Case Study · Media & Advertising
How The Weather Company lifted closing effectiveness 33%.
The Weather Company's advertising sales team had bottlenecks moving prospects to a close. Accelerain Training delivered consultative selling, qualification, closing and negotiation training that produced a 27% lift in qualification and a 33% increase in next steps and closing effectiveness. IBM later sold The Weather Company to Francisco Partners.
The Weather Company case study at a glance
| Client | The Weather Company |
|---|---|
| What they do | The weather data and media company behind weather.com and The Weather Channel app, with an advertising business serving 360M+ people monthly |
| Problem | Bottlenecks moving prospects to a close, a need for stronger negotiation strategy, and a need to qualify prospects before calls |
| Solution | Two half-day trainings on consultative selling, pre-call qualification, closing and negotiation strategy for the advertising division |
| Outcome | 27% lift in qualification and a 33% increase in next steps and closing effectiveness |
| Company milestone | Sold by IBM to Francisco Partners (completed early 2024) |
What problem was The Weather Company facing?
The Weather Company's advertising sales team had bottlenecks moving prospects to a closed deal, needed a stronger negotiation strategy, and needed a better way to qualify prospects before calls.
COVID-19 pushed media sales from relationship-driven deals toward data and proof of ROI. Advertisers now expect sellers to understand their business, bring strategic counsel and justify every dollar spent.
How did Accelerain Training solve it?
Accelerain Training ran two half-day sessions for the advertising division covering consultative selling, pre-call qualification, closing and negotiation strategy.
- Targeting decision makers instead of influencers.
- Planning an agenda for every customer conversation, at every stage of the sales cycle.
- Qualifying before the call, so sellers spend time on deals that can close.
- Negotiating and closing bigger deals, faster.
What results did The Weather Company achieve?
The team saw a 27% lift in qualification and a 33% increase in next steps and closing effectiveness, and adopted a consultative sales process.
IBM sold The Weather Company's assets to private equity firm Francisco Partners in a deal announced in August 2023 and completed in early 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What results did The Weather Company get from working with Accelerain Training?
The team saw a 27% lift in qualification and a 33% increase in next steps and closing effectiveness, and adopted a consultative sales process.
What does The Weather Company do?
The Weather Company is the weather data and media company behind weather.com and The Weather Channel app, with an advertising business serving 360M+ people monthly.
What problem did The Weather Company need to solve?
The Weather Company's advertising sales team had bottlenecks moving prospects to a closed deal, needed a stronger negotiation strategy, and needed a better way to qualify prospects before calls.
What happened to The Weather Company after working with Accelerain Training?
IBM sold The Weather Company's assets to private equity firm Francisco Partners in a deal announced in August 2023 and completed in early 2024.
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