Paper Topic:

`Critically evaluate the sales manager`s role and responsibilities for adequately staffing the sales force for an industrial products/services firm

Executive Summary

The twin engines of competition and growth add durability to the Sales Management function , continuing its historic importance from the inception of industrialization to sunrise industries of the 21st century . There are some traditional functions such as that of office secretaries and assistants that technology has pushed towards extinction , but there is no change in the importance and relevance of Sales Management

This document outlines the roles and responsibilities of Sales Managers and examines evolutionary aspects of the position . The objective is to suggest directions for companies to

prepare recruits from their best sales people for this crucial position , and to prepare internally for the significant changes that have begun to unfold in the nature and outlook of Sales Management

The disconnect between the skills sets sales personnel need and the operational duties of a Sales Manager makes it important and desirable for companies to plan for the transition of successful members of the field force to the promotion of a Sales Manager 's post . Not all successful sales people can make the grade , and hence companies need to identify potential Sales Managers and to groom them

Automation is a major stumbling block to the success of an experienced sales person in a Sales Management position . Computer illiteracy and inertia to transparent work evaluation make highly productive sales personnel in to bureaucratic hurdles that obstruct productivity when they become Sales Managers . Facility with Customer Relation Management or CRM has become a new pre-requisite for Sales Managers of the future Gender sensitivity and the ability to cope with diversity are other emerging traits that companies must keep in mind when identifying potential Sales Managers for the future

Introduction

Finance and technology have stolen leads over marketing in recent years . Many sectors of the economy have matured , offering relatively stable playing fields in which companies fight for market share and forge profits . Globalization has become an alibi for standardization with increasing influence of staff functions operating at far distances from markets and customers . Sophisticated scrip behavior and projections have given glamour to the hitherto Finance function , and transnational trade has made issues such as currency exchange , which were marginal in the 20th century , at the top of management attention today . The days of sales teams and their leadership seems to be on the wane

Nothing could be further from the truth ! Competition only gets fiercer and customers better informed and more demanding than before . Selling to the trade has become a key factor for marketing success , adding a whole new category of customers that every business must take seriously Generics in particular , rely at least as much on personal selling to the trade , as they do on taking messages to final consumers . Globalization and the Internet mean that markets never close , and the selling function has volume growth its parade of essential and recurring activities apart from pressing needs to communicate better and to respond faster

A crucial part of the Sales Manager 's function is to extract productivity norms...

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