The company seized the chance to enhance its sales capabilities by developing a comprehensive training program from the ground up. To lead this initiative, RS Americas hired Ashley Pickett as its first Learning and Development Specialist for the Sales Department, reflecting a strong commitment to team growth and success.
“When I joined, there had never been a dedicated role focused on talent development for sales. My position was created to establish a structured, long-term approach to training,” said Pickett.
One of her first priorities was selecting the right sales training partner.
“I interviewed six vendors and narrowed it down to two. Our executive leadership unanimously chose RAIN Group to lead the initiative,” said Pickett.
Solution
RS Americas had a clear vision for building a culture of continuous learning.
“When it comes to L&D and change management within any company, you must start from the top,” shared Pickett.
To lay the foundation, RS Americas first enrolled its leaders, including Branch and Field Sales Managers and Regional Directors, in Coaching for Action & Accountability (CAA). The program equipped them with the mindset, tools, and skills to reinforce new techniques within their teams.
Following CAA, a 90-day coach-the-coach phase delivered immediate results.
“We saw the ROI. Managers actively coached their teams and understood the difference between being a sales manager and leader,” Pickett noted.
With leadership aligned, the company shifted its focus to outside sellers, recognizing their role was evolving from a transactional, catalog-based approach to a consultative selling model.
To support this shift, RS Americas implemented RAIN Selling: Foundations of Consultative Selling. Over a four-month learning journey, sellers completed modules on value, needs discovery, impact and ROI cases, and the Buyer Change Blueprint. Each module included pre-work, a VILT classroom session, application assignments, and application coaching.
“The templates and resources became part of our sales process. Discovery techniques were embedded into how we sell, helping our teams ask better questions and build stronger relationships. Our executive leadership even did ride-alongs with sellers and saw firsthand that the strategies were being applied in real customer conversations,” Pickett said.
Now in its third year with RAIN Group, RS Americas continues investing in sales development.
“Their facilitators and team are top-notch. I never had to say, ‘Here’s some lingo you need to use,’ or, ‘Here’s how to tie it into RS.’ Sellers didn’t see this as generic training—it was tailored to us. RAIN Group spoke our language, and we learned to speak theirs. That was a recipe for success.”
The company has since expanded its training with Strategic Account Management, helping sellers grow strategic accounts, analyze stakeholders, and drive value through Value Labs. Pickett also completed Train the Application Coach, enabling her to lead internal coaching sessions.
“Even with 15+ years in L&D, I was initially nervous, but RAIN Group’s materials and support made it easy,” she said.
Additionally, RS Americas secured access to RAIN Group’s Self-Study catalog for ongoing learning.
“Now we have access to all self-study guides and materials. I work closely with the RAIN Client Engagement Team to select content and videos, and I provide my Sales Leaders with talking points to discuss with their teams.”
Results
The partnership has driven a significant transformation, successfully shifting RS Americas to a proactive, consultative sales organization.
“Our sales team has made remarkable progress. We’ve moved from a traditional sales approach to truly consultative selling, and that shift has been huge,” said Pickett. “Now, our reps go into conversations with a much deeper understanding of customer needs. They ask better questions, uncover more opportunities, and provide real solutions. We’re seeing stronger relationships, more account engagement, and a big boost in sales efficiency because of the structured approach we’ve put in place.”
The impact of this approach is evident in the success stories shared by RS Americas’ sales reps:
- Closed a $100K opportunity and uncovered an additional deal using questioning techniques from training.
- Transformed a simple order into a branded kit opportunity by applying deeper discovery techniques.
- Used the Buyer Change Blueprint in a major customer meeting, fostering interactive dialogue and alignment.
With a strong foundation in place, RS Americas continues to build on its success, ensuring its sales team is equipped to drive consultative conversations, strengthen customer relationships, and deliver long-term business impact.
“This marks my third year collaborating with RAIN Group, and I continue to be impressed,” Pickett shared. “The content seamlessly integrates into our learning culture, and the support from their team is unwavering—even beyond the conclusion of each module. Their commitment to the professional development of our sales team is truly commendable. Our goal was to create a culture of continuous learning, and with RAIN Group, we’ve achieved that.”
Participant Feedback
“The value lab brought out the best team discussions among peers.” (SAM)
“Very solid, great facilitator and content, like interaction with team members, hit with the material many times to retain.” (SAM)
“Great progress with how our teams are thinking about how to plan for account growth and identify customer needs.” (SAM)
“It got me to think about how best to ask certain questions and design those questions to get specific answers to my customers’ needs and desires.” (CS)
“The training program reinforces the direction of the company to become a solutions provider instead of a catalogue house. Well-structured with good reinforcing group exercises.” (CS)
“The program refocused my efforts as a leader.” (CA&A)
