INSTRUCTIONS
Each individual is required to write a high quality research paper during the semester. Each student is required to choose TWO MAJOR ISSUES OF ONE SPECIFIC COUNTRY (besides the USA) and conduct an in depth ANALYZE of them within that country’s context. Make sure only concentrate on the MAJOR ISSUES and DO NOT talk about other matters related to that particular country – 150 points).
Paper Format
Format of the paper should be composed of the following sections:
I. Introduction:
A. Brief description of the issue (problem): identify the issue you are investigating, giving whatever background information that is necessary.
B. Importance of the issue: what makes this issue an important or crucial issue? Why should we be concerned about it?
II. Body
Provide proper and relevant review of the subject. This section contains different theories and opinions concerning the issue under investigation. In your case you have to talk about how media present YOUR SPECIFIC ISSUE IN ONE COUNTRY OF YOUR CHOICE.
III. Conclusion
Analyze the information and draw together your findings and observations and express your own opinion regarding the issue.
In addition, it is important to pay attention to the following (your negligence could cause major deficiency in your work).
1. Papers are to be typed, double-spaced, at least nine (9) pages (including cover and reference page) at length (including the table of contents and references page). The most important aspect of the paper is its proper documentation of the footnotes/endnotes and bibliography. The paper should contain proper citations (page numbers and accurate information leading to the sources), and at least 4 sources should be used. Moreover, the information sources must be recent (starting with the present year).
2. You Arerequired to follow one of the recognized and common writing styles (Preferably APA style). The deadline for the final submission of the paper will be announced in class.
3. Each paper’s grade is based on the following criteria:
a. Proper structure (table of content, introduction, literature review, discussion, and conclusion); recency of material frequency of sources = 10 percent
b. Grammatical accuracy = 15 percent
c. Following proper writing style and proper documentation 25 percent.
d. Quality of the material presented = 50 percent
EXPAMPLE
Paper Sample: Following paper is provided for you to familiarize you with the “APA” style to write your paper. Sources provide in this paper are hypothetical and are only intended for demonstration.
Cover page
Designing and Managing a Sales Force
By: John Doe
Submitted to Dr. Joe Dow in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
Marketing Management (MAR 2407-06)
Fall 2006, Michigan University
Page one
Table of Content
Introduction…………………………………………………………..……………………………………………………………………P. 3
Designing and Sales Force………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………P. 5
Managing the Sales Force………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………P. 6
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………P. 7
References………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………P. 9
Rest of the paper.
Designing and Managing a Sales Force
Introduction
U.S. businesses spend over $140 billion annually on personal selling (Anderson 2005, p. 12 Dalrymple 2004, p. 159). This is more than they spend on any other promotional method. Furthermore, over 11 million Americans are employed in sales and related occupations (Anderson 2005, p. 24 and Dalrymple 2004, p. 345). Sales forces are found throughout the business environment from the insurance industry to college
recruiting– and just about everything in between.
According to author Philip Kotler, sales personnel serve as the company’s personal link to its customers (p. 620). Kotler asserts that “the sales representative is the company to many of its customers” since it is the salesperson who delivers information to the customer (p. 620). Therefore, a company must carefully consider how to design and manage its sales force in order to be successful in the marketplace. This paper discusses how businesses should design a sales force and how managers can effectively manage that sales force.
Designing a Sales force
When designing a sales force, a company must thoroughly deliberate several issues in order to establish an efficient sales system. These issues are: the development of sales force objectives, strategy, structure, and compensation of the sales force (Anderson 2005, p. 620).
Sales force objectives are the specific goals that companies expect their sales representatives to achieve (Kotler 2005, p. 620). A typical example of how companies delineate an objective is the establishment of sales quotas for their sales representatives. Sales quotas inform a salesperson of exactly what their objective should be for a given period of time.
Additionally, besides quotas, there are other ways of delineating sales objectives. For example, objectives commonly defined by companies in addition to quotas are: prospecting (searching for leads), targeting (deciding how to allocate a salesperson’s time), communicating (communicating information about the company’s product), selling (approaching and promoting), servicing (providing various services to the customer), information gathering (conducting market research and doing intelligence work), and allocating (deciding which customers will get scarce products during product shortages) (Anderson 2005, 621). Essentially, companies must clearly define the specific objectives they want their sales force to achieve and, if these objectives are met, it will lead to product sales for the company.
With respect to strategy, companies must use sales representatives strategically so that they approach customers at a time when they are most likely to buy. There are several approaches that can be used by salespeople depending upon which best fits the situation (Churchill 2003, p. 432). For example, an individual sales representative can approach a particular individual buyer or a buyer group. Or, a sales team can approach the individual buyer or buyer group. Also, sales representatives can employ a technique called seminar selling, where a company team conducts an educational seminar for the customer company about state-of-the-art developments (Kotler 2005, p. 622).
Once the company decides on a sales approach, it should maintain a market focus. This means that salespeople should know how to analyze sales data, measure market potential, gather market intelligence, and develop marketing strategies and plans (Kotler 2005, p. 142). Finding the right resources to accomplish these goals is something that should be taken into account when designing a sales force.
Additionally, when designing a sales force strategy, one must take into account sales force structure. One sales force structure that is commonly used when designing a sales force is the “territorial structure” (Anderson 2005, p. 623). In a territorial structure, each sales representative is assigned an exclusive territory. This type of structure has three main advantages. First, there is a clear definition of the salesperson’s responsibilities. Second, being assigned to a particular territory motivates a salesperson to cultivate personal relationships with the local businesses and individuals in the territory. Third, travel expenses are limited because the size of the sales representative’s territory is limited (Kotler 2005, p. 433).
Sales representatives are one of a company’s most expensive assets (Churchill 2003, p. 267). So, after strategy and structure have been determined, a company should determine what the sales force compensation should be. A company must develop an appealing compensation package if it wants to attract the best salespeople. Typically, sales representatives are attracted to companies that provide “income regularity, extra reward for above-average performance, and fair payment for experience and longevity”(Kotler 2005, p. 126).
The foregoing issues are all topics that must be considered when designing a sales force within a company. The next section of this paper discusses effective techniques for managing that sales force.
Managing the Sales Force
Once the sales force foundation has been effectively designed, the next step on the road to building a successful company is successfully managing the sales force. There are various procedures and steps that can be utilized to effectively manage a sales force. For example, according to Kotler, there are four main steps involved in managing a sales force: training of the sales representatives, supervising the sales representatives, motivating the sales representatives, and evaluating the sales representatives (p. 627-634).
Training is the first essential step in managing a sales force. New sales representatives who are sent directly into the field with little or no training beforehand are rarely successful (Kotler 2005, p. 327). Customers expect a sales representative to be knowledgeable about not only the product they are selling, but also about the customer’s needs. In today’s business environment, typically, new sales representatives need a few weeks to several months in training (Dalrymple 2004, p. 627). The median training period is 28 weeks in industrial-products companies, 12 weeks in service companies, and 4 weeks in consumer-products companies (Anderson 2005, p. 163). Thus, proper training is a crucial step in managing an effective sales team.
Supervision of sales representatives is also a critical area in managing a sales force. In general, sales representatives who work on commission can be supervised less closely than those who are salaried. Yet, every employee needs supervision at one time or another and this is an area where managers must focus a large part of their energy.
Motivating sales representatives is another area that is vital to managing a successful sales force. Churchill, Ford, and Walker have studied the problem of motivating sales representatives. They suggest that the higher the salesperson’s motivation, the greater his or her effort will be. While some salespeople will work hard with little outside motivation, special incentives and coaching are often needed to motivate the entire sales force. The most successful ways to motivate sales representatives have proven to be financial rewards and status rewards (Kotler 2005, p. 632).
Evaluating sales representatives is another step in successful managing of a sales force. Evaluating salespeople frequently involves the use of sales reports, which tell the manager exactly how competent the sales representative is in selling the product. Other ways of evaluating salespeople are personal observation, customer letters and complaints, customer surveys, and conversations with other sales representatives (Anderson 2005, p. 178). Evaluations can also assess the salesperson’s knowledge of the company, competitors, territory and responsibilities.
Ultimately, managing a sales force comes down to effectual training of the sales representatives, supervising the sales representatives, motivating the sales representatives, and evaluating the sales representatives.
Conclusion
In business, sales personnel serve as the link between a company and its customers. Designing a sales force involves decisions regarding objectives, strategy, structure, and compensation. Once these have been accomplished, a manager must manage its sales representatives by training of the sales representatives, supervising the sales representatives, motivating the sales representatives, and evaluating the sales representatives.
It has been said that in business there are two parts to every sale -– the part performed by the organization and the part performed by the salesperson. Both the salesperson and the business organization must contribute proficiently in creating, managing, and maintaining a successful sales force.
References should be placed on a separate page at the end
References
Anderson, Rolph. (2005). Essentials of Personal Selling: The New Professionalism. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Churchill Jr., Gilbert A., Neil M. Ford and Orville C. Walker Jr.
(2003). Sales, NY: Sage Publications.
Jackson, Joe. (2006). Force Management: Planning, Implementation and Control,
4thEdition. Homewood, IL: Irwin Publishing.
Dalrymple, Douglas J. (2004). Sales Management: Concepts and Cases, 5th
Edition. New York: John Wiley.
Kotler, Philip. (2005). Marketing Management, The Millennium Edition.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
