Metro Delivery Service is part of the German multinational company, Metro Group, who operate a network of Cash and Carry stores, primarily under the Metro brand, where their customers require business membership to be able to make purchases.  

The Metro Group have recently created an online delivery service, Metro Delivery Service (MSD), and they have engaged EFMP Belgian partner, Promo Sapiens, to find new clients for them in a 45-kilometre range around their delivery platform in Willebroek, a town which is situated between Brussels and Antwerp. 

The initiative was aptly dubbed, The Hunting Project. And the hunt for clients began.

To prepare for the project, Promo Sapiens proposed the appointment of 8 full-time Customer Managers.  Their job is to prospect for new clients for MSD. Their targeted prospects are businesses such as high-end restaurants, medium and lower-end restaurants, catering services, snack bars, sandwich bars, and butcheries. To provide oversight, the Customer Managers are, in turn, managed by a Promo Sapiens Field Sales Manager who works together with the Metro Sales Force Manager, and in this way both companies have direct representation and input.

A pilot project was established to test the concept before full implementation. In order to do this, the client’s expectations had to be considered and parameters set.It was determined that for a new client to be recognised as such by Metro, the client had to place a minimum of 3 orders a month. The rationale for this requirement was that once established as a client, that particular business would have the benefit of access to a Metro-employed farmer, who would attend to their requirements with regard to delivery of fresh agricultural produce.                                                               

Initially, 2 Customer Managers were appointed as new hires and the concept was tested and fine-tuned with regard to prospecting for clients, data collection, and reporting, as part of the test-run. This was done for a month before the other 6 Customer Managers were appointed and trained. The training lasted a week and incorporated introduction and orientation; site visits to the metro businesses; systems training; sales training; test-in-the-field; and debriefing.                                            

The sales metrics were indicated as follows:                                    * No interest                                                                                   
* Interest and negotiation                                                                  * Log in created                                                                                * First order                                                                                        * Second order                                                                                  * Third order

In the interests of complete transparency, Promo Sapiens kept MSD fully informed of all processes by a system of reporting every step of the way. And as further incentive to encourage client acquisition, Customer Managers are rewarded bonuses for the first and third orders clients place. The third orders, which establish the target company as a definitive client for MSD, are considered to be the most important. 

By means of this impressive and enterprising initiative, EFMP Belgian partner, Promo Sapiens, manages to successfully combine a marketing strategy with a ‘Hunting Project’, by means of which they are able to acquire clients for their newest client, Metro Delivery Service.