The Post of Sales Manager - Essay Example

?Sales management Question There are several problems or difficulties which are generally encountered when a sales representative is promoted to the post of sales manager. It is evident from various theoretical aspects of strategic management or business management issues that the sales managers are essentially required to possess great leadership skills (Kotter, 2010, 103). This skill sometimes becomes very difficult for a person who has been working as the sales representative. The sales manager is required to have a great leadership skill to organize the working processes of the sales representatives and also to figure out the sales figures (Ingram et al., 2012, 211). Also the sales targets are required to be set by the business organization under consideration are required to be achieved by the sales representatives fall under the responsibility of the sales manager. These responsibilities are required to be represented significantly by the sales managers (Ingram et al., 2012, 211). Although in the past the sales managers have been very much keen to use their coercive power to their juniors for obtaining greatest level of target achievements within the shortest period of time. However, in recent times sales managers are required to coordinate to some great extent with their juniors. This requirement for coordination often creates significant level of difficulties for the sales managers. This is due to the fact that it often becomes very difficult for the sales managers to rely completely on the sales representatives. This becomes more difficult for that person who has been promoted from the post of sales representative to sales manager (Ingram et al., 2012, 212). Again, greater level of problems are faced by me as the sales managers when new people are entered into the company as the sales representative during the first few months of my tenure as the sales manager. As a result of this, it might be difficult for me to coordinate with the sales representatives who are working under my direct or indirect supervision (Ingram et al., 2012, 212). This is it might take significant amount of time to interact with the new entrants and to obtain the best possible results from them. These situations occurs in most of the times in the business sector of insurance or banking services where large number of new people are working under definite sales managers. In this sector it becomes very much difficult for the sales manager to let the sales representatives know the clients’ requirements and at the same time to focus on the achievements of sales targets (Jeff, 2009, 196). Also, one most important difficulty that I may face during obeying my responsibility as the sales manager in the organization is related to the problem of coordinating with people of higher age groups than me. In this situation, it might be a matter of grave problem for me if I have to scold a person who works under me and who is above my age. On ethical ground it might become difficult to coordinate with that person. This is again because it most likely that an older person knows the business as well as the working procedure better than me (Schwartz, 2006, 12). Question 2: There are various aspects related to the importance of recruitment as well as selection of sales people in a business organization. This importance is closely associated with the benefits acquired by the business organization. Appropriate selection as well as recruitment of proper and most suitable sales people plays an important role in the development as well as growth of the business organization. Sales activities require a significant level of positive as well as effective efforts by the sales person to increase the volume of sales of the business organization under consideration (Anderson and Lodish, 2005, 2). These efforts are entirely based on the effective communicative power of the sales people. If the person is well-communicative, then it becomes very much easier for that person to convince the client and to sale the product or service under consideration. Sales of products and services also require great deal of knowledge regarding the features, qualities, and drawbacks of those products and services. The sales person is required to understand all these aspects and also to let the client know about all the benefits that the client can obtain from purchasing and consuming or using the product or service. Also the sales person is required to focus more on the good qualities of the product or service and less on bad qualities at the time of selling the product or service (Anderson and Lodish, 2005, 3). These facts are highly essential to be present in the sales person. Hence, these aspects are required to be checked or verified by the business organization at the time of selection or recruitment of sales people. Also there are several problems which are faced by business organizations at the time of recruiting or selecting sales people. In some of the cases, wrong people get selected or recruited by business organizations as sales people of the company. These mistakes are often done due to the fact that in some of the cases the sales people wrongly represent themselves at the time of interviews although they do not possess the required skill sets and knowledge to become successful sales people for their company. Also in some of cases the sales people who are recruited or selected by the business organization work well at the beginning of the tenure at the company. However, they eventually start to work at lesser pace and with lesser positive intensity once they are given promotion to higher posts (Anderson and Lodish, 2005, 5). These aspects are realized in business organization where promotions are given at significantly rapid speed. These rapid promotions in effect reduce the working efforts as well as demand for greater level of working incentives of employees in the group of sales people of the company. Hence, the business organization comes up with the conclusion that they have recruited the wrong sales people for their company. In these cases, appropriate interaction of the management officials of the business organization with the sales people of different posts or designation is required to be maintained. Through these interactions the wrong selection of the sales people can be compensated or mitigated by increase in achievements of sales targets (Anderson and Lodish, 2005, 6). Question 4: If I pay a sales person enough amount of money, then it is most likely that the person will be motivated to bring the greatest level of sales figures for the business organization. This is due to the fact that when a person is given with the greatest level of working remuneration (which is best approximated by monetary incentives), then the person get significantly motivated to work for longest hours possible (Slater and Olson, 2000, 814). This fact helps the person to contact with as many clients as possible and to increase the sales revenue in favor of the company. The more the person will be paid, the more he or she will be able to purchase different types of goods and services from the level of income from that income or incentive. This will help that person to maximise its level of utility from the consumption of those varieties of goods and services. Greater level of income is also expected to motivate the person to fulfill all the needs of the business organization. This is because, greater level of income is most likely to create a signal for the person to make greatest level of efforts at the workplace for higher level of incentives or working benefits. This higher level of effort is expected to create significant level of promotional opportunities for that person. These positive efforts towards the works is very likely to provide the person greater level of chance to interact with the senior members of the business organization through his or her well performance (Slater and Olson, 2000, 814). Along with this, that very person can get motivated to interact with the senior members of the business organization in the face of the fact that the person is performing at the most satisfactory level. This direct as well as indirect inmate interaction of the person with the managers, vice presidents or even the president or director of the company is most likely to help the person to acquire greater level of knowledge in terms of his or her works and working procedures. This increase in the level of knowledge is most likely to improve the performance of the person and will end up with the increase in the chance of the person being promoted to higher posts (Zoltners and Sally, 2000, 145). These higher posts will help the person to achieve greater level of success in life through much higher income level and much higher level of social and economic respects. When a person realizes with all these aspects of provided with promotions and working incentives, then he or she is most likely to work hard from the beginning. This hard working is most likely to be beneficial for the business organization as well. Therefore, the business organization will also be motivated to some great extent to provide that person greater level of working incentive in terms of monetary benefits or in terms of promotions (Zoltners and Sally, 2000, 145). Hence, there will be a mutually beneficial situation for both the person and the business organization. Hence, it can easily be said that if I give a person greater level of incentive, and then I will have a well-motivated sales person (Slater and Olson, 2000, 816). References 1. Anderson, Erin and Leonard M. Lodish, “LEADING THE EFFECTIVE SALES FORCE: The Asian Sales Force Management Environment”, The Alliance Center for Global Research and Development, 2005, accessed May 21, 2012, http://www.insead.edu/alliance/research_center/docs/AndersonLodish_LeadingEffectiveSalesForce.pdf 2. Ingram, Thomas N. et al., Sales Management: Analysis and Decision Making, USA: M.E. Sharpe, 2012 3. Jeff, Tanner, Sales Management, India: Pearson Education India, 2009 4. Kotter, John, “What Is the Difference Between Management and Leadership?”, Chapter 6: Leadership, 2010, accessed May 21, 2012, http://www.mediaselling.us/MSM_Chapter6-Leadership.pdf 5. Slater, Stanley, F. and Eric, M. Olson, “STRATEGYT YPE AND PERFORMANCE: THE INFLUENCE OF SALES FORCE MANAGEMENT”, Strategic Management Journal, 21 (2000): 813-829 6. Schwartz, Matthew, Fundamentals of Sales Management for the Newly Appointed Sales Manager, USA: AMACOM, 2006 7. Zoltners, Andris, A. and Sally, E. Lorimer, “Sales Territory Alignment: An Overlooked Productivity Tool”, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, XX(3) (2000): 139-150 Read More