T-Mobile
Company: T-Mobile
Company Description: T-Mobile USA, Inc. is a member of the T-Mobile International group, the mobile telecommunications subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT). T-Mobile operates a national all digital voice and data network based on a single GSM/GPRS 1900 technology standard. In addition, T-Mobile operates the largest commercial Wi-Fi (802.11b) wireless broadband (WLAN) network in the country.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Sales Trainer
Nomination Title: Jennifer Patterson, Senior Regional Development Trainer
Tell the story about what this nominee achieved in 2003 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
How did the smallest direct sales force in the industry become the number one
seller of BlackBerry in 2003? This success has been largely attributed to the
efforts of Jennifer Patterson, T-Mobile’s senior regional development trainer.Every major T-Mobile competitor also offers the popular BlackBerryTM wireless
PDA, so differentiation by product is impossible. To strengthen their competitive
edge, T-Mobile differentiates themselves by the way they sell.Differentiation means implementing a consistent sales process across the Direct
Sales National Strategic Accounts (NSA) group. The group is tasked with
penetrating the business segment of T-Mobile’s market and also generating the
largest percentage of corporate revenue.The NSA group represents a diverse background of sales skills and methods.
Jennifer is responsible for developing a synergistic team unified by a consistent
sales process. This consistency leads to clearer communication with each other,
their managers, and clients. It has also led to measurable sales results, including
becoming the number one seller of BlackBerry and nearly tripling sales revenue for
the group in 2003.As the only sales process trainer for the NSA group, Jennifer is highly accountable
for driving the success of this initiative. She launched sales process training in
2002 and trained nine new teams in 2003. General business training supports her
efforts, but her sole focus is on increasing sales effectiveness of the group.
One way she accomplished as much as she did in 2003 was to embrace
technology. She successfully incorporated an e-learning strategy that both saved
time and delivered the required results. The group was trained in a “blended”
approach that taught them foundational concepts via e-learning and subsequently
applied concepts through live workshops.This development initiative is not limited to online and classroom training. It
permeates day-to-day activities like one-on-one coaching, participating in team
offsites, and getting personally involved in sales opportunities. Jennifer’s
adaptability makes her a valuable resource in both the classroom and the field.
Critical to the success of the sales team development has been the involvement of
upper management. Jennifer has trained this group in the same process as the
NSA group, and she regularly confers with executive management on the
organization’s business issues to be able to relate every program specifically to T-
Mobile.Having begun her T-Mobile career with four years in sales, Jennifer is able to offer
coaching from both a training and a sales perspective. She actively solicits
success stories and uses them to provide relevant examples in her workshops and
one-on-one coaching sessions and communicates with managers to ensure
recognition is used as a motivational tool.Jennifer loves her job as she has always been passionate about increasing the
potential of people, and she draws a high level of satisfaction from knowing she
helps the organization succeed. She’s more than a trainer, she is a consultant,
mentor, and team player.To top off 2003, she is set to receive her master’s degree in May. Her personal
professional development plan will help her continue to grow in levels of
responsibility and contribution within T-Mobile.
List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: List each link on a separate line, begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.website.com]:
http://www.t-mobile.com/company/pressroom/pressrelease71.asp T-Mobile wins
Stevie award for Best Sales Team May 2003.
Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about this nominee:
Jennifer Patterson has worked for T-Mobile for nearly eight years. Her first four
were in sales before she moved into training. This background has served her well
in developing successful development programs for T-Mobile’s sales channel.
While in sales, she won 23 distinguished awards as a account executive and
major account executive for performance including The National Peak Achievement
Award. She was also nominated for Winner's Circle as a senior regional
development trainer for her contribution to the success of the channel. Jennifer is
scheduled to complete her Master's of Science in Organizational Development in
May 2004.