EXECUTIVE COACHING
REFERENCES / NORMAN WEIDLE
REFERENCES / NORMAN WEIDLE
NAME
Norman Weidle
ROLE
General Management at
Bechtle Frankfurt GmbH
BASED IN
Germany, Europe
Bechtle is one of the most successful IT service providers in Europe. The company, which has been in existence for 38 years, has more than 80 IT system houses in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as 24 IT trading companies in 14 European countries. The combination of direct sales of IT products with comprehensive system house services makes Bechtle a strong IT partner for medium-sized businesses, corporate groups, and public-sector clients. Around 40,000 hardware and software products are available via an online store, on customized e-procurement platforms, and via telesales.
Read the full Business Case Hier.
Norman Weidle started as a Junior Account Manager at Bechtle in 2008 and has worked his way up to the General Management. His vision is to offer customers the best IT services and to become the market leader in their core business with Bechtle. Since childhood, he has been fascinated by creating something bigger and making a difference in the world. At Bechtle, new ideas are developed every day, processes are adapted to improve the customer experience and to expand the position of market leader. He wants to create an organization where people enjoy coming to work and reach their full potential, creating the best possible company and employer in the industry.
FRANSCHA was commissioned to coach 17 employees from Sales as part of a three-part Modern Selling workshop series in December 2020. In combination with this, FRANSCHA provided further training to the Managing Director of the system house in Frankfurt.
Franziska Schaadt then coached Norman Weidle 1:1 in a total of eight exclusive coaching sessions over 3.5 months in an executive coaching program, on the topic of Modern Selling.
Initial situation
Norman Weidle wanted to develop in social media & sales and wanted to know how he could position his system house on social media channels. He studied marketing and worked his way in sales to become managing director of the system house, where they have a strong direct sales approach with customers. He still saw challenges in marketing, particularly in the visibility of the site in terms of digital media but more specifically, social media.
To motivate and show his employees alternative sales channels beyond telephone, e-mail and on-site appointments, he brought in Modern Selling. To do so he had 17 of his employees trained by FRANSCHA as part of a three-part Modern Selling workshop series. Social media can also be a very powerful sales tool. For this however, it is not enough to have a nice profile – you must be able to use it effectively by communicating properly, building a network, and using LinkedIn's Sales Navigator skillfully. All of which the workshop teaches.
He also participated in the workshop series and subsequently took advantage of 1:1 coaching. He has also offered his employees the opportunity to take advantage of further individual coaching sessions in order to improve their own skills and to further enhance their personal brand.
Contents of the Executive Coaching
During the eight coaching sessions, each lasting 60 minutes, it was again possible to focus on him individually – in his position as a manager. Professional, but also private values were identified, strengths and weaknesses were explored, facts were questioned, and focal points were deepened. Franziska gave 360-degree feedback. The difference between self-perception and perception by others was illuminated and a clear picture was worked out of where Norman Weidle currently stands, where he would like to be, and how he can achieve this.
A big advantage with one-on-one coaching sessions is that the pace is faster, allowing topics to be explored in more depth and in more varied ways.
Insights & Highlights from Executive Coaching
For Norman Weidle, there was a whole series of highlights within the coaching. It was difficult for him to single out one of them. However, he emphasized that it is important to bring along a willingness to change your own path and that it may be necessary to adjust your compass.
"The further you get to the top, the stonier the path becomes. Here you can't always just follow your path, you have to take different perspectives & angles and approach things differently if necessary. Work methodology, time management, etc. may even have to be adjusted, because if want to get ahead then you have to explore many different avenues – This was one of the most informative moments in coaching for me.”
“You won't get far in management if you continue to do the things you already do very well, even better. Top results are a prerequisite. It is then a matter of networks, external perception of the personal brand on the part of the environment and on the part of the company's top managers, political activities, and so on. It is important to consider to what extent an investment in oneself will bring you further forward, instead of only optimizing your own performance. The combination of subject matter expertise and networking ability is important."
Personal added value for Norman Weidle during coaching
During the coaching, it also became clearer where Norman would like to go in the future and what he would like to achieve; how professional and private goals can be reconciled, and what his future career may look like. Inspired by the coaching content, Norman has also intensively dealt with himself, listened to himself, and defined his limits. He was able to realize that he had underestimated certain things and other issues that have only just come to light. In addition, he has become aware of what a great starting position he has:
Norman Weidle has a very good role and lives happily with his wife and children in Frankfurt am Main. He was able to learn a lot of basics regarding his own career planning and it became clear to him that he can and wants to make progress professionally.
In addition, the system house manager has now learned the tools of the trade. He has also intensively dealt with the topic of social selling & leadership beyond coaching, whether in the form of practical application or by reading books from this profession. It is important to internalize the learning content and to apply it in life as well as on the platforms.
To whom Norman Weidle would recommend executive coaching in Modern Selling
"I can recommend the coaching to all executives who are not yet completely satisfied with their appearance in social media channels; especially if you are still from the 'old world' and want to adapt to the 'new world'.
Besides, it is also highly recommended for all those who are on the threshold of management/top management and are considering where and how to go next.
In addition, as a leader, it is very important to think about how to better represent yourself and your brand to the outside world. This is not about the appearance in meetings, but about which postings I publish and in which articles & magazines I am present. For those who recognize a deficit in themselves here, I can highly recommend FRANSCHA's executive coaching."
Wem Norman Weidle ein Executive Coaching im Bereich Modern Selling empfehlen würde
To a certain extent, the results of the coaching are directly reflected by the quality of a coaching and the coach themselves as a person. The executive coaching was conducted by the owner of FRANSCHA, Franziska Schaadt. Despite her young years, she has extensive experience in the market, giving a mutual understanding, thus allowing for both sides to communicate very openly and sensitively with the information being handled. It was not standard coaching in the sense of a textbook. Franziska can respond very individually to the individual situations and is able to adapt. She brings a lot of knowledge from other coaching sessions, which she incorporates in a targeted manner. Bringing in ideas and other past experiences, was extremely helpful and useful to put things into context.