Sales & Marketing Management

Myth #1—Salespeople know best

Some businesses are afraid to meddle with the sales force and rationalize the
hands-off approach by arguing that the salesperson:

Û Is closer to what the customers' needs are

Û Knows best what the customers' needs are

Û Can best determine how receptive the customer is to the business'

products

Û Income is tied to their sales performance and, therefore, they will just

naturally do whatever is necessary to move as much product as

possible

Myth #2—Salespeople must be controlled

There are businesses that hold this point of view: to strictly control the sales
force. Salespeople in these businesses are:

Û Suspected of giving away the farm to get a sale

Û Not completely trusted so they must be controlled to the 'nth degree'

In both situations mentioned here, we have a negative rather than a positive
direction of the sales force. Both situations will often result in a high turnover
of sales staff.

Sales and marketing—the driving force of a business

In most organizations, the sales force is the key to realizing the sales and profit
goals of the business.

The sales force should be involved as true partners in the realization of the

business' outcomes.

If left to drift with no direction or guidance, the sales force will often take a

line of least resistance and sell what is easiest to sell rather than what would

be most profitable for the business.

Salespeople want and need
guidelines. They need to be
part of the big picture. They
need to have an
understanding of things like:

Production capability and costs

Shipping and handling capability and costs

Internal paper flow and controls

Break-even analysis of departments and product

lines

Minimum gross margin requirements

And much, much more