A Framework for Adapting Sales Management Functions to a Global Market

Abstract

In today's global economy, sales managers are responsible for managing the sales force of a joint venture company, a distributor, an agent or their own sales force in another country. These management functions include a number of tasks: setting objectives, developing plans for meeting objectives, motivating the sales force, evaluating performance of the sales force, developing training programs, and managing sales force activities (Dalrymple and Cron 1992). To perform these functions effectively, the sales managers must possess a set of skills including the ability to communicate, manage time, motivate, train, direct, plan, and delegate (Futrell 1991, Wotruba and Simpson 1989).