Leading International Airline Elevates Sales Effectiveness

Industry: Aviation
Services: Consultative Selling, Strategic Account Management, Coaching for Action & Accountability, Self-Study+

Background

As one of the world’s most recognized international airlines, the organization faced a critical challenge in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the industry downturn, sellers spent little time engaging with customers. When markets reopened, sales teams were disconnected from client needs, lacked a consistent prospecting approach, and didn't have a strong, value-focused sales process.

Leadership set a clear vision for change: to become a data-driven, innovative sales organization that creates meaningful value for customers. This meant equipping sellers with the skills, tools, and mindset to re-engage buyers, deliver stronger outcomes, and build lasting partnerships. 

Solution

The airline partnered with RAIN Group to design and deliver a global learning journey to unify and elevate sales effectiveness across passenger and cargo teams.

Over a two-year rollout, 670+ participants across nine regions took part in training delivered in English, Putonghua, and Japanese. Programs were customized to align with the organization’s sales vision and included:

• Foundations of Consultative Selling: Developing skills to lead thorough discovery conversations, present compelling ROI cases, inspire buyer change, and win business with confidence.

• Strategic Account Management: Deepening capabilities in account research, stakeholder analysis, competitor planning, and collaborative account planning to grow and protect key accounts.

• Sales Prospecting: Hands-on sessions covering goal setting, attraction campaigns, prospecting by phone, email, and social media, and executing tailored prospecting plans.

• Coaching for Action & Accountability: Equipping managers to reinforce new behaviors, drive accountability, and build a culture of continuous improvement.

The programs blended learning formats for maximum impact. Participants engaged with pre- and post-session microlearning, interactive virtual classrooms, application assignments, buddy coaching, and application coaching sessions. Sales conversation planners were embedded directly into Salesforce, ensuring sellers could apply tools in their daily workflows.

This comprehensive approach ensured that learning translated into lasting behavior change, supported by ongoing reinforcement and coaching. 

Results

The initiative delivered measurable outcomes across the organization:

• Tool Adoption: Salesforce planner usage exceeded KPIs by 5%

• Satisfaction: 98.2% participant satisfaction, surpassing the 95% goal

• Sustainability: Training now forms part of onboarding for all new hires

Leadership also recognized the strength of the partnership.

The Head of Global Sales Enablement said, “Fantastic facilitators! They were responsive to our requests and needs. The training went from strength to strength with each session.”

With a strong foundation in place, the airline continues its transformation toward a fully data-driven, customer-centric sales organization. The success of the programs has laid the groundwork for expansion into other divisions, ensuring a unified approach to prospecting, account management, and value creation across the business.