Case 6.2

Developing the Salesforce Part Three to sellcom became disengaged. Many felt as though the simply could have read the material on their o e learned how to probe time. roven to be very suc . It Lipon concluding the training sessions, wondered whether the training would pay Having heard some comments from his salespeo he realized that there were some dithculties. that's not uncommon in training, he thought. A reflected on the training, he was just sure that salespeople received some value. But only time wo tell, he concluded. Chad then began to prepare report that detailed the training program and impact on the salesforce for his meeting with Cand later in the weck. computing systems. Eve was assigned to sell crized cash register systems. The salesforce was taught to practiced selling in which salespeople learned how for customer needs and respond to customer This method of selling has proven to be ve essful for the company. In fact, the comme credits its move in market position from numb Gure to number three in the last three years to implementation of adaptive selling and its sale forces ability to build strong customer rela ships. Questions 1. If you were in charge of the training for salesforce, explain how you would have go about designing a training program 2. Do you believe that the training program lined in this case will achieve its objectiv Explain. 3. What kind of reactions might Chad expect from his salespeople after implementing this traini program? ROLE PLA Role Play Situation: Read Case 6.1. Characters: Chad Flame, VP of sales; Candice Wax, owner of Soft Glow Candles. Scene: Location-Candice's office. Action- Chad meets with Candice to discuss the sales training program. Chad over views what he did and why, and then gives his assessment of how well the training went. Candice interacts with Chad and provides feedback on how to les training in the future. Current Situation Eve was running behind as usual. She had a major presentation scheduled with a well-qualified pro that could bring a substantial payoff to both her and her company. As a result, she had to cancel her firs scheduled appointment of the day so that she could finish preparing her presentation for this prospect This was not the first time she had to cancel an appointment. Just last week she canceled an appointment because she realized she would be unable to make it to the client's firm before it closed She had failed to budget enough time into her sched ule to allow her to travel from one appointment to the next Eve arrived at Handyman Hardware five minutes late. Luckily for Eve the owner of Handyman, Brian Wrench, had been on an important conference call that ran a little longer than anticipated. Brian was hoping to purchase a new cash register system that could track his inventory. He was concerned about inventory loss, particularly in terms of pilferage and the possibility of employees inaccurately (both on purpose and otherwise) ringing up sales. Morconet, he hoped to implement a system that would allow him to track sales better, while at the same ti expedite the checkout process. Currently, he is users antiquated equipment that does not provide him with the ability to scan merchandise or systemat cally track inventory and sales. After introducing herself and her company, got right down to business. She went into a minute presentation explaining the CR2000,20 register system she believed would be appro for Brian's store. What follows are excerpts meeting with Brian: Ere: Although we sell several systems, Mr. believe the CR2000 cash registers would de for you. They are relatively inexpensive, a more rapid system for checking out and are superior to what you now have W' are excerpts from her CASE 6.2: A SALES CALL GONE WRONG: A NEED FOR TRAINING? Background Eve Perplexed joined American Payment Register, 18 months ago. She was interested in working for a progressive company with growth potential. American Payment Register, appeared to be such a company. The company sold a variety of business cms, Mr. Wrench, Would be good our customers Continual Devel Chapter Six Questions to track inventory Bria: As I mentioned cardie expensive. You I mentioned earlier, I want a system that rovides me with the ability to track inventory and total sales. Does this system do that? Fin No, it doesn't. We sell systems that can monitor inventory, but they are more expensive presently have some type of system for tracking inventory, don't you? Brian Yes, but it is time-consuming and I have always been concerned about its accuracy. En We could provide you with an inventory track- ing system. But, in your case, it may not be worth the extra cost. Brian: I'd really be interested in a system that is quicker than my present system and can track sales and inventory. I would also like to begin using bar codes, rather than individually pricing each item. Ene: We carry the CR2500. This system would provide you with the ability to do these things. However, this system runs quite a bit more. Brian: Will this system allow me to monitor sales 1. With regard to Eve, what sales training needs can you identify? 2. If you were Eve's sales manager and you discov- ered that several of your salespeople had training needs similar to those of Eve, what methods would you suggest for training the salesforce to improve in deficient areas? 3. What are the effects of sales training on sales force motivation and morale? Role Play hourly! En: I believe it will. This is a fairly new system. It's an update of an earlier model. Some changes were made, and I'm not sure exactly what has been changed. Brian: Can the system break out sales by department? Ew: The older version of this system could. I am sure the new version can also. If you would like, Mr. Wrench, I can write you a proposal for installing the CR2500. When I finish the pro- posal we can meet again to further discuss the ROLE PLAY Situation: Read Case 6.2. Characters: Eve Perplexed, sales rep: Brian Wrench, store owner; Tammy Dun, Eve's sales manager. Scene 1: (optional) Lacation Handyman Hard ware. Action-Eve is making her pre sentation to Brian Wrench as her sales manager Tammy Dun observes. Scene 2: Location Outside Handyman Hand ware following Eve's meeting with Brian Wrench. Action-Tammy ches Eve regarding her sales presenta tion (for more detail on coaching, see Chapter 7). CR 2500