Sales Force Management

Sales Force Management

Proper training for a sales force is vital to the success of the individual as well as the team. According to Spiro, Stanton, and Rick, “The salesperson’s product knowledge, understanding of customer needs, and selling skills are directly related to the amount of training he or she receives” (2004, p. 190). This paper will discuss such instances encountered by Imaginative Staffing, Inc., summarize the case study presented in Management of a Sales Force, and answer questions regarding the case study. In addition, this paper will analyze the key elements and processes of selecting and recruiting a sales force, describe the appropriate training modality for both initial and recurrent training for Imaginative Staffing, and describe the different methods used to motivate the sales personnel.

Case Summary

Imaginative Staffing, Inc. (ISI) is a temporary-services firm in New York, NY, formed in 1990. Over the years, the company has grown to $17 million in revenues as well as adding staff to accommodate the company’s growth. Angie Roberts, CEO of ISI, is frustrated with the company’s current selling system and the amount of time it takes to close a prospect. While attending a party, Angie learns about team selling from a colleague. The concept of team selling intrigues Angie. After further investigation, Angie is curious if the concept of team selling will work within her organization. To satisfy her curiosity Angie appoints Susan Borland the sales director, with the task of preparing a plan for developing and training a sales team to present to the management group in one of the weekly meetings. Susan and her assistant, Judy Morgan, use investigative research to understand all aspects of team selling to determine if ISI should implement the team-selling system, who should be on the team, and the training required to develop their sales personnel.

Answers

Angie admits the current selling system in place at ISI is taking too long to close a sale with a good prospect. Should ISI adopt a team-selling system for selling to important accounts? In researching the success other firms have had with team selling, ISI should adopt the team-selling system. As cited in the case study, sales reps already utilize the services of the sales director when necessary. Therefore, the concept of team selling would not be a difficult adjustment for the sales reps.

Implementing a new sales system requires a plan for employee selection. Other than the sales rep, who should be on the team? A logical choice for team inclusion is the account manager who will be responsible for the daily care of the client. Hence, the team consists of two people so as not to overwhelm the client. The pairing of the sales rep and account manager presents a unified group to the client, easing customer transition from the sales rep to the account manager. As situations require, the sales director can attend presentations but is not an integral part of the team.

Upon formation of the team, the team will require proper training to present a consistent message to the client. According to Spiro, Stanton, and Rich, such training should include “being sensitive to the needs of others, accepting the shortcomings of others, being willing to cooperate, keeping others informed, being receptive to the ideas of others, and placing team success above individual success” (2004, p. 206). Training in these areas will assist in planning the team’s presentation to the client, which requires a moderate amount of planning. Team selling is a process; therefore, planning the presentation is a process. Individual roles within the team represent different areas of the presentation. In planning for the presentation, each team member is responsible for his/her area of expertise so as not to overwhelm the client.

Selecting and Recruiting a Sales Force

In adopting the new team selling system, ISI must focus on the selection and recruiting of a sales force. ISI currently employs one sales director, four sales reps, and 10 account managers. ISI must determine the number of people required to achieve the company’s strategic marketing plan. Assuming ISI intends to increase its exposure through team selling, the company must hire six sales reps to accommodate the 10 account managers. Figure 1 illustrates the organization of the sales department including the newly hired sales reps.

After determining the number of people, ISI must develop a profile of the sales rep position including a job analysis and description to determine the type of person for the position, and qualifications necessary to fill the position (Spiro, Stanton, & Rich, 2004). Many companies use the traits and characteristics of previous, successful salespeople in developing a profile. In the team selling concept,

The next step in the process is recruiting a sales force. ISI must identify potential sources for hiring the type of sales reps with the qualifications previously determined. The recruiting sources must be consistent with strategic planning. Sources for recruiting include referrals, other companies, educational institutions, advertisements, employment agencies, voluntary applicants, and computerized databases (Spiro, Stanton, & Rich, 2004). Recruiting from within the company would not be feasible as the limited choices for recruits include the account managers. To promote an account manager would require hiring additional account managers.

Modality of Training

The next step in the process of implementing team selling at ISI is to develop a successful training program. According to Spiro, Stanton, and Rich, “Training is an important factor contributing