Personal Experience: Hugo Montjaux, Moulins Soufflet

In summary

Hugo Montjaux, Sales Director France at Moulins Soufflet (Episens, the wheat division of the InVivo group), shares his experience of training his sales force.

Milling and bakery sales teams need to navigate digitalisation, sustainability, shifting consumption trends, and continuous skill development all at once.

Since January 2024, regional managers have replaced classic evaluation grids with personalised training pathways built with Daylindo, combining hard skills and soft skills.

This approach encourages a more open dialogue with managers, where employees demonstrate real use of their skills rather than simply following directives.

Daylindo: Could you introduce yourself and your company?

I'm Hugo Montjaux, Sales Director for France at Moulins Soufflet for the artisanal bakery segment, a position I've held for 2 years.

Moulins Soufflet is a French company within the Episens wheat division of the InVivo cooperative, one of Europe's leading agri-food players. Specialising in milling, the company transforms wheat into flour and is renowned for its expertise in producing high-quality flours suited to a wide range of uses, particularly for artisan bakers.

Moulins Soufflet puts a strong focus on innovation and sustainable development, building environmentally friendly practices into its production chain throughout. It's also committed to product traceability, guaranteeing consistent quality for its customers.

Daylindo: What challenges do you face?

In the milling and bakery sector in France, a sales team has to navigate a strategically complex environment, shaped by several key challenges.

Digitalisation and technological innovation: with digitalisation on the rise, sales teams need to adopt new technologies to optimise sales processes, improve customer relationships, and stay competitive. This includes using CRM systems, e-commerce platforms for smoother ordering, and data management solutions for better decision-making.

Sustainability and responsible practices: growing commitment to more sustainable practices means sales teams need to promote products that meet these expectations, such as organic, sustainable and/or locally sourced flours.

Adapting to consumption trends: eating habits are changing, with growing demand for healthy bakery products, gluten-free options, and local goods. The sales team needs to stay on top of these trends to adapt its offer and meet the expectations of both consumers and bakery professionals.

Sales force training and skills: to respond effectively to these challenges, salespeople need a high level of technical knowledge about milling and bakery products, as well as strong sales and negotiation skills. Continuous training is therefore essential to keep the team effective and adaptable. This is exactly where we work with our partner, Daylindo.

Daylindo: How does Daylindo help you meet these challenges?

Using a tool like Daylindo to strengthen the sales force's skills brings several solid benefits.

Personalised training: Daylindo makes it possible to personalise training pathways based on each salesperson's specific needs. This personalisation helps target the skills each individual needs to develop, boosting training effectiveness and the team's overall performance.

Flexible, on-demand access: sales reps can access training resources at any time, from anywhere. This supports continuous learning without disrupting busy schedules, letting salespeople train at their own pace and around their availability.

Stronger communication and negotiation skills: with modules specifically designed to improve communication and negotiation skills, Daylindo helps salespeople better understand and respond to their clients' needs. This matters particularly in a complex environment where client expectations keep shifting.

Measuring progress and performance: Daylindo provides analytics tools to measure how effective training programmes are and track each salesperson's individual progress. This lets managers monitor performance, identify skill gaps, and adjust training programmes accordingly.

Increased motivation and engagement: by investing in their salespeople's training and professional development, companies show they value their employees. This can increase motivation, engagement and loyalty, reducing turnover and boosting job satisfaction.

In short, using Daylindo as a skill development tool for the sales force doesn't just help meet the demands of a complex market, it also maximises sales performance by building a dynamic, adaptive learning environment.

Daylindo: What are the results?

The company has adopted an innovative approach to assessing and developing employees' skills, replacing classic evaluation grids with personalised training pathways. These pathways are designed to directly address the real-world challenges employees face on the ground, integrating both technical skills ("hard skills") and interpersonal skills ("soft skills").

Since January 2024, every regional manager in the department has already completed their first training pathway and is starting a second, focused on supporting merchandising for bakery partners, after a targeted preparatory course. This method doesn't just allow for tailored skill development, it also fosters a more open, constructive dialogue with managers. Rather than simply following directives, employees need to demonstrate the effective use of the skills they've acquired in real situations.

Evidence from other sales networks Daylindo works with confirms this point: it's the shift from self-reported assessment to demonstration in real situations that changes the nature of the dialogue between managers and field teams the most.

FAQ

Who is Hugo Montjaux, and what does Moulins Soufflet do?

Hugo Montjaux is Sales Director France at Moulins Soufflet, a French milling company within Episens, the wheat division of the InVivo cooperative group, specialising in producing flours for artisan bakers.

What are the main challenges facing Moulins Soufflet's sales force?

Digitalising sales processes, adapting to sustainability expectations, tracking consumption trends (gluten-free, local products), and continuously developing salespeople's skills.

How does Daylindo support Moulins Soufflet's sales force?

By personalising training pathways to each salesperson's needs, offering flexible access to resources, strengthening communication and negotiation skills, and measuring individual progress.

What has changed in skills assessment at Moulins Soufflet since 2024?

Classic evaluation grids have been replaced by personalised training pathways combining technical and interpersonal skills, where employees demonstrate the real use of their skills rather than simply following directives.

Why did Moulins Soufflet move away from traditional evaluation grids?

Because they wanted a more direct link between training and real field challenges, and a more open dialogue with managers based on demonstrated skill use rather than self-reported assessment.

What's next for the regional managers' training pathway?

Having completed their first pathway, they're starting a second one focused on supporting merchandising for bakery partners, following a targeted preparatory course.