Effective Sales Management

Second edition

JOHN STRAFFORD and COLIN GRANT

Bibliographic record and links to related information available from the Library of Congress catalog
Counter
preface to the second edition
Introduction: The Changing Nature of Organisations

PART 1: THE TRANSITION FROM SELLING TO MANAGING

I Criteria for Promotion
Qualities essential for success as a manager
Making the decision - commitment
The super manager

2 Maximising the Selector's Chances of Success
     Will they make it?
     What can they do apart from sell?
     The filter factor
     Why all this trouble?
     Summary

3 The Sales Manager's Job
     The sales manager's checklist
     Basic role of the sales manager
     Summary

4 Seven Key Functions of Sales Management
     Planning
     Organising the sales force
     Recruitment of sales people
     Staffing the sales Organisation
     Training and developing job skills
     Motivating the sales force
     Controlling the sales operation
     Monitoring for success
     Summary

5 Leadership
     What is a leader?
     No one is perfect!
     Qualities of leadership
     Leadership skills
     The boss and the leader
     Self-programming for leadership
     Summary

6 Motivating and Developing the Team
     People developers
    Summary

7 How to Obtain Maximum Job Satisfaction
     Summary

8 Managing and Working Relations
     Relations with superiors
     Relations with equals
     Relations with subordinates
     Managing upwards
     Managing the junior management team
     Working with women
     Summary

9 Managing Time
     The time trap
     Delegation
     The Strafford/Grant approach to delegation
     Twelve steps in successful time management
     The value of a good secretary

PART 2: CREATING AND BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE SALES
ORGANISATION

10 Sales Organisation, Audit and Evaluation
     Principles of Organisation
     Need for stability with flexibility
     Evaluation of needs
     Writing the plan
     Conclusion

11 Marketing and the Role of the Field Sales Force
     What is marketing?
     The marketing system
     Role of the sales force
     Conclusion

12 Organising the Sales Force
     Defining the market
     What type of sales force do you need?
     Segmentation
     Plan of action
     Conclusion

13 More Concerning Structure
     'By territory' organisation
     'By product' Organisation
     'By market' Organisation
     'By customer' Organisation
     Multiple activity sales force
     Designing the individual territories
     Stable but flexible
     Conclusion

14 importance of the Field Sales Manager
     Stages of growth and the field sales manager
     Defining the FSM
     Field sales management and supervision
     Supervisor training
     Supervisor's remuneration
     An eight-point plan for the sales manager
     Importance of the supervisor as a field executive
     Summary

15 The Role of the Sales Office
     Functions of a sales office

16 Sales Office Procedures and Methods

17 Designing Forms
     General considerations
     The mechanics
     The printer
     Final hints

PART 3: MANNING AND STAFFING YOUR ORGANISATION

18 Job Analysis and Description
     Specimen job description

19 The Person Profile
     Physical make-up
     Attainments
     General intelligence
     Special aptitudes
     Interests
     Disposition
     Circumstances

20 Sources for Staff
     The intensive search programme
     Internal applicants
     Advertising
     Selection consultants
     Headhunters
     Employment agencies
     Educational establishments
     Armed forces
     Professional bodies
     Government job centres

21 Pre-Interview Activity
     Application form
     Dealing with 'phone ins'
     Writing to candidates
     Dealing with the paperwork
     The vital five minutes before the interview
     Psychometric testing

22 The Selection Interview
     Aims
     Structure
     The seven deadly sins of interviewing
     Testing and checking
     Group selection techniques

23 The Final Decision and Action
     Contract of employment
     Conclusion
     Action checklist

PART 4: TRAINING AND DEVELOPING THE SALES FORCE

24 The Need for Training

25 Formal Training
     Defining programme objectives
     The pupils
     The syllabus
     The teachers
     The methods
     Length of training
     Locations
     Motivation and measurement
     Induction training

26 The Use and Selection of Training Consultants
     Choosing the consultant
     Conclusion

27 Field Training
     Aims
     Trainer's role
     Content of field training day
     Field training assessment forms
28 Training the Trainer/ Field Sales Manager

PART 5: CONTROLLING YOUR SALES OPERATION

29 Concept of Control
    Nature of control
    Standards
    Collecting the information
    Analysis of variances
    Corrective action
    Designing and implementing an effective reporting system
    Relation between planning and control

30 Setting Goals
     Step by step
     Goals are a must
     Sales activity equals sales results
     Management by objectives

31 The Saks Process
     Merchandising
     Average values
     Professional selling
     Appendices 1-22
     Summary


PART 6: MOTIVATING YOUR SALES ORGANISATION

32 Motivation
     By definition and responsibility
     In practice

33 Theories of Motivation
     Maslow - the father of modem motivation
     Herzberg - action caused by desire
     McGregor - the theory of X and Y

34 The Hygiene Factors
     Company policy and administration
     Working conditions
     Salary
     Technical supervision and interpersonal relations

35 The Motivators
     Achievement
     Recognition for achievement
     Meaningful and interesting work
     Increased responsibility
     Growth and advancement at work
     Counselling
     Summary

36 Coping with Troughs and Levels
     Troughs
     Levels

37 Who Motivates the Motivator?
     Checklist for self-motivation

PART 7: COMMUNICATIONS

38 Communicating with Your Sales Force
    Your sales forces is out on a limb
    The plumber versus bureaucracy

39 The Nature of Communication
     Rules of good communication

40 Sales Meetings
     Objectives of meeting
     The agenda
     Checklist for a good meeting
     Power and the glory
     Suggested topics for presentations
     Summary

41 The Printed or Written Word
     Sales bulletins and newsletters
     Correspondence

42 The Infernal Telephone and Other Machines

43 The Sales Conference
     Specialist speakers
     Working within a limited budget

44 Dealer Meetings

PART 8: WHAT OF THE FUTURE?

45 Your Personal Role in the Community

46 Staying Abreast of Change
     Impact of the micro-chip
     When to change?

47 Your Personal Development
     The nature of management
     Decision-making
     Maintaining your own motivation

Further reading

Index