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Select one company in your country or region that has a sales force. The company and/or the sales force can be real or a composite of several situations that you have heard or read about, or experienced. Apply principles that you have learnt In this subject to that company’s sales function to Judge Its effectiveness about: – How well It fits into marketing and other parts of an organization; Intelligence gathering Is Included within this function. How well It knows how consumers and organizations behave when buying goods and services. – How well it knows and develops skills for two sales techniques such personal lulling, key account management, relationship selling, direct marketing and Internet and IT applications in selling and sales management; negotiation could be one of those techniques. The purpose of this paper Is to outline the selling and sales management that occurs at Rendition Trinidad.
The paper first explains the difference between selling and sales management. It then looks at how the sales department fits Into the organization by Integrating with other departments such as the marketing department. It further Identifies how well the salespeople can establish consumer and organizational eying behaviors and the strategies the sales manager in collaboration with other use when attempting to make a sale.
The paper will also go on by explaining how the firm manages its consumer and organizations buying behaviors and also strategies ND techniques the firm uses when engaging in selling and sales management. Who is Rendition? Rendition Pest Control is part of Rendition Initial ?? one of the world’s largest providers of business services. Formed over 80 years ago in the I-J and more than 43 years ago here in Trinidad, the company has grown to become Trinidad longest-established, best known and most trusted pest control service provider (about Rendition). . 2 Company Background The company caters for residential and commercial customers by providing optimum pest protection nationwide. The orientation of the firm is an outside-in process, which is the emphasis on what the customer needs. Therefore the firm is considered being marketing oriented. Marketing orientation holds that achieving organization depends on identifying the needs and wants of customers and providing products and services to satisfy them (BIB, Topic 1: Foundations of selling and sales management 2014).
Rendition sales department fits well integrated with the organizations other departments such as marketing, finance and human resource department as seen in Appendix 1 . The sales manager communicate well with other managers for example, he its sales manager works with the company’s head accountant when dealing with sales forecasting and budging; the marketing manager to ensure that sales and marketing activities are integrated and also the human resource manager so that he or she would be aware of modern development for his or her sales force personnel.
They also keep a close relationship with the firm’s technicians who deliver, install and Rendition sales force contributes to the market intelligence gathering. By collecting and analyzing data about the markets in which they are situated, companies gain liable insight into how to grow their business (Palermo 2013). The company’s sales people are out daily meeting and building relationships with customers, therefore, the company sees its sales people as being a primary source of competitive information.
Therefore a written report with suggestions is mandatory to be handed in to the sales manager who then forwards it to the respective managers of other departments. The sales people for example can find out what new products are introduced by competitors and what promotions and discount they currently have or may have. This information when forwarded to the marketing department, in accordance to an email sent by the lecturer, can assist the company in implementing the right strategy that will compete with its competitors in a timely manner.
At Rendition Trinidad, because there are a number of important differences in emphasis between consumer and organization buying that has important implications for the marketing of goods and services, the sales department at the company is broken into two sections, residential and commercial as seen in Appendix 1 . These sub-divisions of the sales department comprise of specialized sales people who targets and study these buyers’ behaviors.
When studying the company’s BBC (business to consumer) buyers, the salespeople focuses on firstly who makes the buying decision. The company trains it salesperson to indemnify the decider, the individual with the power and/or financial authority to make the ultimate choice regarding which product to buy Cobber & Lancaster 2012). They believe that the decider is the only person that is importance of closing the sale. They also know how important it is to explain to the consumer the need of the product.
As for pest control and other services by the firm such as fly control and bird intro, the salesperson make clear the dangers associated with the problem and also give samples and a free trial period. In terms of information gathering, this is when both managers of the sales and marketing department come together. Rendition made the information of its products so pronounced that the company is the most recognized when dealing with pest control in the country. The information of the products can be found in magazines, newspaper and the internet.
This helps the company when it comes to consumers evaluating alternatives that Rendition can be a first choice. 3. The Organization Buyer Organization buying is the decision-making process by which formal organizations establish the need for purchased products and services and identify, evaluate, and choose among alternative brands and suppliers (Webster & Wind n. D). Firstly the firm knows how these organizational buyers behave by training its salesperson. This is a type of collaboration between the sales and human resource department.
The salespeople at Rendition focuses on the decision making unit (DAM) because they are aware that in organizations the purchasing officer alone may not be the only person hat influences or actually have the finally say or authority in the ultimate decision. Therefore the task of the salespeople at the firm is to identify the key members in the decision making in order to convince them the worth of the product. The BIB has fewer buyers but these buyers are of great worth therefore the salespeople at the company make it compulsory to generate a close long-term relationship with these buyers.
Also because the BIB buyer can be more complex and risky the salespeople are more advance in the commercial section of the department and it is considered a promotion from the residential section. To be effective, sales activities need to take place within the context of an overall strategic marketing plan. Only then can we ensure that our sales efforts complement, rather than compete with, other marketing activities Cobber & Lancaster 2012). At Rendition the firm uses a STOW Analysis to develop its sales and marketing strategies. The company’s STOW analysis is illustrated in Appendix 2.
In order to determine the STOW Analysis for Rendition, the sales and marketing managers work with other departmental managers and brainstorm what are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the organization. The information provided assists the sales managers in determining the most effective sales and marketing strategies in conjunction with the marketing manager. Some of the strategies that the company is currently working on are – Enhancing promotions on strong, well established products, as well as new products. Developing infrastructures to market to Tobago and opening an emergency hotlist. The sales manager also works along with the finance manager or head accountant to help in budgeting these strategies. One of the most recent projects of the company ad to enhance marketing and sales was its Pasturage. The Pasturage which was titled “Biting back at bugs to raise pest awareness” is to offer consumers a unique dining experience of sweet and savory edible insects.
The company’s website stated that, “The aim of Rendition’s Pasturage is to raise your awareness of common pest problems and demonstrate our commitment to professional pest control and innovation, helping us to stay one step ahead of the natural evolution of pests. A team of experts will be available to offer valuable advice and top tips on how to avoid pest infestation in your home or at work and answer any of your pest related concerns. ” This was a well thought out strategy that all managers came together to execute. Rendition salespeople undergo intense training to execute sales techniques. They learn how and who to target.
This targeting strategy is done by using techniques direct marketing and the use of the internet. 5. 1 Direct Marketing Direct marketing the distribution of products, information and promotional benefits to target customers through interactive communication in a way which allows response to be measured Cobber & Lancaster 2012). The company’s sales department does this by direct mail; inserts, which are leaflets in magazines and newspapers and door to door leafleting. The firm knows how to manage its direct marking by launching a direct marketing campaign. There are five steps in a direct marketing guide.
Firstly by indemnifying and understanding the target audience. Rendition sales manager and team do this by segmenting geographically areas that are most likely prone to pest infestation and the number of people being affected. Secondly, the team sets campaign objectives. One objective they recently used was immunization by creating awareness such as it Pasturage as mention before. The third step is creative decisions. Rendition produces a creative brief which is submitted to the Agency that will design their leaflets for guidance on the company’s objectives in terms of capturing the right audience.
It will entail what are the benefits of their products and messages need to be communicated in order to capture the prospective customers’ attention. The forth step is the media decision such as direct mail method the company uses and the final step is campaign execution of the action plan and evaluating the objectives. 5. 2 The Internet and I. T. Applications The second technique used by the sales department is the use of the internet. Online marketing is the fastest-growing part of direct marketing and direct marketing is the fastest growing form of marketing (Armstrong & Kettle 2011).
The salespeople develop skills for this type of method by outsourced special trainers in this type of field. This has a large impact on the sales force because it frees up salespeople from their desk which allows them to be on the road more meeting customers because of smart phones that are given to them by the company. The many website also allows potential and existing residential and commercial customers to produce their own quotations and visit the weapon “Contact us” seen in Appendix 3, to initiate a contact by Rendition’s personnel.
This was developed for the customers’ convenience as well as ensuring of feedback on a timely basis. Salespeople at Rendition use social networks also to interact with customer and seek new ones. The company has its own faceable page www. faceable. Com/ reinterpretations where salespeople interact with potential and existing customers who they can try to close a sale with for example explaining to them about new and existing products. The page is also used as a tool to provide pertinent guidance to the public on “Pest Hot Topics”.
This research paper concludes that Rendition Trinidad sales department is well integrated with the other departments of the company and all managers work together in efforts to meet objectives. It also shows that the company has a well trained sales force that understands consumers and organizations behavior when buying and the strategies the firm sales manager uses and techniques are well executed by its salespeople when meeting new, existing and potential customers. Although the company is seemed to be doing very well in Trinidad, it should take a few recommendations into consideration.
Firstly, when the salespeople go out into the field meeting customers and obtaining market intelligence, this information can also be forwarded to the Research and Development (R&D) department. When communicating with customers, salespeople can also find out what products or doing well and which should be discontinued. This department however is not situated in Trinidad but in the company’s home country which is in England therefore the sales manager should report in information gathered to the general manager who should then forward it overseas to the home branch and into the respectful department.
Secondly the company can use a next type of media as a sales technique, for instance telemarketing. Telemarketing is one of the best and the most efficient marketing tools for any business organization. If you are not using this, you are leaving a lot of money on the table Monsoons 2013). Therefore the company can obtain a toll free number which allow everyone to contact them without being charged which makes it easier and more convenient to keep in touch with new and existing clients.