Sales Force Management Overview

Sales Force Management Overview

• Churchill, Ford, and Walker's Sales Force Management is a subject matter.
• The book's authors are Mark W. Johnston and Greg W. Marshall.
• Copyright of the book is 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The Process of Selling and Buying

• The process of selling and buying is a key topic.

Formulation of a Sales Program

• A diagram displays the components of a sales program.
• The environment, marketing strategy, sales management activities, and outcomes are interconnected.
• Account management policies, sales force organizations, sales planning, deployment, supervision, and selection, training, and motivating the sales force are key components part of the sales program formulation.
• Salesperson's view of job requirements, role perceptions, and personal characteristics, and performance and evaluation/control of sales performance are also part of the sales program formulation.
• Feedback is crucial for improving the sales program.

Key Drivers of Change in Selling and Sales Management

• Building long-term customer relationships is important.
• Sales organizations need flexibility and adaptability.
• Job ownership and commitment from salespeople are crucial.
• Shifting management style from commanding to coaching is needed.
• Sales success requires leveraging technology.
• Integrating salesperson performance evaluations is needed.

Attractiveness of Sales Careers

• Autonomy, personal initiative, and a variety of challenging activities attract people.
• Financial rewards, favorable working conditions, and opportunities for development are attractive.

Creating Your Own Creativity

• Balancing routine with change and play time is crucial.
• Maintaining optimism, courage, and problem-solving skills are integral.
• Taking responsibility is important.

Virtual Office Benefits and Drawbacks

• Benefits include better work-life balance, cost savings on real estate, and reduced environmental impact from commute.
• Drawbacks are isolation and "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" communication issues.

Possible Salesperson Career Tracks

• Sales trainee to salesperson to sales manager to sales director/VP.
• Tracks also include brand manager and director/VP of marketing.
• A variety of career paths exist within sales.

Selling Success Factors

• Listening, follow-up, adaptable sales style, tenacity, and organization are important skills.
• Verbal communication skills, ability to interact with varied individuals, overcoming objections, closing skills and effective time management are also necessary.

Different Types of Selling Jobs

• Various tasks, responsibilities, training needs, compensation, and advancement opportunities are involved.
• Selling roles in business-to-consumer and business-to-business markets are distinct.

B2C vs. B2B

• Retail selling (B2C) accounts for most salespeople, but industrial selling (B2B) generates the largest volume of sales.
• Types of B2B jobs like trade servicers, missionary sellers, technical sellers, and new business sellers are categorized.

Selling Process Stages

• Prospecting for customers is the first stage.
• The next stage opens the relationship between customer and the salesperson.
• Qualifying the prospect clarifies the needs of the customer.
• Presenting the sales message conveys the sales information.
• Closing the sale involves techniques to finalize the transaction.
• Servicing the account fosters client loyalty by building and maintaining customer relationships.

Prospecting

• Prospecting is an essential sales skill.
• Its core competency is crucial for increasing sales.
• Its hard work demands design and discipline to succeed.
• Software can enhance this core competency.

Opening the Relationship

• The approach, or initial contact, is critical for opening purchase processes.
• Recognizing key decision makers and their influence is crucial.

Qualifying the Prospect

• Determining prospect needs, creating awareness, and understanding the sale's profitability are key.

Sales Message Presentation

• Information transmission and customer persuasion are presentation goals.
• Common sales presentation complaints include running down competitors, being too aggressive, and a lack of product/client knowledge.

Closing the Sale

• The closing process begins with the first contact.
• Techniques like "asking for the order" and trial closes are used.
• Understanding the prospect and the buying process is essential.

Servicing the Account

• Excellent service builds loyalty and repeat customers by providing a great customer experience, including service after the sale.
• Following up to check client satisfaction is important.

Buying Process Participants or Buying Roles

• Initiators recognize problems or needs.
• Users utilize products or services.
• Influencers provide insights for evaluation.
• Gatekeepers control information flow.
• Buyers contact and order products.
• Deciders have final purchase authority.
• Controllers determine the budget.

Selling and Buying Centers

• Sales planning involves knowing who to contact, timing each interaction, and understanding each buying center member's role.
• Sales teams can handle key accounts.
• Matrix organizations involve direct reports and internal support.

Organizational Buying Decision Stages

• Organizational buying goes through well-defined stages.
• Stages include anticipation of need, determination of traits, supplier search, proposal acquisition, evaluation, selection, order routine, and performance evaluation.

Consumer versus Organizational Buyer Behavior

• Consumer buyers exhibit different purchasing characteristics compared to organizational buyers in several key dimensions, including, for example, use, motivation, knowledge, purchase likelihood, decision making and purchase amount.

Organizational Buying Situations

• New-task purchases are for unfamiliar products.
• Modified rebuys require changes to existing purchases.
• Straight rebuys repeat the prior purchase.