Sewer Equipment, a third-generation manufacturing company specializing in sewer maintenance machinery, has built a reputation for quality equipment serving customers across North America. With a growing dealer network and expanding product line, the company is committed to excellence in every aspect of its business.
But despite its manufacturing expertise, Sewer Equipment faced significant hurdles in one key area: sales training.
Their developing dealer training approach created challenges with consistent brand messaging and made it difficult to realize full growth potential. Sales representatives often found equipment demonstrations challenging, which sometimes led to varied customer experiences across different markets.
The adoption of Tovuti marked a turning point, revolutionizing how Sewer Equipment approached training and standardization across its dealer network.
Sewer Equipment Co. of America Model 800 ECO Series IV Truck Jet.
The Challenge
Before implementing Tovuti, sales training at Sewer Equipment was disjointed and ineffective. Sales representatives conducted "walk around" equipment demonstrations with vastly different approaches, undermining the brand's consistency and professionalism.
“Most salesmen would struggle to deliver the walk around in the exact way our company expected,” explained Jerry Hatfield, Dean/Training Manager. This inconsistency hurt brand image and limited sales effectiveness across territories.
Adding to the complexity, the company lacked any scalable method to deliver pre-work, quizzes, or assessments. Training existed only in-person, with no way to track progress or ensure quality. As demand grew, this manual process became increasingly unsustainable.
“We had no visibility into who was performing walk-arounds at the level of our expectations,” noted the Training Department. Without performance data or tracking, sales readiness was based on anecdotes rather than metrics, and sales representatives were in the field potentially not speaking “one message, one voice.”
These challenges were compounded by the difficulty of finding an LMS tailored to manufacturing. Many platforms focused on academic or soft-skills learning, lacking functionality needed for technical equipment demonstrations and hands-on sales approaches.
The Turning Point
Recognizing the need for a transformative solution, Sewer Equipment adopted Tovuti to unify its training efforts and create a standardized, scalable system. After researching and comparing top LMS platforms, they selected Tovuti for its customization capabilities, intuitive design, and exceptional support.
"We looked at multiple LMS platforms, and Tovuti stood out by a mile," the team recalled.
With Tovuti, Sewer Equipment transitioned to a centralized platform that supported consistent training across all regions. The intuitive design made implementation straightforward, with video-based pre-work courses, integrated quizzes, and a unified training experience.
Transformation Through Tovuti
The impact of Tovuti was immediate and far-reaching. For the first time, Sewer Equipment's sales team delivered consistent messaging across all territories.
“Once we implemented Tovuti, we were able to ensure the entire North American sales team was hearing the same one message to all speak the same one voice,” Jerry explained. This standardization eliminated the inconsistencies that had previously impacted the effectiveness of sales trainings.
One of the most significant advantages of Tovuti was its ability to build a complete certification program. The walk-around certification process now included pre-work training, quizzes, and performance evaluations tied to live events.
"The training is in the pre-work... and then they come in and ace this walk-around process," noted the team. This structured approach ensured that representatives were fully prepared before engaging with customers.
The certification process also introduced valuable predictive insights for the training team. “We can always tell when someone hasn’t spent enough time doing the pre-work and reviewing the materials. The scores are reflective.” Jerry noted. “Not everyone who attends our live certification events will get certified. With Tovuti we can almost predict before we arrive which specific individuals tried to "cram for the final" and will likely struggle.”
This predictive capability allows the team to focus additional resources where needed and maintain consistently high standards across the dealer network.
Tovuti also improved performance tracking and accountability. The platform's robust scoring and reporting capabilities allowed Training Management to monitor individual progress and link training directly to sales performance.
"Top performers in sales are those who engage with Tovuti the most," observed Training Management. This correlation between training engagement and sales success validated the investment and approach.
A Platform for the Future
Tovuti is now at the heart of Sewer Equipment's training operations. The company has transformed its approach to learning, creating a sustainable and professional environment where sales representatives are consistently prepared and effective.
"Tech support hit it out of the park every single time," Jack Fox emphasized, highlighting the partnership aspect of working with Tovuti. The team particularly appreciated Tovuti's hands-on training and responsive support.
The platform's brand customization capabilities also enhanced adoption and professionalism, reflecting Sewer Equipment's identity throughout the learning experience.
Beyond sales certification, the team has expanded Tovuti's use to streamline operations for all training events.
“We utilize Tovuti as a registration platform for our less formal training events, which helps us know exactly who has signed up for specific training activities,” explained Jack. “That's been a tremendous boost because it helps us plan all the preparation work prior to the training.”
This enhanced visibility has improved resource allocation and training delivery across the organization.
"We would not be on the glide path that we're at right now if we hadn't done this," Training Management concluded. With Tovuti, Sewer Equipment isn't just meeting the demands of today but building a foundation for the future—one where training is consistent, efficient, and directly connected to sales success.
Ramvac HX-12 Hydroexcavator.
