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S Y L L A B U S Sales Force Strategies and Management: MBA 698 Summer II 2006Instructor:Dr. Mark Leach Office:Hilton 315 Phone:(310) 338-1896 e-mail:mleach@lmu. edu Course Objectives: • To examine the linkages among management of the sales function, personal selling activities, and the marketing area. • To gain an understanding of the role of the sales force in achieving of the firm’s marketing objectives. • To develop an understanding of sales practices through the analysis of numerous case-based sales management issues, including hiring, firing, training, motivating, compensating, and evaluating sales personnel. To develop decision-making skills and analytic capabilities around the development and management of both the sales function and salespeople. Overview of Course Components and Topical Areas The Context of Sales Management: This first module of the course offers insights into how the personal selling process works from both the seller’s and the buyer’s perspective. The recent emergence of sales management as a “boardroom issue” is also examined. Also overviewed are the three distinct types of “sales” which occur in today’s marketplace, and the different type of “selling” and customer account management which each requires.
Finally, selected ethical dimensions concerned with managing the sales force are also examined. Marketing Strategy & Top-Level Management of the Sales Force: In this section we examine how an organization’s sales force strategy is inherently linked to its overall marketing strategy and approach-to-market. In addition, cases and materials examine the concept of “relationship marketing” and how the firm should best organize its sales force to best cater to its specific customers. The last topic we examine is a pervasive ne in today’s business environment – or why frictions and conflict exists between the sales and marketing functions in the firm, and what can be done to manage this. Sales Force Deployment – Options, Strategies, & Issues: One of the greatest challenges which faces sales managers and marketing executives is determining how to structure their sales force – in other words, how to “deploy” their salespeople. In module 3, the common methods and issues which emerge when deploying salespeople are overviewed. We also examine emerging deployment modes, including “team selling” and “telesales”.
Sales Force Programs, Policies & Procedures: The focus is on many of the key issues and “decision levers” that sales managers and senior sales executives must grapple with. Issues pertaining to sales force recruitment, selection, training, compensation, motivation, incentives & contests, and evaluation are all considered. The First-Level Sales Manager – Implementing the Sales Program in the Field: This final module deals with the role and importance of the first-level field sales manager and some of the challenges faced by a person in this position.
It also examines various management styles which may be effective in dealing with salespeople. Class Method This course will employ a number of complementary methods, but for the most part this is a case-based learning course. Cases are often supplemented with one or more short articles drawn from a number of sources. These articles relate to the key themes inherent in the case and / or the topic(s) being explored in that class session. If you miss a class, you are responsible for the pool of material for that class (i. . , case(s) and all supplemental articles). Cases and Supplemental Reading – It is the student’s responsibility to carefully read and analyze the case(s) and / or article(s) assigned for each class before each class session. Class sessions will be spent reviewing key concepts and issues in the assigned material and more carefully reviewing particularly difficult or troublesome material. Team-Based Learning and Group Case Analysis / Presentations – Sales management decisions are seldom made in isolation.
To simulate real-world sales management decision-making, teams of four students will be randomly formed. These “Learning Teams” will conduct a detailed analysis of two key sales cases. These cases will be: (1) Pilgrim Drug Company, and (2) Milford Industries. Team-Based Learning Experiential Project / Presentations& Paper – The sales function often needs to be experienced to be appreciated. Teams of four will conduct sales “ride-a-longs” and interviews to discover critical issues of the day in sales and sales management.
Evaluation: (1) Learning Team Assignment – Presentation – Pilgrim Drug Co. – Your Learning Teams will conduct an analysis which answers the following three questions: whether or not Pilgrim’s salespeople in the Syracuse district should be redeployed into new territories – and if so, why? If you made the decision to redeploy the salespeople, on what basis did you make this decision – what were your criteria, and how were they weighted? If you elected to redeploy, which salespeople – and be specific – got which territories?
You will make a 12 minute presentation to the class which summarizes your findings, and you’ll have up to 10 PowerPoint slides to summarize your analysis. (2) Learning Team Assignment – Presentation – Milford Industries – Teams will create 5 “ratios” to analyze the 8 salespeople in the Capitol District of Milford Industries. Based on the results of these ratios, you will identify which of the 8 salespeople are truly “problem” salespeople for Harry Oates. Rank the salespeople as follows: (1) solid performer / star; (2) question mark / marginal; (3) underperformer / poor.
You will again make a 12 minute presentation to the class which summarizes your findings and what your ratios “are” (as before, you’ll have up to 10 PowerPoint slides to summarize your work). (3) Learning Team Assignment – Paper/Presentation – Sales Function Evaluation. Here in a group of four of your choosing (this can be the same group you have for your case work but doesn’t have to be) Audit the sales function of an organization. This will be done via personal in-depth interviews and/or “ride-alongs” with salespeople.
The goal of this paper/presentation is to (1) detail the organizational chart of the sales function, (2) identify key elements of the sales function that are considered by the organization to be strengths (i. e. , better, faster, cheaper) and those that the firm is attempting to improve, and (3) critical issues facing the sales function (e. g. , what the firm believes it’s sales force will look like in 5 years, and critical changes in customer demands and expectations, etc. ). I expect that this can be done with one good interview.
However, the richer the better so ideally it would be preferable to interview someone making strategic decisions (e. g. , VP Sales), someone in sales management (e. g. , sales manager, regional manager, etc. ), and a salesperson. You will submit a paper of no more than 3000 words summarizing your findings. You will submit the transcribed dialogue of each of your interviews along with the business card of the interviewee. You will make a 12 minute presentation to the class with no more than 10 PowerPoint slides. 4) Individual Exam – 1,500 Word Analytic Memo (Lundberg Systems) – Here you will have 1,500 words to craft a short report which critically assesses the three situations presented in this case. All three problems must be assessed and each will be given equal weight. As such, this assignment can be thought of as three 500 word analytic memos. (5) Class Contribution, Attendance, & Participation – or making comments which indicate that the student is involved with the class proceedings and that session’s material, will count for a large component of the overall course grade.
Grading Learning Team Assignment – Pilgrim Drug Co. 20% Learning Team Assignment – Milford Industries 20% Learning Team Assignment– Sales Function Evaluation20% Individual Exam – 1,500 Word Analytic Memo 20% Class Contribution, Attendance, & Participation 20% TOTAL 100% Academic Dishonesty Students assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work they submit. The guiding principle of academic integrity shall be that a student’s submitted work, examinations, reports, and projects must be that student’s own work. Cases
The cases that you will need to purchase for this class are listed below. They can be obtained on-line directly from the Harvard Business School and the Ivey Business School. From Harvard Business School http://www. hbsp. harvard. edu/b02/en/cases/cases_home. jhtml 1) HBS E186: Lundberg Systems 2) HBS 9-898-193: DigitalThink: Building a Sales Force 3) HBS 9-496-024: Maureen Frye at Quaker Steel & Alloy Corporation 4) HBS 9-499-062: Pilgrim Drug Company 5) HBS 9-584-012: Milford Industries (A) 6) HBS 9-584-013: Milford Industries (B) 7) HBS 9-506-029: Sales Force Integration at FedEx (A) ) HBS 9-506-030: Sales Force Integration at FedEx (B) 9) HBS 9-506-031: Sales Force Integration at FedEx (C) 10) HBS 9-506-032: Sales Force Integration at FedEx (D) From Ivey Publishing, The University of Western Ontario http://www1. ivey. ca/cases/ 1) Ivey case number 9B04A009: Arthur Medical Supplies: The Unhappy Salesman 2) Ivey case number 9A98A003: Delta Pharmaceuticals: Why Won’t Sales & Marketing Get Along? 3) Ivey case number 9A98A027: Sales Teams at Lexmark Canada Inc. 4) Ivey case number 9B03A009: Jindi Enterprises: Finding a New Sales Manager Tentative Class Schedule Class Session |Topic |Reading Assignment | |June |26 |The Context of Sales Management | | | | |Introduction | | |June |28 |The Context of Sales Management |Breadth of a Salesman | | | |Selling and Organizational Buying Behavior |The Other Revolution | | | |CASE: Arthur Medical Supplies |The Hunt for Growth | |July |3 |Marketing Strategy, & Top-Level Management |How you Slice It | | | |Designing a Sales Force, CRM, and Sales Channels |Selling for a Start Up | | | |CASE: DigitalThink Building a Sales Force |Out of Control | |July |5 |Marketing Strategy, & Top-Level Management |Marketers are from Mars | | | |Relationship Marketing and the Sales-Marketing Interface |Happy Together | | | |CASE: Maureen Frye at Quaker Steel & Alloy Corp |The Mismanagement of … | | | | |Channel Strategy … | |July |10 |Presentations | | | | |CASE: Pilgrim Drug Company | | |July |12 |Sales Force Deployment – Options, Strategies, & Issues |Knowing what to Sell | | | |Territory Management and Sales Forecasting | | | |CASE: Delta Pharmaceuticals | | |July |17 |Sales Force Deployment – Options, Strategies, & Issues |The Whys … Team Selling | | | |Team Selling and Deploying Support Resources |Striking a Balance | | | |CASE: Sales Teams at Lexmark | | |July |19 |Sales Force Programs, Policies & Procedures |Step Right Up | | | |Compensation, Quotas, and Motivation |Quota Busters | | | |CASE: Sales Force Integration at FedEx (A,B,C,&D) |When Their Ship Comes In | | | | |A Formula for the Future | |July |24 |Sales Force Programs, Policies & Procedures |Is your Training a Waste … | | | |Training and Sales Force Development |Training on the Fly | | | |Presentations: Sales Function Evaluations – day 1 |Empty Voices | |July |26 |The First-Level Sales Manager |Wish List | | | |Evaluation and Coaching |The 7 Traits of Great … | | | |CASE: Jindi Enterprises |The Nagging Problem … | | | |Presentations: Sales Function Evaluations – day 2 | | |July |31 |Presentations | | | | |CASE: Milford Industries (A&B) | | |August |2 |Analytic Memo (1500 words) | | | | |CASE: Lundberg Systems | |