The Sales Manager of Electrical Goods - Essay Example

Sales Management and Section # of Q1. You are the Sales Manager of an electrical goods distributor. One day you receive a telephone call from a very good long-term customer regarding the changed behavior of one of your senior Sales Representatives. Your customer advises that the Sales Representative is rude and uncooperative, misses scheduled appointments and is extremely aggressive. What would you do in such a situation? If a sales representative is rude to the customers and lacks other major skills like good time management, anger management and other skills necessary to make a good sales representative, it is importance for a sales manager to take note of the situation and take charge in order to avoid losing customers simply because of a sales representative’s behavior. (Churchill, 2000). There are some basic steps that the sales manager can take in order to convert the sales person’s behavior from inacceptable to acceptable. (Johnston, Churchill, Marshall, Ford, Walker, 2005). Some of such steps are discussed below. Understand SP’s Problems The first and the foremost concern of a sales manager should be to understand what a sales representative’s actual problem is. (Forsyth, 2002). He should investigate to know why the sales person is behaving in that particular way. He should talk to the sales rep in detail in order to understand the underlying causes of his behavior. (Churchill, 2000). These causes might be psychological (e.g. inferiority complex, frustration, prejudices and biases based on cultural, ethnic, racial, national, religious or other differences, etc.), emotional, or some other causes (e.g. if the employee has a grudge against a particular customer, or the customer’s attitude towards the sales rep is inappropriate, etc.) (Hughes, McKee, Singler, 1999). Work-Up a Solution Together Once the sales manager has a good knowledge of the sales person’s problems, he can sit with the sales rep and try to work out an appropriate solution. (Schwartz, 2006). For example, if the sales person has lack of motivation, the sales manager can help him boost his morale through various motivational exercises and techniques. (Spiro, 2003). Or if the sales person has time management issues, he should try and instill such qualities in him. The manager should try and convince the sales person that the customer is the king and even if the customer is wrong, the sales person should be polite with him and should extend respect towards the customer at all times. (Honeycutt, Ford, Simintiras, 2003). The manager needs to empathetic and polite while discussing the issue with the sales rep so that his self-esteem is not hurt and the discussion should take place in a friendly environment. There are many exercises and techniques to address to various issues that the sales person might be facing, which vary from problem to problem, and although it might take some time and the manager needs to be patient about it, but nothing is impossible and the behavior can eventually be changed. (Forsyth, 2002). Bring Sales Person to Meet and Apologize to the Consumer Once the sales person is convinced, the manager needs to arrange a meeting between the sales rep and the customer so that they talk and do away with the grudges. The manager should ask the sales rep to apologize to the customer for his attitude. (Dalrymple, Cron, DeCarlo, 2004). However the manager needs to be very careful and polite to the sales rep while doing so, so that his feelings and ego are not hurt. (Mathur, 2008). Training and Development In order to instill various skills that might be lacking in the sales rep, which cause such issues, the sales rep should be taken through various training and development exercises that would polish his skills and would bring out the best in him. (Schwartz, 2006).These trainings might range from time management and anger management to ethical, legal and social issues etc. The types of training programs that a sales rep can be put through are discussed later in the paper. Q2. Discuss the importance of sales-training for both new and experienced representatives. Whether the sales representative is new and naïve or old and experienced, there is always a need of training in order to keep them updated and well informed of the new developments and techniques of making good sales. (Spiro, 2003). Following is a discussion on the importance of training, various areas of training sales managers can adopt and some important points regarding training new and experienced sales employees. (Mathur, 2008). Importance of Training Training and constant updating of knowledge is extremely important for sales reps whether they are new or old. (Honeycutt, Ford, Simintiras, 2003). Following are some reasons why training the sales personnel is very important for an organization’s growth. (Dalrymple, Cron, DeCarlo, 2004). Increased Productivity Trained sales representatives are more aware and well informed about the product, policies of the organization, how to deal with the customers and other important factors that play an important role in making efficient sales and establish lasting relations with the customers. Thus, training increases productivity of the sales people manifolds and helps the organization achieve its goals and grow faster and in a more efficient and effective manner. (Calvin, 2004). Improved Morale When a sales representative is well trained about the products and the organization and is well-updated with all the latest changes, he is more confident and motivated while opting to make a sale. (Tyagi, Kumar, 2004). His self-esteem is high and he knows that he can talk to the customer confidently about any aspect of the product without hesitation since he knows it all. (Jobber, Lancaster, 2005). This attitude of the sales rep greatly influences the customer as well since he is entranced in a way due to the self-assured and composed personality of the sales rep. (Johnston, Churchill, Marshall, Ford, Walker, 2005). It has been noticed that such sales reps are more likely to make a sale as compared to those sales reps that are confused and nervous about making the sale as they are not well-informed and well-trained. (Miller, 2001). Lower Turnover When the sales personnel are well-trained, they automatically do well at the job. This helps them in succeeding with the tasks assigned to them. This promises them a better future at the current organization. (Hughes, McKee, Singler, 1999). Thus, they think the least about switching workplaces and leaving the job. For the organizations that are cautious about spending valuable resources over employee training, it is important to know that employees that are well-trained are more satisfied with their job as they feel cared for and important enough for the resources to be spent on. (Forsyth, 2002). This keeps them from leaving the organization even if the other organization is offering them a slightly better package. Improved Customer Relations If the sales persons are well-trained and up-to-date with the current market trends, they are more likely to interact with the customers in a better manner as compared to the sales persons that have not been trained accordingly. (Churchill, 2000). The trained employees can provide the customer with more detailed and authentic information regarding the product and its benefits and are able to give satisfactory answers to the customers’ queries. This impresses the customers to a great extent and they are more likely to stick to the product. Hence, sales training helps creating and retaining loyal customers. (Honeycutt, Ford, Simintiras, 2003). Improved Selling and Other Skills Keeping all the above factors in mind, it is evident that a trained sales force is bound to make improved and better sales. (Calvin, 2004). They learn innovative selling techniques and are able to make a better impression on the customer, which helps to a great extent in customer loyalty and retention. Moreover, training helps in polishing various other skills of the sales representatives like time management, anger management and stress management, the skills that a good sales person is bound to have in order to succeed in this field. (Tyagi, Kumar, 2004). Possible Areas of Training There are many areas under which the sales people should be trained from time to time. (Zoltners, Sinha, Lorimer, 2009). Some of the major possible areas of training for sales personnel include Product Knowledge, Market/Industry Orientation, Company Orientation, Time & Territory Management, Legal/Ethical Issues and Technology, etc. In addition to this, there are various Specialized Training Topics like Body Language and Non-Verbal Communication or Making a Good Impression on the Customer, etc. (Zoltners, Sinha, Zoltners, 2001). Training New Sales Recruits Most companies have a specific training program for the new recruits, which is preset and preplanned. Every new recruit has to go through these training program(s) in order get to know the company, its aims, goals and objectives, the products and the customers better. (Miller, 2001). These training programs are designed to accustom the new recruits with the selling procedures prevailing at the organization and to help them adjust in the environment quickly. (Johnston, Churchill, Marshall, Ford, Walker, 2005). However, the length, content and techniques of the training programs may vary from organization to organization and post to post depending upon the mature of the sales job, the product, and the company philosophy, etc. (Zoltners, Sinha, Zoltners, 2001). Training Old Experienced Sales Personnel The process of training and development doesn’t stop once the new recruits are trained and are permanently amalgamated in the organization’s sales force. In most of the organizations, there are many periodic training sessions planned for the sales representatives and other employees in order to keep them updated and in touch with the latest on-goings in the industry. (Mathur, 2008).Mostly, if the sales representatives are not trained for very long, their selling techniques become out-dated, and stereotyped. This might irritate the customers and that would result in losing those customers gradually. (Miller, 2001). Thus, it is very important to keep the old and experienced sales reps updated with the latest trends in the market and keep on training them from time to time. (Johnston, Churchill, Marshall, Ford, Walker, 2005). Q3. What in your opinion are some of the most common problems experienced by Sales Managers? Managing a sales force is no easy task. There are numerous problems that a sales manager may face while handling the sales personnel in the organization. Some of the common problems that sales managers experience are discussed below. Understanding Each SPs Individual Differences Most sales managers fail to understand that no two people are alike and thus they expect exactly same results from two different sales reps and compare them with each other. (Churchill, 2000). He should view different sales persons as two different people who have their different styles, habits, choices and ways. (Hair, Anderson, Babin, Mehta, 2008). He should thus set different goals for different SPs and should assign them task accordingly. (Hughes, McKee, Singler, 1999). SP’s Motivation and Job Satisfaction It is very difficult to keep a sales force motivated and satisfied with the job. Sales jobs are full of rejections, sometimes on a daily basis. (Calvin, 2004). The sales force is bound to get demotivated every now and then. Therefore, it is important to keep the morale boosting exercises rolling and to implement various motivational techniques at regular intervals. (Jobber, Lancaster, 2005). Being a Role Model Most SMs forget that they are the one that the SPs look up to for motivation and they are their role models. If a manager is laid back himself, he should never expect much out of its sales force. (Forsyth, 2002). He has to be an efficient manager himself in order to make the sales force work harder and achieve goals. It is very difficult being a role model but it is a part of the duties of a sales manager to set examples for its sales force to perform accordingly. (Dalrymple, Cron, DeCarlo, 2004). Recruiting the Right Person for the Right Job Among many other difficult and confusing duties of a SM is the recruitment and selection of a competitive sales force. (Hair, Anderson, Babin, Mehta, 2008). A more difficult and challenging task is to appoint the right sales rep for the right job. Many a times, the employee is competitive enough but he is positioned in a wrong place, due to which his productivity goes down the drain and he is not able to contribute to the organization. (Johnston, Churchill, Marshall, Ford, Walker, 2005). Conducting Training and Development and Instilling Other Skills Training and development of the sales force is also a very challenging task. (Mathur, 2008). It is sometimes very difficult to convince the sales force that they need to update their knowledge base with the new ideas in the market (Calvin, 2004), since usually the sales reps are convinced that their current knowledge is enough and the waste time and resources of the organization by not learning anything and not paying attention during the training session. (Jobber, Lancaster, 2005). Providing Adequate Compensation and Incentives Sales managers should know how to compensate for each and every task a sales rep is performing for the organization. (Dalrymple, Cron, DeCarlo, 2004). One of the most prominent factors contributing towards job dissatisfaction is when the employee feels under-compensated or when he finds his equivalent employees being over-compensated. Therefore, the compensation system should be equitable and it should be made sure that the sales rep is satisfied with his compensation and the perks and benefits that are granted to him by the organization. (Calvin, 2004). Bibliography Books Calvin, Robert. Sales Management. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2004. Churchill, Gilbert. Sales Force Management. Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 2000. Dalrymple, Douglas; Cron, William; DeCarlo, Thomas. Sales management. Cornell University: John Wiley & Sons, 2004. Forsyth, Patrick. Sales Management. Capstone Pub., 2002. Hair, Joseph; Anderson, Rolph; Babin, Barry; Mehta, Rajiv. Sales Management: Building Customer Relationships and Partnerships. Cengage Learning, 2008. Honeycutt, Earl; Ford, John; Simintiras, Antonis. Sales management: a global perspective. Routledge, 2003. Hughes, George; McKee, Daryl; Singler, Charles. Sales management: a career path approach. South-Western College Publ., 1999. Jobber, David; Lancaster, Geoffrey. Selling and sales management. Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2005. Johnston, Mark; Churchill, Gilbert; Marshall, Greg; Ford, Neil; Walker, Orville. Churchill/Ford/Walkers Sales Force Management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2005. Mathur, U.C. Sales Management. New Age International, 2008. Miller, William. ProActive sales management: how to lead, motivate, and stay ahead of the game. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2001. Schwartz, Matthew. Fundamentals of sales management for the newly appointed sales manager. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2006. Spiro. Management Of A Sales Force 11. Tata McGraw-Hill, 2003. Tyagi, C.L.; Kumar, Arun. Sales Management. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2004. Zoltners, Andris; Sinha, Prabhakant; Lorimer, Sally. Building a Winning Sales Force: Powerful Strategies for Driving High Performance. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2009. Zoltners, Andris; Sinha, Prabhakant; Zoltners, Greggor. The complete guide to accelerating sales force performance. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2001. Read More