In its quest to further improve the productivity of the staff and as well improve the company’s profitability ahead of its new financial year, SAFCO Mega Solutions, a pharmaceutical wholesale company has organised a day workshop, tagged ‘Employee Engagement for Profitability 2021’, for its staff.
In attendance at the Annual Corporate Acceleration Training, conducted by Courier and Logistics Management Institute (CLMI) in collaboration with Swiss School of Management, Rome, held at Safco head office, Ajah, Lagos, were sales managers, products managers, admin officers, account managers, salespersons, all members of staff including the managing director of the company.
Speaking on the topic ‘Employee Engagement for Profitability’, Mrs Ndidi Nduka, head, Business Development, CLMI, disclosed that quite a number of salespersons don’t like admitting that they find the job challenging, adding that employees need to be empowered always for better output.
According to her, the reason most salespersons underachieve is that most of them are not professional enough in their practice, they don’t know how to present themselves, they lack adequate knowledge about their products and they don’t know how to relate well with their customers.
She added, “A well-trained employee can deliver better customer service while acting as a positive representative of the company. They can offer better product or service quality because they have the necessary skills for their role. The employees could be more knowledgeable about products and services, for example, when dealing with customers. They might be able to resolve customer issues more quickly and effectively than otherwise.
“Employee development can also have a positive impact on profit levels through higher employee engagement. By investing in training and development efforts, you’re demonstrating you value your team. Staff who feel cared for and supported might be more engaged, loyal, and committed to the organization,” she said.
The expert while speaking on the reasons why salespeople fail, said the first mistake sales persons make is lack of vision and lack of adequate knowledge of the product they are selling as well as lack of confidence.
“Additionally, training can give team members an evolving set of skills they need to continue to succeed in their jobs. If your employees have the skills for their job, they could be more likely be productive, feel job satisfaction and stay engaged.
“Strong employee engagement could have other flow-on effects, such as loyalty, morale, trust, innovation, creativity, and enthusiasm for day-to-day tasks. All of these can have a positive impact on profit’, she stated.
She however noted that the seminar would go a long way in affecting the company positively while urging corporate organisations to imbibe the culture. “After this seminar, I expect Safco as a company to increase in their productivity and profitability, even though the company is already doing well, it will start doing better. Considering the sector the company is in and considering the period of COVID that we are in presently, people need to be aware of how to take care of their health, and Safco is the right place to do that.
“The marketing team will as a matter of fact become more efficient and effective and the outcome will be beneficial to the company,” she said.
While speaking at the end of the seminar, the Managing Director, SAFCO Mega Solutions and its subsidiary, Afonches Pharmacy Limited, a chain pharmacy outlet with over ten branches around Lekki and Ajah areas of Lagos State, Pharm. Adebayo Afon noted that staff training and development can have a multifaceted impact on the organisation’s profitability.
“The ways it can boost profit range from higher productivity and keeping the employees engaged, to increased customer satisfaction and leveraging the organisation’s resources. By implementing a staff development plan, one could achieve higher profitability in the short term while ensuring the organisation continues to achieve its strategic goals in the longer term”.
