From service to sales-driven: how Diös levelled up its sales game

Can a game about the universe change the way you do business? For Diös, that’s exactly where a journey full of energy, new ways of working, and real everyday results began.

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A double investment: in the system and in the people

When property company Diös decided it was time for a fresh start with Lime, the ambition went well beyond a technical upgrade. The goal was to sharpen sales skills, create a shared way of working, and make the platform a natural part of everyday life.

Based on what Diös needed and wanted, “Diös Sales Academy” was born, a programme where commercial property managers, leasing staff, and leaders worked together to develop how they approach sales. As Sofie Stark, Head of Property at Diös, puts it:

– A system is nothing if we don’t develop the way we work alongside it.

And it all started, somewhat unexpectedly, with a game about the universe.

Curious about Diös’s full journey, from change to results?

Our first article covers how Diös took their first steps towards bringing system, ways of working, and people together.

Read the first article about Diös’ journey

Kicking off with Glory of the Galaxy

Diös launched the programme with Glory of the Galaxy — a playful, energising game that puts participants’ abilities to the test. Players compete to become the best deal-makers in the galaxy, drawing on skills like proactivity, collaboration, clear communication, and negotiation.

The result? Real insights and a proper running start for Diös Sales Academy.

A conference room with people seated at tables, attentively listening to a presentation on a large screen.

A shared approach to doing business

Diös Sales Academy brought together 45 commercial property managers plus central leasing staff, split into three parallel groups. The programme combined workshops, digital micro-training, and hands-on exercises that mirrored real work in Lime.

– The training sessions have been incredibly energising, full of hands-on exercises directly tied to Diös’s day-to-day sales work, says Maria Sörlin Hagberg, who specialises in the property industry alongside change management, leadership development, and sales.

At the same time, leaders worked on sales leadership and coaching, making sure the change didn’t just spark inspiration but became a natural part of how things are done.

Find out more about the leadership training

– Our main goal was to create a clear, unified way of working around leasing and customer relationships at Diös, so we could work more efficiently, make better business decisions, and hit our targets. And Diös Sales Academy has really delivered on that, says Sofie Stark.

Effective sales behaviours and sales psychology
Structuring customer meetings and needs analysis
Negotiation techniques and business cases
Tracking deals in Lime’s property platform

Two women standing at a reception desk in a large room with a group of people in the background, likely at a business event or conference.

A shift in mindset

Another key part of Diös’s development is how commercial property managers show up in customer conversations. Several describe moving away from a more traditional, service-oriented approach toward one that’s much more sales-driven, which means they now:

ask more open-ended questions
listen more actively
aren’t afraid to challenge the customer’s stated needs
take clearer ownership of the next step in the deal

– In a changing market, and especially in tougher economic times, it’s not enough for salespeople to simply build relationships. They also need to drive the deal forward, act as advisors, and be outstanding in every single customer interaction, says Maria Sörlin Hagberg.

– We’re seeing how little time leasing staff and commercial property managers actually get in the customer’s buying process these days, which makes it even more critical to deliver in every conversation.

“A system is nothing if we don’t develop the way we work alongside it.”

Smiling businesswoman with glasses standing in an office.

Sofie Stark

Head of Property,

Diös

What results has Sales Academy delivered?

– We’ve boosted our employees’ knowledge of the sales process and given them more confidence to close deals, says Sofie Stark.

Maria Sörlin Hagberg from Lime adds:

– You can really tell that employees feel more confident in their sales work and are engaging with customers in a more focused way. Here are three areas where we’ve seen real progress:

Knowledge and tools
Sales Academy has given Diös’ team a deeper understanding of the sales process, from preparation all the way through to driving a deal forward. They’ve picked up practical tools that strengthen their ability to close, including which questions to ask, and when and how to ask them.
– This is all stuff you get better at with practice, so we’ve put a lot of focus on that, says Maria Sörlin Hagberg.

Structured customer meetings
There’s a clear shift visible in customer meetings. What used to be more spontaneous is now planned with a clear purpose, agenda, and next steps.
– Before every meeting, we prepare for possible objections and dig deeper into both the company and the individual we’re meeting. It raises our professionalism when we sit down with a customer, says Sofie Stark.

Sharper goals
The approach to targets has developed too.
– We now set more goals tied to specific deals: what do we want to achieve from this meeting? What’s the goal with this proposal? We make sure there’s a clear plan all the way through the deal process, says Sofie Stark.

Blonde woman smiling standing in front of a tree on a green lawn

Maria Sörlin Hagberg

Management Consultant,
Lime

“It’s not enough for salespeople to simply build relationships. They also need to drive the deal forward, act as advisors, and be outstanding in every single customer interaction.”

The property platform as a sales enabler

A key part of the whole initiative was connecting the behaviour change to how people actually use Lime.

Many participants say the platform has become far easier to use. Rather than treating the system as an “administrative burden,” it’s now actively used to:

Track deals
Keep the pipeline organised
Log customer conversations

The platform also makes it easier to monitor key KPIs, such as the number of new business opportunities, net leasing figures, and number of sales meetings.

The goal is for the organisation to be able to trust the numbers and use them as a basis for both decision-making and coaching, all in service of making sales work more structured and efficient.

Making it stick

Keeping a change alive once the initial energy fades is one of the most common challenges. That’s why the programme was designed with ongoing reminders and micro-training sessions built in.

– Between training sessions, we’ve run a digital learning journey with tailored reminders and exercises. We’re well aware that this initiative is all about staying the course, it’s an ongoing, everyday kind of training, says Annie Skoglund.

– Micro-training is perfect when you want continuous reflection and reminders of what to keep working on, says Maria Sörlin Hagberg. It provides daily support that helps turn learning into lasting practice.

A conference room filled with people sitting at tables, engaged in conversation. The room has a professional setting with a patterned carpet and dark walls.

A journey that continues

Sales Academy was the starting point, but the work goes on. The collaboration continues with planned workshops running through 2026 and into 2027, focused on developing ways of working further and strengthening the use of business data and sales coaching. At its core, what Diös is really after is straightforward: more value in every customer conversation.

– We never believed there’d be a perfect moment to take on a project like this, but it’s worth prioritising. For us, it’s about creating a shared way of working that actually makes a difference in every deal, and that strengthens both the results and the customer experience, says Annie Skoglund.

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About Diös

Diös is one of Sweden’s largest property companies, operating in regional cities across northern Sweden. The company owns both commercial properties and housing. Its vision is to create inspiring cities.