With over 50 premium and super premium brands, Campari Group is a one of the global drinks industry’s major players. Headquartered in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy, Campari’s products can be found in over 190 nations around the world, with the group employing around 4,000 people worldwide.
We spoke to Barbara Forlino, Commercial Capabilities Manager at Campari, about her role, the challenges that she faces, and how working with Mercuri International helped her to create empowering sales training for Campari.
The challenge
Programs were brought forward designed to refine Campari’s e-commerce capabilities, including a training program that could allow Campari to maintain their close relationships with customers and high quality of service in an evolving communications environment.
Barbara wanted to design a program (for over 150 sales executives) that would result in a sales force that was the premier knowledge expert in the sector, capable of visiting the point of sale space in a credible way and influencing mixologists and also the bar owner.
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The solution
The Digital Learning Journey was customized to Campari’s specific needs. While the move to digital training was already of great importance, it became business-critical in the pandemic era, as teams were unable to train in more conventional conditions.
Mercuri’s training approach has revolutionised the way that Campari applies training in terms of both format and scale, with the digital learning path opening up possibilities to reach a much wider audience.
─ “We discovered (Mercuri’s) capability to play global and act local – to follow a single person and to give us a digital solution. Very easy, very smart, and 100% adapted to our picture. There was a (mix of) international credibility, innovation, digital offering, and one-to-one care of a person.”
Barbara Forlino, Campari
The result – Sales training for Campari
The unique way that the training program had been developed allowed an element of continuity during a state of historic disruption to the bar industry: ─ “Our people still had a learning path despite two lockdowns! So, when it comes to ‘digital’?…digital means to be able to continue offering great training and nourishing a sense of community when conventional social interactions are not possible – maintaining the cohesion and motivation of the whole group.” – Barbara Forlino, Campari
Conclusion
When Mercuri say ‘global reach, local expertise’, it’s more than a tagline. One way of viewing the difference between ‘ok’ and ‘great’ training is the ability for sales training consultants to gain a profound understanding of a business’s needs and work with them to design a training solution that works for them and their workforce, supporting them at every step.
It’s all about personal relationships. Referring to her Mercuri consultants, Barbara has the following to say:
─ “…Mercuri has achieved a genuine credibility with the salesforce, because they can speak the language of sales but also coach at the same time. They have a profound understanding of the sales and negotiation process and the challenges specific to HoReCa (Hotels – Restaurants – Catering), so there’s a trust there. It’s the person that makes the difference.”
Barbara Forlino, Campari
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