U.S. companies spend over $800 billion annually on salesforces that employ 24 million salespeople, who generate over $6.4 trillion in sales for the 200 largest companies. The document discusses the challenges modern sales organizations face as buyers are more demanding, prepared, skilled, and expect more. It suggests sales management focus on creating a customer-driven culture, recruiting and training the best talent, implementing formal sales processes, using IT to learn about customers, and integrating sales with other functions like marketing. Effective sales managers act as role models, mentors, are trustworthy, responsive, positive, enthusiastic, involved, and motivate and develop their teams.

1. © 2015 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group
Sales Performance
Session 1
Sales Management – analysis and decision making
by Ingram et. al.
Edited by Jakob Helnæs
© 2015 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

2. U.S. companies spend more than $800 Billion on
salesforces
500 Largest U.S. Salesforces employ 24
million salespeople
Salespeople for the 200 largest companies generate
over $6.4 Trillion in sales.
Sales matters!
© 2015 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

3. The ”good old
days”
Now• Limited selection
• Few (and local)
competitors
• Limited information
• Hard to acquire
information
• Wide selection
• Many (and global)
competitors
• All the information
you can dream of
• Very easy to access
information via the
internet
Situation for buyers
© 2015 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

4. Challenges in the Sales
Organization
Buyers are
• More Demanding
• Better Prepared
• More Skilled
• Expecting More
© 2015 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

5. Sales Management Response
© 2015 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

6. © 2015 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

7. The Best Sales Organizations:
• Create a customer-driven culture
throughout the sales organization and firm.
• Recruit and hire the best sales talent
• Train and coach the
right skill set
© 2015 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

8. The Best Sales Organizations:
• Focus on key strategic issues by:
– segmenting accounts in meaningful ways
– providing differentiated offerings
• Implement formal sales and
relationship-building processes.
© 2015 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

9. The Best Sales Organizations:
• Use information technology effectively to learn
about customers.
• Integrate sales with other business functions,
especially marketing.
© 2015 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

10. Effective Sales Managers
• Role Models
• Mentors
• Trustworthy
• Responsive
• Positive
• Enthusiastic
• Involved
• Motivate and Develop
© 2015 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

11. Sales Management Model
© 2015 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group