The Effective Sales Executives

Introduction
• The job of the sales executive is more action oriented and
less planning oriented.
• Planning of sales executives cover short period and
concern near term personal selling objectives and hoe to
attain them.
• The main concern of marketing management is the
“future” and the main concern of sales management is
the “present” – the “here and now”.
• Sales management’s plan typically are near to the action
point.
• Sales executives require a base of experiential and other
knowledge, much of which may not be very explicit; this
base provide a “feel” for problems and possible solutions.
• They need keen awareness of company and sales
department goals.

Sales executives in performing their jobs must know how to:
• Analyze information,
• Combine its significance with their own experiential
knowledge and judgment,
• Apply imagination in searching for alternative solutions to
problems,
• Predict the likely outcomes of different alternatives,
• Choose that alternative with the highest payoff.

Nature of Sales Management Positions
• Position Guide – Sales Manager
• Position Guide – District Sales Manager

Position Guide – Sales Manager
• Reporting relationship: The sales manager reports to the
vice-president of marketing.
• Job objective: The primary objective is to secure
maximum volume of rupee sales through the effective
development and execution of sales programs and sales
policies for all products sold by the division.
• Duties and responsibilities:
1. Sales program.
2. Organization.
3. Sales force management.
4. Internal and external relations.
5. Communications.
6. Control.

Performance Criteria
• The department’s rupee and unit sales are equal to or
exceed the quantities budgeted.
• The profit contribution of the sales department is in line
with plan.
• The details of sales plans are in writing and are
acceptable to marketing management.
• The turnover rate of sales personnel is maintained at a
level regarded as satisfactory by marketing
management.

Position Guide – District Sales Manager
• Reporting relationship: The district sales manager
reports to the sales manager.
• Job objective: The primary objective is to secure
maximum rupee sales of the company’s products in the
sales district in accordance with established sales
policies and sales programs, within the limits of the sales
budget.
• Duties and responsibilities:
1. Supervision of sales personnel.
2. Control.
3. Administration.
4. Communication.

Performance Criteria
• The district’s rupee and unit sales equal to or exceed the
quantities budgeted.
• The district’s total expenses are no higher than the
amounts budgeted.
• The profit contribution of the district office and
warehouse and stock facilities is in line with plan.
• The turnover rate of district sales personnel is
maintained at a level regarded as satisfactory by the
sales manager.

Functions of the Salesperson
• Prospecting
• Communicating: two-way
• Allocating & coordinating: company resources, time
• Servicing
• Helping define marketing strategy
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Qualities of effective sales executives
• Ability to define the position’s exact functions and
duties in relation to the goals the company should
expect to attain.
• Ability to select and train capable subordinates and
willingness to delegate sufficient authority to enable
them to carry out assigned task with minimum
supervision.
• Ability to utilize time efficiently.
• Ability to allocate sufficient time for thinking and
planning.
• Ability to exercise skilled leadership.

Relations with top management
• Realizing the sales executive’s potential, however,
depends largely upon relationship with top
management.
• Effective sales executives keep top management
informed on important decisions and the department’s
plan and accomplishment.
• They transmit all ordinary reports promptly, and special
reports when appropriate.
• Their reports ensure that top management knows in
broad outline the problems encountered in selling the
company’s products, the way they are handled, and the
results accomplished.

Relation with managers of other marketing activities
• Relation with product management.
• Relation with promotion management.
• Relation with pricing management.
• Relation with distribution management.

Compensation patterns for sales executives
• Straight Salary.
• Straight Commission.
• Salary plus Bonus.
• Salary plus Commission.
• Salary plus commission plus bonus.
• Commission plus Bonus.
• Customer satisfaction and sales force compensation.
• Team selling plan.
• Profit based commission.