Sales Planning and Operations - Assignment Example

?Introduction In the given scenario, it can be d that Collin Hendrix and his brother run a successful car dealership in Dorset and Hampshire but recently the sale have been declining. Besides the economic reason, the decline in sales is also attributed to the inexperienced sales force. Thus, within a marketing strategy, personal selling plays a pivotal role in the growth and sustenance of business and it compliments other promotional activities. Against this background, this report seeks to outline a marketing strategy for Hendrix business through evaluation of the role of personal selling by the sales force. The report also seeks to outline the factors that influence the consumers to make a decision when purchasing a product as well as the overall role of the sales force within a marketing strategy. Relationship between personal selling and promotional mix The promotion mix elements are mainly comprised of the following elements; advertising, sales promotion, personal selling and publicity (Strydom 2004 p142). As such, this function is mainly called the marketing communication mix. For instance, when marketing industrial products, selling is the prime element and in order to be effective, a communications strategy must have a clear and well defined set of objectives. In some cases, people do not immediately buy a car because it is advertised on television but promotion is one aspect that affects buyer behaviour in many ways. When economic conditions are difficult as is the case with Hendrix business, the promotional element is more ideal. This is important to the company because demand must be stimulated amongst the buyers be they individual consumers or organisational buyers. Thus, personal selling plays a pivotal role in helping the organisation achieve this feat. Although personal selling has been described as a function of the communication/promotional mix, its importance is that it is now considered as a separate province of marketing in its own right (Lancaster & Reynolds 1999). The role of the salesperson is more than face to face selling. Increasingly, the sales force is seen in the role of gathering information particularly in relation to inputting into the company’s marketing information system (Lancaster & Reynolds 1999). In view of this argument, it can be noted that the sales force has a major role to play with regards to gathering information about the customers. Essentially, marketing is concerned with satisfaction of the consumer needs profitably. Therefore, for an organisation like Hendrix business to be better positioned to anticipate and satisfy the needs of the customers, there is need for them to have information about different targeted customers. Thus, through the efforts of the sales force, relationship marketing becomes firmly entrenched in commercial practice so the role of the sales person will increasingly encompass some of these wider issues. It is important for any organisation that is concerned with its viability to establish relationship with its customers to encourage positive image resulting in customer loyalty and repeat purchasing. The task of selling is principally about communication by word of mouth (Kotler 1999). Purchasers of the products normally need more than just advertisements when they want to make a decision to purchase something. The professional sales person is very flexible medium of communication and is better positioned to establish purchasing motives through listening to the buyer. He can then emphasise appropriate aspects of the product or the company in terms of meeting and satisfying the motivational considerations of the buyers. In the given scenario, the sales force can be effectively used to gather the views of the customers and make appropriate decisions that will satisfy the anticipated needs of the customers. This strategy can as well implemented to promote business to business B2B selling where Hendrix business will seek to sell its products to the other organisations. On the other hand, the company’s image is personally delivered through the field sales force (Lancaster & Reynolds 1999). The general perception of the company might be gathered from a variety of sources such as the communication structure, company logo as well as the way employees present themselves. In some cases, there might exist a communication gap in the perception and misconceptions about the company and it is the task of selling to fill this gap whereby the image of the company is reinforced. The message is tailored to meet the needs of different groups of customers. Hendrix business can effectively use the efforts of experienced sales people to positively portray the image of the company. This ought to involve the skill of persuasion whereby the purchaser should be convinced of the unique advantages of the company’s vehicles offered. In the same vein, it can be noted that personal selling has a great role in communicating the attributes of a product to the customers. Buyer behaviour versus decision making process During the contemporary period, it can be noted that the customers’ product and service preferences and buying patterns are constantly changing. It is imperative for the marketers to know the behaviour of the consumers so as to be better positioned to satisfy their needs profitably. Consumer behaviour in most cases is influenced by various factors which make the people to buy certain products. In attempting to analyse the behaviour of the people towards the products, it is imperative to highlight the meaning of consumer behaviour for easier understanding. Cant et al (2006:2) define customer behaviour as “the study of individuals, groups, or organisations and the processes they use to select, secure, use and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and desires.” From this definition, it can be noted that the consumers are motivated or influenced by various factors to buy certain commodities or products. Without this knowledge, various businesses could not have been in existence. Basically, all aspects of the individual which determine his or her buying behaviour such as perception, needs, motives and attitudes are either directly or indirectly influenced by the individual’s ability to learn (Lancaster &Reynolds 1999). This is a process where an individual acquires the buying and consumption knowledge about a particular product which will ultimately affect his or her behaviour towards that product. During the contemporary period, it can be noted that customers have got changing personal values which should always be taken into consideration by marketers where they should be a step ahead as far as buying behaviour of the consumers is concerned. The concept of perception plays a very important role in influencing the people to make sense of the world around them through the organisation of their five senses (Lamb et al 2008). We perceive the world around us in different ways as a result of cues such as colour, taste, smell, hearing as well as feeling. For instance, a person can be exposed to more than 50 advertisements a day but he can only take notice of about ten only. Usually, the consumers use the cues given above to identify and define products and brands through advertisements. In some cases, people may have different perceptions from the same commercial on television and they can interpret differently the meaning of the same advertisement. Thus, in view of the above scenario, Hendrix business should put considerable effort in identifying the behaviour of the consumers so as to resuscitate its declining business in car sales. On the other hand, decision making process (DMP) is the process whereby the organisation uses need recognition, search for information, evaluation as well as purchase decision to influence the consumers to make a purchase (Strydom 2004:39). Chances of remaining viable by the organisation in question are high since the relationship that exists is geared towards sustenance of the organisation. In making a decision to buy a particular product, people are influenced by various factors as noted in the explanation of consumer behaviour above. People are the main components in the ‘relationship mix’ and concerted efforts have to be taken to satisfy their individual needs which are then followed by the creation of ‘loyalty’ among them. Strydom (2004:293) concurs that involvement of the customer will help to determine how seriously they can proceed through steps in the ‘decision making process’ which influences their behaviour. Through the adoption of this strategy, the above mentioned business can take major strides in turning around the fortunes of the company. Essentially, business is meant for gaining profits which can only be achieved when an organisation is aware of the needs of the customers and their buying behaviour which is the basis of marketing. The marketers have a task to satisfy the needs of the customers profitably. It means that they must be better positioned to gain profit from their operations which does not compromise their viability. Role of sales teams within marketing strategies The main purpose of the sales team is to coordinate their efforts towards the achievement of the sales goals of the organisation (Lancaster & Reynolds 1999). For Hendrix business, the major role of the sales team will be mainly concerned with technical selling which comprises of the sale people giving explanations of the functions as well as unique features of a product to the potential customers. This type of selling amounts to technical consultancy and requires technical knowledge about a product which can greatly enhance the fortunes of the above mentioned organisation. Morden marketing communication emphasises customer retention which is much concerned with offering the buyers the type of technical advice mentioned above. Given that the products sold are cars, this requires individual efforts of the team to establish and cement a relationship with the customers to ensure long term loyalty and repeat business. Such kind of business requires concerted efforts of the members of the sales team. The members of the team can also collectively work together to gather information about the potential as well as targeted customers. This information can be used to shape the marketing strategies of the above mentioned organisation. In most cases, a successful marketing strategy is determined by the information about the customers held by the organisation. Concerted efforts of a team are required in gathering this information that can also be used to portray the image of the organisation positively. Conclusion Over and above, it can be noted that within a marketing strategy, personal selling plays a pivotal role in the growth and sustenance of business and it compliments other promotional activities. Personal selling plays a major role in gathering information about the needs of the customers, communication needs of the organisation as well as portraying the image of the organisation in a positive way. 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