Abstract
The general objective of the study was to explore how sales force automation (SFA) can be used to improve sales force performance (SFP). The study was conducted in in the STM of Western Region of Ghana in four Unilever distributing firms. These four companies had a combined sales force of 102 dedicated salesmen and saleswomen. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. In other to capture all the sales force in the area for the study, the researcher used the census method. However, at the end of data collection, the study was able to elicit data from 97 sales force persons resulting to 95.1 percent response rate. A questionnaire, made up of only close-ended items with five sections was the instrument used to collect data. Both descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used to analyse the data. The findings of the study revealed that effective use of SFA will lead to SFP in the organisation through improvement in sales persons’ communication styles and adaptive selling behaviours which will in turn ignite the sales person’s ability to use appropriate communication styles in increasing the sales performance of the company. It is recommended that the managers of the various key distribution companies of Unilever Ghana should ensure that all it salespersons are train to be able to apply information technology and to use it in supporting their selling and/or administrative activities. This will help them in recording, storing and retrieving customers and market information.
Highlights
There is a growing interest by organisations in identifying the appropriate tools for their sales personnel that can improve their sales productivity, Sales Force Automation (SFA) systems and customer relationship management tools (Anderson & Oliver, 2014)
The first specific objective of the study was to assess the relationship between SFA use, sales force performance (SFP), communication styles of a salesperson, and a salesperson’s adaptive selling behaviour
It can be proposed that salespeople who are able to use information to customise their selling approach for different customers should be in an advantageous position to reap sales success
Summary
There is a growing interest by organisations in identifying the appropriate tools for their sales personnel that can improve their sales productivity, Sales Force Automation (SFA) systems and customer relationship management tools (Anderson & Oliver, 2014). Tasked with the primary responsibility of selling their company’s products and services, salespersons have always been at the forefront and a target for most technological innovations that are aimed at ensuring improvement in sales performance. One such technology that has gained considerable attention in sales management in recent times is the SFA technology (Wedell & Hempeck, 2016). As customers are demanding faster sales decisions, so are best-in-class companies realigning their sales force to meet customer demand by arming them with the necessary technologies to gain access to data in the global marketplace (Shoemaker, 2016)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
