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Sales force management

        During the MBA courses, we learn different competences around the strategic management of a firm. With it, we can develop our competences and understand deeper how work and manage every department of our company. For me, I have a very technical background in mechanical engineering. Now I am the chief operational officer of a French robotics company, and i have to manage some sales force HR. The cursus “Strategic sales forces management” is a very good opportunity for that. I would like to focus on especially on the strategy of sales, and the management of sales forces human resources.

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         Develop a perform strategy need different sector of the governance for find every strategic information. The CEO, the finance, sales people, etc. are good sources of information. In a small business, the real role of every sales actor is not very clear. Sometimes sellers make their own marketing strategy, sometimes the strategy make by the CEO and he manages sellers just for sales and no marketing.

The first step to develop a good sales strategy and reorganise it, is to define the real role of everybody and drive the HR with perform objectives. Reorganise a sales forces department need a good knowledge of the hierarchy of Strategy. Who make the marketing? , Who make the tactical strategy?

The marketing strategy make by the business unit in accordance with the corporation governance. The business unit define the product market strategy and the sales strategy. They use sellers information for develop more segment on drive the corporation strategy. For it, the business strategy purpose is the 3 “C’s” (Coordinate, Concentrate and Communicate). They build and train the team in the strategic way, communicate with meeting, reporting, and concentrate the effort of everyone. For analyse sectors and the field, we can structure with 4 questions:

• Who I am ?  => The market Segment
• Who I mean ? => The objectives
• Where I am ? => The positioning
• What I make ? =>The program

For my job, I test this approach with my CEO, CFO and sellers HR. In a small business (35 HR, sales, 5 HR), we need to formal strategy and objectives. So I exposed this approach and we make reflection. We can clarify the position of everybody and redefine the programs of one of our product. The team focus on a “4P’s” and revise the offer and the communication (reporting).

        The target of every company is “Improve the volume for growth in profits and profitability, make and manage cash flow”. For improve it, sales is in the center of the strategy. Sales managers must analyse the fields and define objectives for sellers. These objectives must have to be realistic in accordance with product, sectors, customer, etc. Manager of sales analyse different metrics indicator (Volume of sales, profitability of customer, best margin, etc.) and can drive the way for the field sellers.

We can resume the role of manager in a schema

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Schema of sales field analyse

This schema resume the field analyse of the manager. Their target is to perform on the field to make profits and benefits. So they have concentrate the effort on the best way for perform; obtain knowledge of the territory and manage the ability of human resources. Manage sales people on the field is on the most difficult to manage. Sales manager must have to define the perimeter and real objectives with realist indicator to drive the sellers in the best way.

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