Sales & Marketing Management

Possible solutions

As far as paperwork is concerned, field salespeople should only be required to
do three activities:

Sales orders

Sales activity reports

Expense reports

In this scenario, we are talking about the paperwork salespeople are required to
do as part of their field activity. Customer follow up is a personal contact, field
activity.

Burdening salespeople with paperwork takes time away from their aggressively
following up customers in the field. That is where business will be developed
and the results will be reflected in the salespersons' Sales Activity Reports.

Scenario #7:

Salespeople who make too many promises that can't be kept.

Problem

This is a perennial complaint in many organizations. In their zeal to get the
sale, salespeople will frequently put unnecessary pressure on the organization
to fulfill their commitments.

The possible results are:

Unnecessary expense to fulfill the commitment

An erosion of gross margins

Untimely use of resources that may affect other customers

A greater risk of costly errors

The negative effect on business morale because of the unrealistic pressure on
the organization

It can create potential problems with customers because not all of the promises
can be kept. The salespeople and the business soon acquire a reputation for not
following through on their commitments.

Possible solution

The business owner or sales manager has to ensure that the sales force has a
better awareness of how production, material handling, and other aspects of
business operations function.