Prioritize teamwork over leadership

BoConcept, Denmark's largest furniture brand was founded in 1952 and is known for quality and Scandinavian design. 35-year-old Christian Boström, Global B2B Director in BoConcept, came from the smartphone tech industry but was familiar with Danish design and brands. BoConcept's strategic shift in B2B was one of the most intriguing aspects of working there, as well as continuing the journey with sales and process development, to build a strong pipeline within their franchise model. All attracted his attention and together with his Wife Julie and two sons Elliot & Theo they believed that this was a perfect match, hence the decision was not too hard. He's always had an entrepreneurial mindset and could see himself providing a lot of value to the company's business development in the B2B segment.

Christian has always believed that collaboration is the key to success both privately & professional. Emotional intelligence is something he builds his performance and strategical priority as a manager. He believes that “EQ” is the main competence to ensure a healthy, happy & high productive team, with minimal politics and everyone runs in the same direction. Christian believes that combined with a strong and smart organization having the professional skills within, strategy, Marketing, and Technology you have a good foundation to reach the goals. Understanding and managing his own emotions has positively led to relieve stress, communicate effectively, and overcome short- & long-term challenges. He recommends having trustworthy and close relationships with the team members and being present. Within his team, they meet twice a week to include everyone in team talks, which is critical for satellite office employees. This guarantees transparency and allows staff to identify key issues that need a broader perspective.

Individual QPR and two-yearly anonymous surveys with external partners help leaders and companies identify areas for improvement. BoConcept base their conclusions on facts and comprehensive situational research. According to him, this boosts firm growth across the entire organization, as data is key. After evaluation, employees are always informed if any key strategic decisions must be made, which are driven by data given from the employees among others.

Christian places as much emphasis on team cohesiveness and personal involvement as he does on professional coaching. He emphasizes weekly honest feedback in the team and company. He also believes that listening actively to team members can strengthen decision-making and make everyone more accountable and eager to reach goals. In his opinion, great leaders show gratitude, respect, and courage to address top-level concerns on behalf of the team. When work must be dispersed and driven, DISC assists the leader in guiding and motivating his team. He suggests making the staff feel comfortable, being present, and getting to know them more than just colleagues.

At BoConcept they always expect that their employees make the most of their company values, which they have called D.R.I.V.E. Develop yourself, Reach the goal, Initiate solutions, Value differences, and Embrace collaboration. Combined with the teamwork across the entire organization, these values are very strong and effective and reflect the strengths in the mindset of the employees, he adds. Since franchise businesses must adapt to local markets, their principles help them connect faster and create strong, long-term connections, Christian regards this as an enduring company value. It also proves that, operating in over 60 markets, the vision is very visible, and the feedback from all colleagues shows a unique culture.

Since 2022 our Global contract division has been on an evolving journey creating extraordinary spaces, focusing on being value-adding, solutions-orientated partner for the A&D community. With the establishment of a new B2B sales strategy, BoConcept has used different inbound & outbound sales methods to target desirable clients and win one of their industry's biggest players' confidences. The team had a clear purpose and target before launching their approach, and with the close relationship in the group, the information of the workflow and knowing their individual roles made the entire process very easy for them to carry out. After five months, one of the largest players in their segment placed the first of several orders. Due to the flexibility and professionalism of everyone concerned, they now have a solid foundation and knowledge to win more clients in their key segment of operations. Achievements like this don´t come easy, and celebrating success is a very important element, adds Christian. The team is inspired to take their sales journey to the next level.

BoConcept wants to capitalize on its strong retail brand and 300+ touchpoints and showrooms in the interior design and architecture markets. With the right incentive model, their organization can reach more clients in the SMB-segment. Their Collection & Visual team has done a great job incorporating requirements for medium and large projects into their future B2B sales experience. They now work with renowned famous fabric brands like Gabriel and Camira to meet the growing demand for sustainable and products in high traffic hospitality purposes. BoConcept has taken this action to provide unique and sustainable solutions, and customers welcome this new addition to their product line. BoConcept expects considerable growth as they extend their B2B sales pipeline. Their industry market size is estimated at $740 billion, with a 6.5% CAGR. Due to their success, they will hire more B2B salespeople in 2023 to provide excellent sales and service to new and existing customers.

BoConcept are launching an A&D trade loyalty program to reach untouched audiences in NAM, EMEA, and APAC. This incentive will help local franchisees increase traffic and sales in the B2B segment. They're excited to launch this globally in 2023 after several months of development. It will make BoConcept more appealing, and joining a community that values workmanship seems ideal for both sides. In conjunction with their departments, they are integrating a new and better system, to prepare for this incentive and handle a larger customer portfolio related to B2B project sales. This will allow them to work more efficiently, be open, and structure their process in detail for their franchise partners and investors to better understand the firm.

Christian expects their B2B sales to change considerably in five years. The global B2B market is booming in residential and large-scale housing developments, and with their franchise model, they can provide their clients with a local and customized solution, which attracts large corporate firms that desire one touchpoint in the sales and logistic process. This is one of their core USPs. Christian affirms, we don´t sell products; we sell customized solutions! IE