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David Sciandra was tired of playing hide-and-seek. One of the inside salespeople whom Sciandra manages as eastern regional sales manager for Ametek Solidstate Controls, an electrical power company based in […]

Everybody has a name for those top sellers who expect special treatment. Some call them egomaniacs. Others refer to them as too-big-for-their-britches. Some go so far as to call them […]

The choice of positive or negative feedback from a sales manager has a significant effect on the success of a salesperson.

A study of the characteristics of marginally performing salespeople complements research concerning the differences between high and low sales performers. Topics addressed include classification of marginally performing employees in formal terms, and how managers can assess patterns in performance over time.

This article, first, synthesizes three theoretical approaches to salesforce control systems and, second, examines the effect of the control mechanisms on key consequence variables. More specifically, the manuscript develops a comprehensive model of salesforce control by integrating key constructs from three alternative theories: organization theory, agency theory, and transaction cost analysis. The constructs are (1) outcome observability from organizational theory, (2) behavior observability from agency theory, (3) transaction-specific assets (TSA) from transaction cost analysis, and (4) task programmability or environmental/task uncertainty, a key construct in all three theories. In addition, the study examines the effects of controls on certain consequence variables: salesperson-customer relationships and salespersons' motivation and organizational commitment. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

This study utilizes historical data to explore the effects of sales management succession, the characteristics of the successor, and type of succession on post-succession performance of an industrial sales organisation while controlling for pre-succession performance and economic conditions. Three theoretical positions were contrasted: (1) that a change in a sales manager will lead to a decline in a performance, (2) that such a change will lead to an increase in sales performance, and (3) that the change will have no impact on performance. The results demonstrated a positive effect due to succession, thus supporting the commonsense notion that a sales management change leads to improved performance. There was also some support for the proposition that experience and ability may mediate the succession effect. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Sales managers have diverse functions, one of which is to enhance the performance of the salesforce. In many corporations, sales managers resort to developmental coaching to train sales personnel. In business-to-business selling, coaching strategies have been influenced by the need to build relationshps with customers. Thus, coaching relationship processes are integrated in the sales call.

Scores of companies that have switched to team selling can attest to the fact that it's a tricky business. So many things can go wrong-from choosing weak team leaders and […]

Throw out the rules you've learned about dealing with independent sales agents. These are chaotic times in the marketplace, when what seems like solid ground one day turns to quicksand […]

You've got to spend money to make money. And that should apply to incentives as well as anything else, right? Not necessarily. Incentives don't fall under the category of "the […]

Six months after joining Pilot Pen Corp. as national sales manager in 1975, Ronald G. Shaw decided he wanted to set up his own direct sales force. The primary reason? […]

Even in the auto parts business, YOu may need a push to get where YOU're going, and these days it's likely to come from your customers. Until a few months […]

Uncertainties about the economy and the Gulf War-as well as their effect on sales and profits-have prompted many companies to take a conservative approach to expenditures of all kinds, including […]

Unlocking a candidate's hidden potential requires a thorough knowledge of the legal issues involved. More often than not, sales managers don't follow up on the references given to them by […]

Does your company have what it takes to move people without damaging them in transit? Are relocation services just a package of extras designated to make the job of moving […]

HOW TO TELL COMPETENT SALESPEOPLE FROM THE OTHER KIND How would you describe the ideal salesperson? Extroverted, aggressive, customer-oriented? Quick to develop a rapport? A good sense of humor, a […]

MOVING TECHNICAL SUPPORT INTO THE SALES LOOP More and more these days, the support staff is becoming an integral part of the sales team. You're in a meeting with the […]

ARE YOUR SALESPEOPLE TRADE SHOW DUDS? Even field sales stars can fizzle on the trade show floor if they're not adequately prepared. In military parlance, a dud is a bomb […]

YOU CAN AVOID THE TRANSFER TRAINING TRAP As companies merge, purge, downsize, and generally try to operate more efficiently, a new type of sales recruit is showing up at the […]

STAY ON TOP OF THE BOTTOM LINE! Congratulate Bill Dawson on his promotion from regional sales manager to vice president of sales, and he may reply, "Thanks a lot--I think!" […]

THE SECRET TO A GOOD HIRE: PROFILING At first glance, John Smith seemed like the perfect hire. During interviews for the sales position, John was friendly, poised, and well-dressed. On […]

ARE YOU ABUSING YOUR SALESPEOPLE? "When you point a finger at someone else, you have three fingers pointed back at yourself." That's what my boss, Paul Millikin, suggested I think […]

FAT CHANGE Shunned, humiliated, or simply told to stay away until they "take a few pounds off," people of generous proportions are excluded from field sales duty on a variety […]

Here's some advice on how to improve your employee selection process. Ask any group of sales managers about their major job responsibilities and you're sure to find recruiting and hiring […]

COUNSELING: AN END OR A NEW BEGINNING? You've spoken to him several times about keeping his weekly activity up, and for a short time, he does make the number of […]

Perhaps one of the best ways to understand what motivates top performers to stay with a company is to get a firmer handle on why they're tempted to leave. Take, […]

For three years, Christine led her division in sales volume. Her reputation for working hard, imaginatively, and persistently spread throughout the field sales force. On an average of every six […]

Spurred by worldwide competition and a belief in its importance to customer satisfaction, some leading U.S. companies have begun to introduce quality-however it's defined or articulated-as a component in their […]

WHAT ARE THE BEST WAYS TO BREAK IN NEW SALESPEOPLE? Introduce them to the product, the industry, and the customer, say panelists. Then, give them some training. While most of […]

A landmark study of the causes and implications of sales force turnover WHAT DOES SALES FORCE TURNOVER COST YOU? In 1989, Learning International sponsored the first major study of the [...]

Q WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WHEN A GOOD EMPLOYEE STARTS HAVING PROBLEMS? Tackle the Problem right away, say Panelists. Ignoring a problem will only make the situation worse. First, get […]

Sales managers who have had to cut staffers recently have seen their own workloads increase. On top of their managerial duties, many are having to make sales calls and follow […]

If you reps' hot tempers and personality conflicts are disrupting customer service and positioning morale, it's your job to step in and heal relationships. Are you ready to play mentor, […]

The author reports on a study from the National Center for Problem Gambling that claims that of the 8 million people who have gambling problems, a sizable percentage are likely to be salespeople. The personality of salespeople and the characteristics of a career in sales make it easier for people to have time to devote to gambling. People in sales are attracted to gambling because they normally are interested in making more money, confident and risk-takers. Unfortunately, gambling can influence a salesperson's job performance as well as personal life, so sales managers are advised to be cognizant of those who are having troubles., Lorge, Sarah (1999), 'You Bet Your Life,' Sales and Marketing Management, 151 (December), [...]

Sales calls generally soar or crash based on reactions to personal contacts. Therefore, it makes sense to observe behavior in these instances to facilitate improvement. This article discusses joint calls [...]

ARE YOU GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR COMPANY CARS? When it comes to recruiting salespeople, Jim Maule knows the value of a company car. "There isn't a person we hire […]

THE LOCATION EQUATION In the ongoing effort by sales managers to attract and hold topflight sales talent, one of the most oft-discussed issues isn't so much what a job entails […]

"Empowerment" describes a variety of actions a company can take to give employees a greater sense of control and participation in the events and decisions affecting their business life. And […]

Most panelists acknowledge that there are some benefits to accompanying salespeople on their cans. However, the negatives can far outweigh the positives if a sales manager oversteps his or her […]

"If I only had ten more like her (or him) this sales management job would be a piece of cake." Those words, or something like them, have been wistfully uttered […]

Field sales managers don't travel for fun. They work in the field. For them, sitting on a plane for a long flight is just like putting in another day at […]

Although the definition of mentoring tends to be somewhat nebulous, most panelists feel it's not only a valuable training tool--it's also a great management tool. However, a number of panelists […]