MASTERING THE ART OF SALES:
ELEVATING SANITATION SOLUTIONS THROUGH DQ Sales® APPROACH.
Author: Mekdim Hailu, Project Communication Manager, PSI Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, USAID Transform WASH is committed to sustainable sanitation solutions. Our initiative has been at the forefront for over seven years, promoting market-based strategies to solve hygiene and sanitation problems. To achieve a broader impact, we aim to consolidate these initiatives through public-private partnerships and capacity-building programs, such as institutionalizing the innovative Decision Intelligence (DQ Sales®) training program in technical and vocational education and training centers.
WHAT IS THE DQ SALES® TECHNIQUE?
Decision Intelligence (DQ), a term coined by Whitten and Roy’s Partnership (WRP), a sales consulting firm in the USA, is an interdisciplinary field that combines different techniques and approaches to improve decision-making processes. This approach assumes that almost all customers, regardless of their educational and financial status, can make intelligent purchasing decisions if they are adequately informed. Therefore, empowering customers is a crucial skill for entrepreneurs to be successful.
“Sales in social enterprises and the development sector can be challenging due to a lack of appropriate tools and approaches,” says Dagim Demirew, Market Development Director. “Initially, we struggled with this problem and experimented with different sales techniques but had little success. However, introducing the DQ Sales® approach at T/WASH over the last two years has revolutionized our sales and sales management system and provides an effective model for achieving sanitation targets.”
In 2020, T/WASH recognized the potential of the DQ Sales® approach and partnered with WRP to transform its business partners’ sales, management, and leadership skills. Together, we focused on improving sales and management strategies in the WASH sector and then improved coaching and management skills. This collaboration has had a significant impact, increasing sales of over 200,000 sanitation products and services. To ensure the long-term success of this approach, USAID Transform WASH is expanding its sales and sales management capabilities to other stakeholders, such as health extension workers, to ensure sustainability. This expansion aims to ensure sustainability by institutionalizing the market-based approach.
SCALING IMPACT THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS AND CAPACITY BUILDING
To find the proper structure for embedding and disseminating the DQ Sales® approach, T/WASH and WRP conducted a mapping exercise. Based on the results of this assessment, the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI), an autonomous institute under the newly established Ministry of Labor and Skills, was identified as a potential partner for training health workers and TVETS to support coaching and management of community-level sales activities in the sanitation sector.
As part of the institutionalization of the DQ Sales® training program, professionals, and trainers from various organizations, including the Ministry of Health and EDI, were actively trained as super trainers for two weeks. Transform WASH and WRP conducted the training in two phases:
The first phase focused on the DQ Basic Training, which provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of the DQ Sales® approach. They learned how to get end users to understand their challenges and the benefits of improved sanitation.
The second phase aimed to equip participants with the skills to train others, facilitating the further dissemination of knowledge effectively.
Alemu Kejela, a WASH and environment expert from the Ministry of Health who attended the training, emphasized the importance of the training for market-based sanitation. He said: “This training is a pioneering initiative of great importance for market-based sanitation. DQ’ may be a new term, but its meaning is clear and even extends into our personal lives. It helps to understand challenges and develop practical solutions. If we spread these principles, we can significantly improve sanitation across Ethiopia.”
Clemency Phiri, a Field Coach from WRP, emphasized the transformative aspect of the DQ Sales® approach. “Usually, NGOs give away products for free, but with this approach, we can change mindsets and increase decision-making power. We help end users understand their problem, its cost, and its impact on their lives. This enables them to take full responsibility for effectively using sanitation products.”
Addise Derese, Sanitation and Hygiene Focal Person and Health Extension Worker Coordinator at the Legdiya Health Center in the Amhara region, took part in the training in Bahirdar. “In this training, we learned how to support the community with DQ, which has improved my communication skills,” she explains. “Now I can guide other Health Extension Workers and work with the masons to raise awareness in the community. I now know it’s also important to educate them about prevention than health insurance coverage, which was our previous approach.”
The DQ Sales® approach enables communities to promote responsible ownership and use of sanitation products. With a well-informed customer base, the sanitation market will continue to evolve and offer customized and sustainable solutions that meet the people’s needs. Pie-Pacifique Kabalira-Uwase, a senior WRP consultant, agrees: “The sales strategy and management help customers develop basic skills about problem solving and purchasing decisions. If they know how to clearly articulate their challenges, they will do what they need to solve it. When we send salespeople out into the community to empower the customer, they must learn how to sell.”
In closing, the DQ Sales® approach training program is essential in Transform WASH’s journey to institutionalize market-based sanitation solutions. Armed with the insights from the discovery work and equipped with the transformative DQ Sales® approach, these professionals, and trainers are ready to revolutionize sanitation practices across Ethiopia. We anticipate that the DQ Sales® approach will have a far-reaching impact on WASH practices and leave an indelible mark on Ethiopia’s sanitation sector.
