Questions and Answers of Sales Force Management

The sales manager of Branch A (Exhibit 12.16) was dismayed with the results. The 20 percent ROAM for the branch was below expectations. The sales manager’s response was “OK, they want better
Accounts receivable are too high for Branch A in Exhibit 12.16. One sales analyst recommends giving credit and collection responsibilities to the sales force. Sales reps would be provided with
Given the following profit and loss statement for the XYZ Company, allocate the natural accounts to the functional accounts: Sales Cost of goods sold Gross margin Selling and administrative
Nancy Troyer, the sales manager for InterCraft, a manufacturer and distributor of picture frames and supplies, was in the midst of a heavy discussion with representatives from the company’s
You are given the following information on two salespeople: Salesperson A earns a $22,000 salary; salesperson B earns $23,000. Both earn 1 percent commission. Advertising costs $3 per unit. Shipping
As the sales manager of the M.N.O. Company, you are trying to evaluate the performance of two districts. You have decided to look at how each district has managed its assets employed in the selling
Sylvie Faivre, sales analyst for the Bouvre Cheese Company, had completed her analysis of one of the southern districts. The district was a candidate for consolidation because management believed
As a sales manager, you have been reviewing the travel expense reports for your sales team and noticed a discrepancy with the travel expenses turned in by your top performing salesperson. After
Kevin Harrison, sales rep for Allied Steel Distributors, had an appointment with his sales manager to discuss his first-year sales performance. Kevin knew that the meeting would not go well. One of
West Midlands Restaurant Appliances (WMRA), headquartered in Birmingham, UK, sells large, industrial appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers to restaurants all over Great Britain.
Mike Hunt had been in sales for 20 years, and, as sales manager for Market First Distributors, he was confident of his ability to evaluate salespeople. Market First was a regional distributor of food
A large corporation notices an irregular decrease in the sales of a particular representative. The sales rep, normally in very high standing among other salespeople and quotas, has of late failed to
Given the following information from evaluations of the performance of different sales representatives, what possible conclusions can be made about why the sales reps are not achieving quota (assume
Is sales “just a numbers game,” as one sales manager states? She believes that all you have to do is make the right number of calls of the right type, and the odds will work in your favor. Make
Jackie Hitchcock, recently promoted to district sales manager, faced a new problem she wasn’t sure how to resolve. The district’s top sales rep is also the district’s number-one problem. Brad
As sales manager for the largest sales region in your company (covering all of Asia), you are responsible for 20 salespeople that are widely geographically dispersed. The VP of sales has called you
Salespeople are also called sales representatives. Define the term representative. Whom does the salesperson represent? Why is it important to recognize the different groups that salespeople
What do you think the differences would be in the selling process for the following products and services? How would managing the sales process differ for each?• Selling Planter’s Peanuts to your
Is it possible for a firm to be successful without a market orientation? Can you come up with examples of firms that are not very market-oriented but still are leaders in their competitive
Does the Internet replace the need for salespeople? In what situations is the Internet most likely to replace salespeople? What characteristics of a situation would make the Internet least likely to
iTeam, Inc. is a high-tech company based in Walnut Creek, California (26 miles northeast of San Francisco), that produces, markets, and sells computer systems, computer peripherals, and other
A number of organizations that did not consider marketing part of their business activities in the past have found the need to begin to market their services. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in
Grace Hart had established herself as an exceptional salesperson at Digital Medical Instruments (DMI). Only seven years out of college, she had become a sales manager at DMI; then Medical Imaging
Changes in the technological environment have the potential to significantly affect the activities of the sales force. Automation can offer the sales force a competitive advantage—if the sales
Describe the typical salesperson as illustrated in movies, books, and television shows. Why does that image exist as the stereotypical salesperson (be specific)? What role does ethics play in
Charles Renner has been considering the implications of senior management’s new growth strategy. As head of sales for Integrity Building Supplies, he had been responsible for a sales force of more
What does it mean to be “nimble” as a salesperson and as a sales organization? Identify one or more sales organizations that you believe are nimble.
Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. Write “Pros” on the top left and “Cons” on the top right. Now, from your own perspective, come up with as many issues as you can on both
Joe Reeka is a senior sales representative for Power Flour, LLC, a supplier of flour to private-label brands in supermarkets as well as to bakeries across Europe. Power Flour has developed a new
Creativity is important to sales success. What is creativity? Give a specific example of something or several things you have done that you think are especially creative. How might creativity be
Pick any three of the selling activities presented in Exhibit 2.3 that you would most like to perform and then pick any three you would least like to perform. Explain your rationale for listing each
Telecommuting and using a virtual office are major aspects of many professional sales positions. How do you feel about telecommuting and a virtual office in a job? What aspects of telecommuting and a
Review the 20 key success factors for relationship selling as listed in Exhibit 2.2. Which of these factors are currently your strongest points? Which need the most work? How do you plan to
What aspects of sales jobs do you believe provide a strong foundation for moving up in an organization?
The chapter outlines the roles different members of a buying center play within an organizational buying context. Think of an example of a purchase process you were involved in as an end-user
The organizational buying center varies as a function of size of the company and product or service being purchased. How does size of the company influence the composition of the buying center? How
Explain the differences among a new-task purchase, modified rebuy, and straight rebuy. How is each situation likely to alter the way a salesperson approaches a client?
You are the sales manager for a leading services company in a large metropolitan area. Recently you were appointed to the board of directors of a major nonprofit community organization in your city.
In the past, salespeople tended to have the edge over most buyers in terms of information. However, over the past 15 years access to timely and accurate information related to their business has
One of the great debates in CRM is who should have ownership of the process. In many firms, IT people seem to be the guardians of CRM’s secrets. This is because, as we have learned, a key facet of
Alice Klein wondered what she should do next as she hung up the phone. As vice president of sales for New World Manufacturing, she was responsible for more than 200 salespeople around the country.
You are a consultant for an international management strategy consulting firm. Your firm has been approached by Herr (Mr.) Hans Wursching, CEO of TransSprech, A.G., a newly formed cellular phone
Refer to Exhibit 3.4. Using the Miles and Snow typology, how might the marketing strategies and programs of a prospector SBU vary from those adopted by a defender SBU within the same company? Which
The promotion mix (also known as the integrated marketing communications mix) consists of the various ways the firm communicates with its customers about its product offerings. These include personal
Consider the three basic relationship types described in the chapter: market exchanges (transactional), functional relationships, and strategic partnerships. For each, provide an example of a
Based on what you have learned about strategic partnerships, what two organizations (either supplier–customer or supplier–supplier) can you identify that are not currently in a partnership but
Strategic partnerships often require direct peer-to-peer communication at the senior executive level between buying firm and selling firm. What are the advantages of having top corporate officers,
You are the Sales Manager for a paint manufacturer that sells to various global automobile manufacturers. Your key account manager for a large, global German automobile company has come to you with

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