How Toshiba Tec Nordic built a value-driven solutions sales model that has had a measurable impact on sales, productivity, and customer satisfaction in four countries.
Sales Growth Following the Solution Sales Development Project
Improved productivity through new operating models
Increase in Customer Satisfaction (NPS)
Increase in Employee Satisfaction (eNPS)
In B2B sales, there’s one rule that doesn’t bend: if you don’t influence the customer’s thinking, you’re competing on price. When the customer has already decided what to buy, and the salesperson’s role is limited to submitting a quote, the only differentiating factor is the number at the bottom of the quote. It’s a competition where profit margins shrink every year and where even the best product won’t save you.
Toshiba Tec Nordic clearly recognized these industry dynamics. The company specializes in printing environments and information management solutions, and operates in Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark as part of the global Toshiba Group. Its products were competitive, its customer base was established, and its market position was strong. Instead of settling for price-based competition, as is common in the industry, the company decided to build its growth on the value it delivered to customers.
This is the story of how a strong product-sales organization was transformed into a solutions-sales organization, and why the change began with an understanding of the customer rather than the sales process.
Toshiba Tec Nordic had all the fundamentals for growth in place: strong products, skilled employees, and satisfied customers in four countries. However, the company recognized the general dynamics of the industry: when a salesperson only gets involved at the stage when the customer requests a quote, the discussion revolves around a predefined solution. In that case, there is no room for a discussion of value, and the deal comes down to price. This is not a problem specific to a single company but rather the way the entire industry operates.
The company’s management set a high goal: to build Toshiba Tec Nordic into the Group’s best solution-based sales organization. This means not just a better version of the current model, but a fundamentally different way of engaging with customers: value-driven solution sales, where the salesperson helps the customer see opportunities before a request for proposal has even been written. The decision was made based on our strengths, not out of necessity.
To make this kind of change, we needed a partner who would have a deep understanding of both our business and our customers’ needs, and who would see the change through to implementation.
Toshiba Tec Nordic chose the Voitto Group as its partner. The key difference compared to others was their perspective: sales challenges were not treated as an isolated process issue, but rather as a matter of the company’s overall corporate culture. Solution-based sales cannot emerge from a new sales model if the organization’s mindset remains product-oriented.
The collaboration was built on three pillars: first, the three-perspective model, a comprehensive assessment of the current state and customer insights. Based on that, the “Toshiba Way”—the company’s own playbook for sales and customer relationship development—was implemented. And third, digital transformation, in which the new operating model was integrated into the CRM system as part of day-to-day sales operations and management.
Many development projects start with a solution. This one began with a question: What do Toshiba Tec Nordic’s customers really need, and where does the company create value for them today?
The three-perspective model brings together into a single picture what management sees, what the team experiences in their day-to-day work, and what the customer themselves says. Only when these three perspectives are placed side by side is the overall picture complete, and the direction of development can be chosen on a solid foundation. The assessment was intentionally designed to go much deeper than just sales processes: it covered the company’s culture, expertise, and ability to deliver value to its customers.
This is the core logic of customer understanding: change cannot be built on assumptions. When development needs arise from the customer’s voice rather than from internal guesswork, every decision made thereafter is based on a solid foundation.
Based on these findings, Toshiba Tec Nordic restructured its product sales organization into a solutions-based sales organization, placing the needs of its target customer groups at the center of everything. This was not a matter of a single training session or a new sales pitch, but rather a large-scale change in the organization’s operating methods and culture.
The core of the change was shifting the role of sales to an earlier stage in the customer’s decision-making process. When a salesperson helps a customer clarify their needs before the proposal stage, the conversation focuses on value rather than price. That is the whole idea behind solution-based selling, and it required new skills, new tools, and, above all, a new mindset throughout the organization.
There are two types of consulting projects: those that end with a report, and those that lead to lasting change in everyday life. Toshiba Tec Nordic’s project fell into the latter category. Based on a deep understanding of the customer, a people-centered playbook for sales and customer relationship development was created, which was named the Toshiba Way.
The company’s own playbook, which defines how to engage with customers, how to create value, and how to develop sales and customer relationships. It emphasizes openness, a solution-oriented approach, and understanding customers’ true needs.
The value of the playbook lies not in the document itself, but in the fact that it is a living document. Once the operating model has been documented, shared, and integrated into systems, the new way of working no longer depends on the memories of individual people. It withstands personnel changes, scales from one country to another, and provides leadership with a common language for sales development.
The impact of the change is reflected in four metrics: sales grew by 28 percent, productivity improved by 19 percent, customer satisfaction (NPS) rose by 14 points, and employee satisfaction (eNPS) by 19 points. The figures tell the same story from four different angles: when sales create value for the customer, it shows up in sales, efficiency, and the experience of both parties.
The order of these factors is particularly noteworthy. At Toshiba Tec Nordic, sales growth was not the starting point but rather the result. First, the way of working changed; then, people’s experience of their work changed; and only after that did the numbers change.
These results were achieved by organizations in four countries, not by a single team. This proves that the shift to solution-based selling is scalable when it is built on customer understanding, a shared playbook, and an operating model integrated into the systems. The company has been able to grow and succeed even in challenging market conditions.
Many B2B companies recognize the same industry dynamics: good products, skilled people—and yet deals are all too often decided by price. The reason usually isn’t the salespeople. The reason lies in the stage of the customer’s decision-making process at which the sales team becomes involved. The story of Toshiba Tec Nordic shows that this can be influenced, and that the most significant change is driven by building on existing strengths.
The shift from price competition to value-based selling doesn’t start with sales training. It starts with understanding the customer: the company must know—not assume—what its customers need and where it creates value for them. Only then should a playbook be developed, and only after the playbook is in place should the change be implemented in the systems.
This trend is here to stay. Toshiba Tec Nordic’s results are not the product of a single strong quarter, but rather of a business model that continues to evolve.
Here’s one question you can think about right now. When your customer last chose you, do you know why they said yes? And if you lost the deal, do you know what made the difference: the price, or the fact that you weren’t able to influence their decision-making process in time?
Let’s go over your situation and see what the path to value-driven solution selling would look like for you. Let’s start with a conversation. The first one is free.
