"Together, we always find a solution"

“We often serve big companies like Shell and ASML directly,” explains Roel Polmans, Director of Business Partner Sales at VodafoneZiggo. “But we are not able to pay direct attention to all of the thousands of small and medium-size companies that we have as customers. That’s why we use Business Partners. These are local IT companies with lots of experience, which offer our products – often alongside products from other suppliers – and also provide the necessary service. We have around 150 of these throughout the Netherlands. Today we are welcoming one from the north of the country.”

You have to experience it for yourself
“The Experience Centre is an inspiring environment where you can get a sense of our various brands,” explains Roel. “You can see all the things that VodafoneZiggo is doing and the future we are working towards. Our motto ‘pleasure and progress with every connection’ really comes alive here, and you can experience what this means in practice, up close and personal. This is crucial if you are representing our brands because that’s exactly what you need to convey. We also invite business partners to bring their customers with them. That way they can experience for themselves what VodafoneZiggo stands for. There is no better way to get them on board.”

Opening eyes
The account managers who are here to represent the business partner are given a tour of the Experience Centre. Sales Manager Frank van de Kamp guides them through the diverse programme. They start with a video about what “connection” means to people from all over the company. Frank says, “It immediately becomes clear here that our products and services have a much bigger impact than you might think. This leads to valuable moments and opportunities in people’s lives. The big picture is revealed in the Mindset show. From smart lighting on city streets to remote health care: our world runs on the technology that VodafoneZiggo provides.”

At the customer’s side
Throughout the tour, Frank continues to explain why the possibilities provided by the Experience Centre are of interest to this sales team’s customers as well. “I’ll show you how to tell an engaging story that isn’t about sales, things or money but about a different way of thinking, about looking at the world we live in, about companies’ needs and about trust: the trust that VodafoneZiggo can satisfy those needs together with you. On this basis, we can get to work addressing a customer’s challenges. From security to headsets, from call flows to support – we use all sorts of tools and resources to find a solution. Always.”

Talking openly
In the Future Mapping Room, Partner Manager Siert de Langh takes the floor. He gives all the guests a phone, which they can use to respond to statements such as “digitalisation is mainly about boosting productivity”. Then all the responses are shown on a large screen. “These offer handy talking points, which let you all talk openly about your activities, concerns and expectations. It is a quick and fun way to really get to know each other. And the ‘question behind the question’ is often quickly revealed. We can then deal with the specifics of these questions in the seminar room.”

It's about solution selling
The team of account managers are clearly enjoying their visit to the Experience Centre. There is plenty of laughter, they have a good time going through the programme, and are impressed by the VodafoneZiggo company – about which Frank periodically shares all sorts of facts. Afterwards, one of the visitors looks around with a satisfied expression. “We didn’t even hear words like ‘landline’ and ‘mobile’ or ‘targets’. That’s nice.” His colleague agrees. “The era when we just sold phones and plugs is ancient history now,” he says. “This experience is about offering solutions. About showing where you stand in the ecosystem. Solution selling, this is exactly what our customers are asking for nowadays.”

Read more about the Experience Centre