Management of Sales Force

Abstract

Recruitment of sales force is an established process in most large organizations. This is because not only is it a continuous activity as the organizations grow, but the quality of the sales force is very important for the organization to succeed in the marketplace. So, selection and then further training of the selected sales force is very critical. Training can be imparted in various ways. Sometimes it is on-the-job or sometimes there is classroom training, etc. The methods vary according to the requirements of the organization as well as the individual sales person. Once inducted in the sales team, the sales persons as well as the executives has to be kept motivated. The sales force is motivated through financial as well as non-financial methods of motivation. Sometimes a promotion is sufficient, or sometimes, more financial motivations are required. All these also depends on the compensation structure of the sales force, especially in comparison with those of their competitors in their industry. The top management uses the theories of motivation in order to formulate their policies and regulations for the sales force. Control of sales force also is a very important task for the top managers, and it is usually carried out through the analysis of performance in their appraisal system. The top managers have to play the leadership role with their sales team and establish benchmarks of behavior and attitude for the entire team. This is because they are the leaders the entire sales team looks up to.