Case Study:
Taylor's of Harrogate
Building commercial capability that lasts
The challenge
Taylor’s of Harrogate wanted to strengthen the commercial skills of their sales team while staying true to their culture, heritage and values that makes their business distinctive.
Learning and development was already highly valued, with the team investing significant time in bringing people together to learn and connect. But, they had a strong preference for developing their own way of doing things to strengthen their internal culture.
The challenge was therefore not simply to deliver commercial training, but to build something that felt authentically Taylor’s, created with the team and ultimately owned by them.
Our approach
We worked closely with Taylor’s internal champions to co-create a Customer Academy – a long-term commercial capability programme built around the business’s heritage, values and ambitions. The programme began with flagship sessions focused on core commercial skills, including ‘Presenting with Passion and Negotiation’, before evolving into an ongoing programme of four development events each year.
This created a broader and more progressive capability journey, allowing the team to build beyond individual skills and develop the commercial confidence to apply them in their day-to-day roles.
To reinforce the learning, we also created a Commercial Guidebook which is a practical framework for the team to draw on whenever they needed it. Over time, the team took ownership of the resource and began using it proactively and independently.
Over time, our partnership with Taylor’s has evolved and today, we support their broader commercial agenda through strategy sessions, facilitation, inspiration and access to expertise from across the Uspire network.
The results
The Customer Academy has helped Taylor’s develop deep, practical commercial expertise across the team, with capability becoming an ongoing part of how the business develops its people rather than something delivered through isolated training events.
The team consistently delivers against its commercial objectives, while customer feedback continues to recognise Taylor’s as a strong performer within its competitive set, including through Advantage Group benchmarking.
Most importantly, Taylor’s has developed the confidence and capability to own its own commercial development. The Customer Academy, Commercial Guidebook and ongoing partnership have created an environment where individuals are increasingly equipped to lead their own growth and contribute to the future direction of the business.
“As a business who likes doing things our own way, working with a third party could have been hard. What Uspire has become is part of the team, but with external perspective that provides a valuable vantage point. Bringing in experts has without question helped us to deliver on our vision.”
Greg Harvey
Sales Controller
Taylor’s of Harrogate
