “When we got an idea at CC Vejle, the time to market was extremely short. A lot of things we did by trail and error. When you want to change something in STARK it affects 88 branches and before the decision is made, a lot of people have been involved. On the other hand side, once the decision is made, things are being taken up professionally and nothing is being left to coincidence.” Jens feels welcome at STARK.
jle employee. “A message that I greeted with mixed emotions since my heart belonged to CC Vejle. At the same time it appealed to my pride. STARK is a strong brand. The company has been able to make a significant difference in the industry.” Bjarne made the switch to STARK where he became product manager responsible for wooden floors and tabletops. “CC Vejle was a wholesaler and my job was to buy cheap and sell expensive. On paper I now have the same function but the nature of the job is different. At STARK the focus is on purchasing. I buy products for 88 branches. The decisions I make have far reaching consequences so I better make sure we at all times have the right products.” The product manager experienced a warm welcome from colleagues in Århus. The biggest difference, as he sees it, is the magnitude of the business and CONTINUED ON PAGE 23
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HARDTALK
HardTalk with Steen Weirsøe
We question the quality of our own brand: BASIC for paint. Would you use this paint in your house? I think it depends on the object you want to paint, the result you are aiming for and what you are willing to pay. These three things are related. Depending on the ambition level people make a choice. But whatever the choice is, we always have a product that matches their requirements and I think that this is what is important to remember. If you go to an electronics store to buy a flat screen and you choose a flat screen that costs DKK 3500, you will not expect the same quality compared to a screen that costs three times the price. Customers understand this. Yet there’s a market for cheap flat screens. Just like there’s a market for BASIC paint.
We’ve been going through some serious downsizing lately and it starts hurting customer service. In spite of a lower revenue, we still get more or less the same amount of visitors in our shop but we don’t feel we have the time to service them properly. What should we do? It is of course not acceptable
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that customers can’t get professional help no matter what. It is your branch(e) managers’ responsibility to prioritize tasks. When sales are slugging staffing has to be adjusted to balance cost and income. Looking at the overall results in DT Group, we cannot ignore the fact that the amount of customers has decreased in the first six months of 2009. We also experience that the share of basket per customer has decreased. The logic we apply is that if there are fewer customers and you sell fewer products, you need less staff to service customers and/ or fill up supplies. Branche managers balance staff and prioritize at all time tasks directly influencing customer experience. You on the other hand, have to accept that you have additional tasks like filling up supplies when there aren’t a lot of people in the shop. Having said this, I want to emphasize that I don’t like laying of people. It is tough to see colleagues leave because of the consequences of the crisis.
Why can CC Vejle not continue as an independent branche? We had to react upon the sad but bold fact that, in spite of the hard work of competent staff and management in CC Vejle,
What would you like to ask Steen? Send your question to steen@dtmagazine.dk Don’t mince your words as you may remain totally anonymous.
In an enterprise with more than 7,700 employees, the distance to the top management may seem long. With HardTalk, it becomes shorter, because here we put you in contact with DT Group’s most senior manager. Steen Weirsøe answers your and your colleagues questions, however searching they are.
the sales volume was not large enough to run a profitable operation. Whole-salers like CC Vejle have the hardest of times. Quite some of them as a matter of fact have had to close their doors. To save CC Vejle we had to think creatively. An integration into STARK, I think, is the perfect solution. STARK will benefit from the knowledge, the insights and the customer base build up in CC Vejle whereas the experience and goodwill from staff in CC Vejle will not be lost for DT Group.
What are the consequences for DT Group now that Ian Meakins takes over the steering wheel from Chip Hornsby as CEO for Wolseley? Ian Meakins has started a strategic process that involves many senior managers around the Wolseley Group. The intention is to develop a plan we can start executing upon early 2010. I have reasons to believe that DT Group will play an important role in this plan - especially if we continue to deliver strong results, even in hard times.
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THE STORY OF ...
PICTOGRAMS that can save your life
An increasing amount of products entering our branches comes with pictograms of some kind. We’re well acquainted to products containing chemical ingredients carrying warning or even danger signs. Yet too few people know what they mean, rules on labeling have been changed and on top of that there’s an increasing amount of products carrying environmental labels. In other words, it’s a jungle out there. Recent studies show that roughly one third of all consumers have no clue what the various pictograms on cans, bottles and other packaging means. This ignorance causes serious
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health and environmental hazards. Some chemicals can become a danger if they are not handled properly. They can be for example explosive, toxic, irritant, flammable or hazardous to the environment. The intro-
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duction of a growing amount of environmental claims does not make the confusion any smaller. There is nothing worse, when talking to a customer, than being asked a question you can’t answer. Now you can.
Make over The required symbols and warning phrases on chemical goods’ packaging and labels to inform users about the hazards are based on 40 year-old directives. Experts have recently come up with a new look (see pages 12 and 13) for the most common symbols, which means a farewell to the striking or-
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ange we know so well. This will be replaced by a more stylish expression with a red border and a white background. The new labeling entered into force on 20 January 2009. But to give suppliers the time to adapt to this new system, the ‘old’ labels and pictograms can be used over a transitional period. All newly produced substances (such as acetone) must carry the new symbols from December 1st, 2010. Substances already on the shelves on that date can continue to be supplied until December 1st, 2012. For mixtures (such as paint) these dates are June 1st 2015 and June 1st 2017.
Commonly used green symbols The flower (EU) and the swan labels (Denmark) symbolize more or less the same. Both labels focus on the product life cycle, requiring producers to comply with directions on resource consumption during the production, packaging and waste management. Bra Miljöval (Sweden), just like the flower and the swan, focuses on the use of resources during the production and the disposal of the product after usage. The blue angel (Germany): the requirements are based on a life-cycle assessment. An eco-jury set up by the German environmental authorities decides what products can be labeled. FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council (Global): International labeling system for wood and paper. In an FSC forest we do not harvest more timber than the forest can reproduce. The label is also a guarantee that animals and plants are protected and that the people who work in the woods, are guaranteed training, safety equipment and proper wages. PEFC (Global) is the abbreviation for Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification systems. The label is found on products of wood and/or paper. The mark guarantees that the wood comes from sustainable forestry, taking both the environment, biodiversity and forest users’ socioeconomic conditions into account. Indeklima mærket. This is a voluntary Danish labeling system for construction products, which has a set of demands focusing on the products effect on the indoor environment. Energy Star label is an international energy label and it guarantees the user that products with this label use less energy and when not used automatically go into dwelling mode or shut of altogether. Energy Label AG is the EU’s mandatory energy labeling system, which applies to household appliances and light bulbs. The label indicates on a scale from A to G, how energy-efficient products are. A-rated appliances have the lowest energy consumption within each group. Elsparemærket is a Danish label that assesses a products’ total energy consumption. Products that have the Elsparemærket label are considered to be the best buy in their category in relation to energy savings.
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Eco symbols Before we start explaining the nature of environmental labeling, we’d like to make a cardinal point: there is no chemical that has a positive effect on the environment. There are however chemicals that by nature are more harmful than others. The same goes for production methods, packaging, transportation and disposal after usage. This is what we are addressing with environmental labeling. It should give our customers a guideline as to what products are more
harmful than others. There’s an important flaw in the current system that you should consider when advising customers. There’s no unified global system and currently all available systems are based on voluntarily usage. This means that products that are classified and labeled with eco symbols live up to certain environmental directions. But it doesn’t mean that products that do not carry the symbol, per definition do NOT live up to these directions.
Commonly used symbols This symbol tells you that the product has passed WEEE (Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment) compliance, focusing on the treatment, recovery and recycling of electric and electronic equipment. All applicable products in the EU must pass WEEE compliance.
RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances and you can find the symbol on electronics. The symbol tells you that the product does not contain lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, all hazardous materials typically found in electrical and electronic products. All products produced in the EU after July 2006 must pass compliance.
The CE label means that the item/s comply with the minimum standards for health and safety in the European directive on personal protection equipment and have been tested in accordance with the european standard. This is not a quality certificate, it only shows that the product meets minimum requirements in the EU.
Why change? THE MAIN PROBLEM is that different countries have different rules on labeling. For example, a chemical could be classified as ‘toxic’ or ‘explosive’ in
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one country but not in another. Different symbols are also used to indicate the same hazards. Quite confusing. Member countries of the UN agreed on
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Commonly used chemical symbols Old symbol
New symbol
Description This symbol you find on chemicals that may present an immediate or delayed danger to one or more components of the environment.
This symbol you find on chemicals if they are corrosive for metal and/or skin. The symbol signalizes health hazards.
Acute toxicity – classifies both chemicals that are an acute hazard to your health and chemicals that can cause allergies. Chemicals that can cause long-term injuries carry a different symbol, but it’s not permitted to sell these to consumers.
Oxidizing - Oxidizing materials can speed up the development of a fire and make it more intense, cause substances that do not normally burn readily in air to burn rapidly, cause combustible materials to burn spontaneously without the presence of obvious ignition sources such as a spark or flame. Oxidizing materials may be toxic or corrosive and can cause serious health injuries.
Highly/extremely flammable - classifies chemicals that may catch fire in contact with air, only need brief contact with an ignition source, have a very low flash point or evolve highly flammable gases in contact with water and chemicals that have an extremely low flash point and boiling point, and gases that catch fire in contact with air.
Chemicals carrying this symbol can cause chronic health damage such as Cancer, DNA damage and impaired fertility.
This symbol warns you for compressed gases. You will typically find this symbol on for example gas bottles for your outdoor kitchen.
a labeling system that can be used worldwide, the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, known as the GHS. The GHS provides ONE single system to identify hazards. Countries of the European Union
have developed what is called the CLP Regulation, Classification, Labeling and Packaging of substances and mixtures. The legislation introduces throughout the EU a new system for classifying and labeling chemicals, based on the GHS.
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ME AND MY PROJECT
BUILD to last It’s Monday afternoon. In Västerås Leif Sundin prepares for an important delivery. Tomorrow morning Beijer is to deliver kitchens for eight apartments. It is crucial that the delivery is spot on. Meaning in time AND complete. Today Beijer trucks delivered bathrooms and on Friday, the lorries will be filled with material for bedrooms, toilets and halls for the eight apartments. This is how Leif’s weeks are going to look like for a long time to come. Until 2011 to be precise. Construction developer Ångström and Mellgren are renovating 657 apartments and they choose Beijer to be their preferred supplier. Meaning that Leif gets to furnish all apart-
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ments! A solid two digit million order. “When I got the order, it felt like I grew an additional two meters”, says Leif Sundin proudly. “The best thing of it all is that this order comes in a time of crisis. It couldn’t come at a better time.” “I took a calculated risk to
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ants’ wishes. They understand the success parameters for this project.”
On time delivery
Leif Sundin from Beijer and Magnus Andersson from Ångström and Mellgren discuss the schedule for next weeks delivery.
get the order. We were asked to deliver samples for eight apartments for a complex owned by Mimer. In itself a good business opportunity. But I had a hint that it might not stop with eight apartments. Therefore I pulled our suppliers together and convinced them to come up with solutions, material and prices as if we were going to deliver to the entire complex.” The product samples and alternatives that Beijer presented, was to Mimers’ liking. Price was indeed a parameter in their decision but it turned out not to be the decisive one. The landowner ended up choosing for material of a durable quality. “We build to last”, says Thomas Rehn, project manager at Mimer. “The idea is that we do not have to do any major renovations in these apartments for the next 30 – 40 years. Beijer also has done an effort to identify our ten-
The fact that Leif Sundin has 25 years of experience with projects of this size and that he has worked with the developers before, of course helps too. “Leif as no other understands how important logistics in a project like this is”, says Magnus Andersson, from Ångström and Mellgren. He is one out of two project leaders and he carries the responsibility for the budget. “We have a small army of carpenters, painters, electricians and what have you running around on the site all of the time. It is absolutely crucial that the supplies we order arrive at the agreed time. If not, we have people running around that we pay to do nothing. CONTINUED ON PAGE 19
Leif Sundin Beijer
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THE STORY OF – OUR FITNESS RATIO
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is our lucky number Making sure we at all times have the right products in the needed volume at the right price is not as easy as it sounds. The puzzle at STARK has an additional complication since the branches are not necessarily identical. Different branches buy different products from a large but defined portfolio of varying suppliers who cover all available product groups. If it’s up to Kai Ove Hoffmann, productgroup manager at STARK, the current practice is up for revision. “Today the main parameter we focus upon is price: what do we pay our suppliers and what
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does the customer pay us? That limits our ability to understand the effectiveness of our product portfolio”, says KaiOve. “We are
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running tests where we included inventory turnover (how often are you able to sell a specific product) as a key parameter to define product fitness.” Earning per product
Inventory turnover
Product fitness
Fitness ratio! If you want to know how fit a product is you multiply your earnings per product with your inventory turnover. For example, if your earning is 25 and your inventory turnover is 4, your product has a fitness rate of 100. “Adding inventory turnover in our rating will improve the way we evaluate products” says KaiOve. “Let’s say we are able to decrease the cost price with 1, and we at the same time can increase the sales price with 1. This means that we now have a product earning of 27. With an inventory turnover of 4, the fitness rate is 27 X 4 = 108. Now
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imagine you are able to increase the inventory turnover instead. Let’s say you’re able to improve it with 2 so you come up to 6. Year earning is still 25 but multiplied with 6, your fitness rate now is a mind blowing 150!” The inventory turnover of average products should be around 6. - “6 is our lucky number. It means that our products are on stock no longer than 2 months.” The product fitness ratio has but a few hurdles to overcome as well. It’s not the easiest project to start up considering the timing. But KaiOve is in good faith. “This is a brilliant way of looking into our product portfolio. Everybody can understand why we do it and how it works. Our IT- systems are set up to manage the necessary data while product managers get a powerful tool to evaluate their supplier portfolio”, says KaiOve Hoffmann.
Sticky arguments A product group that lives up to the ambitious fitness ratio of 6 in full (6.3) are Sikaflex adhesives and sealants. Sika features a large range of so called processing materials used in sealing, bonding, damping, reinforcing and protecting load-bearing structures in both construction and industry. Sika is sold in STARK, Neumann, Beijer, Starkii and Woodcote. Sikaflex. Sika sales consultant Kim Christensen is enthusiastic about the fitness ratio. And for good reasons: once this flies, Sika’s turnover generated by DT group will fly too. “Sikaflex is a quality product”, says Kim Christensen. “It has decisive qualities competi-
tors don’t have but it is only a fraction more expensive.” The challenge is in the packaging. When the choice is between a
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THE STORY OF – OUR FITNESS RATIO B2B
Volkswagen or a Skoda, you can see the difference and you understand why a Volkswagen is more expensive. This distinction you don’t have when selling adhesives and sealants. “The differences you first notice once you start working with the product”, Kim says. There are three decisive differences. For starters, Sikaflex is more than two times more flexible than traditional silicones. That’s a significant quality when sealing doors and windows on the outside. The temperature differences doors and windows experience, are served by the extra flexibility. A less technical advantage is the
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fact that you can paint on top of Sikaflex. Try that on a silicone sealer and see what happens! You need a paint though that is flexible too! Last but not least, it is easier to work with. The product is smoother and your customer will save important time on the job. “To increase sales, it is important that products are presented attractively. Products with a high margin, should be on eye level. Products you don’t sell a lot of, you should display only few of. What also works is to stray products around in the shop on relevant spots. It is our experience that handymen easily forget to buy all needed material for a specific project.” Sika people are happy to visit our stores and help us getting the most out of the Sika range. “Some of our products are quite technical and therefore complicated to sell. Sika specialists are happy to invest time to introduce you properly to Sika products. We’d love to support sales through the DT group divisions in any way we can. I am sure that 6.3 is not the ceiling for the fitness ratio for Sikaflex products.”
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Magnus Andersson Ångström and Mellgren and Mimer
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When any given material is out of stock, we expect Leif to be creative and to come up with an acceptable alternative. We have to avoid a building stop at any price.” The project runs like a clockwork. Every week the constructors start up the renovation of eight new apartments. From start to finish takes five weeks. “So far, approximately eighty apartments have been finished”, says Leif. “The first tenants have already moved in. I talked to one of the returned tenants who got a raise in the rent for SEK 800. But she didn’t mind at all as she was so happy with her new home.” “So far we have not had any major hick ups”, says Magnus Andersson. “And we’re getting better while the project is evolving as well. The schedule is tight but I feel that Beijer is taking their part of the responsible to help us keeping our schedule. That in the end will help us keeping our promise to Mimer, who is our customer.”
Fix to last Mimer is the largest property owner in this area with more
than 10.000 apartments and Leif hopes that Beijer can keep on impressing them. “It would be great if this project would be the start of a long term collaboration with both Ångström and Mellgren and Mimer. The lesson I learned from this project is that it is important to listen and learn. To understand what is important to your customers,
Listen to what your customer thinks is important, what they worry about and anticipate what worries they have, and anticipate.” “Eighty percent of my work in this project is trouble shooting. If there’s a problem, I make sure to fix it. I also make sure that the same problem doesn’t happen again. At the end of the day, when everybody is pleased with the results, I am happy!” Magazine
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TRAINING RUB-OFF
Niklas Olsson Cheapy
Dear customer, we’re ready to serve While the crisis is keeping customers from coming to our stores, we use this period where activity is low to improve skills and competencies, especially sales skills. Raita Ahonen (33), Starkki “I’m working with sales in our branch in LieLahti (170 km northwest from Helsinki, a suburb
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to Tampera) and have done so for the past nine years. Even though I have attended numerous sales courses over the past years, I am still learning every time.”
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“My last sales course was in February. During the course we talked about how you would want to be treated yourself if you were a customer. That was a real mind opener for me. I all of the sudden could see myself in numerous situations where I fell disrespected and not listened to. Like when going to your garage and your mechanic talks technically about what is wrong with your car. A lot of our customers must feel the exact same way when they come to Starkki. We have a tendency to talk about product specifics. I never really thought about it this way but it sure changed my perspective. It made me reflect upon the way I serve customers.” “Today I am practicing to ask customers the relevant questions so I can help them getting the right products for the job. If it turns out that it is a renovation project they are initiating, I can make sure that they leave the shop with all the tools and materials they need. Customers seem to like it and perceive this to be a good service. It saves them a trip coming back or worse, going to the competitor.”
“I learned how to sell a horse” Niklas Olsson (34), Cheapy “Before I started working for Cheapy four years ago, I was self employed”, says Niklas Olsson, teamleader at Cheapy in Kristianstad. “So I am used to face customers. Still I got an awful lot out of the sales training I have attended. I became a lot better at asking the right
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questions to customers and that makes a difference every time you face a customer. They buy more”. “In the old days, that is, before the training, when a customer asked me for a bucket of paint, I handed it over the counter and left it there. Now I ask investigating questions about what it is that they are going to paint. If it is a house that needs painting on the outside, I will ask whether it is a new or an old house. Whether they also will paint the window frames. Are they going to need sandpaper, pencils or anything else that you typically use when painting. That is what the course did for me.” “We were three participants from the branch in Kristianstad and met with other Cheapy staff for two days. We got an assignment to sell a horse to a fictive customer, played by one of the trainers. The exercise of course was to teach us to come up with all the relevant questions that could help us identifying what kind of horse we should sell the customer.” “It was my first sales training ever but it won’t be my last. Everything we do in Cheapy is about sales and whatever training I can get to become better, I will applaud.”
“Think SALES, not assistant” Kenneth (39), Silvan “It’s been15 years since I started in Silvan in Nykøbing F. I like the variety of people coming here. It makes my job exciting and unpredictable.” Magazine
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TRAINING RUB-OFF B2B
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Kenneth Silvan
“My last sales training I had together with 22 Silvan colleagues from various branches. It has been great sharing experiences with colleagues you normally don’t meet. It is also interesting to witness how the nature and focus of training has changed over the years. At this specific course for example, we used role play. We had to play the role of customer and seller. I have never tried it before and even though it fell awkward at start, it turned out to be a lot of fun.” “It was excellent practice and we learned a lot about cross sell-
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ing. To me this is not about selling as much as possible to the customer but to be relevant. So the customer leaves with all the stuff he or she needs to complete whatever project they initiated. A good sale for me is a customer who purchases for 17.000 DKK, pays with a smile while thanking me for helping out. I think it is great we focus on sales.” “We should also discuss it in the branches some more between colleagues – not only focus on the things that went wrong but also on the sales that were just perfect. We could learn a lot from each other.”
A GOOD PLACE TO WORK B2B
Bjarne Davidsen Former CC Vejle, now STARK
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learn that there’s a pragmatic approach to the issue of shifting jobs between divisions. “The nature of our business is local”, Kenneth says. “We depend on local knowledge, local networks and local experience. As a result, we do not dictate on a detailed level how the business should be
Starting at STARK feels like coming home
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
the consequences this has for the culture. “At CC Vejle everything was open. The culture is STARK is somewhat more closed, something I will have to get used to. For me, due to my experience with negotiating and the product categories I am responsible for today, the shift to STARK feels like coming home”.
We don’t initiate At head office in Søborg we meet with Kenneth Wegner, responsible for HR in DT Group. We
run. This is also reflected in our HR approach. We prioritize the sharing of insights, market intelligence and experiences. We support divisions with the development of career planning and staff development initiatives. As such, we enable possibilities. Also when it comes to shifting between divisions. But we do not actively take a stake nor encourage divisional migration. We simply do not consider that being a part of our role. Having said that, I am convinced that it is not that difficult to make the shift. After all, we do have a mutual strategy. We have shared values in relation to customer service, professionalism and measuring results. We are a family.”
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QUIZ B2B
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Winner of the last quiz: Winners of the Weber grill are:
Win a candy machine How well are you informed of what happens in DT Group? Take the test and answer the questions below and win a candy machine with for your canteen – including candy supplies to get you started right!
Send your answers before January 1st! Use the coupon on the other side or send your answers by e-mail to: quiz@dtmagazine.dk 1 Who’s the new CEO in Wolseley?
A Chip Hornsby B Steen Weirsøe C Ian Meakins
C The investment made in the inventory over a period
3 What will Niklas 2
What does inventory turnover refer to? A The value of our inventory at any given time B How many times our inventory is sold and replaced over a period
Olsson from Cheapy sell you? A His mother in law B Burning water C A horse
Flip the page for the response coupon
4 GHS stands for? A Globally Harmonised System B Global Hazard Signs C General Hazard Symbols
5 What are the three
decisive arguments to buy SikaFlex? A Cheaper, you can paint over it, easier to work with B Flexible, cheaper, you can paint over it C Flexible, you can paint over it, cheaper
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Jørgen Nielsen, HT Bendix · Torsten Johansson, Beijer Bygg Vesa Lothari Starkki · Jack R Johansen, STARK Anne Fischer, Silvan · Thomas M. Hansen, Neumann Susan Kaas Albertsen, DT Group · Carl Clemmesen, STARK (CC Vejle) Mads Poulsen, STARK