Description
covers in detail the structures of typical sales organizations.
Sales Organization Structure and Sales Force Deployment
Setting the Stage
Strategy and Sales Organization Structure: IBM
1. What is one of the key changes IBM made to the structure of its sales organization? 2. What change did IBM make to the way its salespeople and sales managers interact?
Sales Organization Concepts
Specialization
The degree to which individuals perform some of the required tasks to the exclusion of others. Individuals can become experts on certain tasks, leading to better performance for the entire organization.
Centralization
The degree two which important decisions and tasks performed at higher levels in the management hierarchy. Centralized structures place authority and responsibility at higher management levels.
Sales Force Specialization Continuum
Generalists
All selling activities and all products to all customers
Some specialization of selling activities, products, and/or customers
Specialists
Certain selling activities for certain products for certain customers
Span of Control vs. Management Levels
Flat Sales Organization
National Sales Manager
Management Levels
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
Span of Control
Span of Control vs. Management Levels
Tall Sales Organization
National Sales Manager
Management Levels
Regional Sales Manager
Regional Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District District Sales Sales Manager Manager
Span of Control
Line vs. Staff Positions
National Sales Manager Sales Training Manager Regional Sales Managers Sales Training Manager District Sales Managers Staff Position Salespeople Line Position
Selling-Situation Factors and Organizational Structure
Organizational Structure
Specialization
Environmental Characteristics
High Envir. uncertainty
Task Performance Performance Objective
Nonroutine Adaptiveness
Centralization
Low Envir. Uncertainty
Repetitive
Effectiveness
Customer and Product Determinants of Sales Force Specialization
Customer Needs Different
MarketDriven Specialization GeographyDriven Specialization Product/MarketDriven Specialization ProductDriven Specialization
Simple Product Offering
Complex Range of Products
Customer Needs Similar
Geographic Sales Organization
National Sales Manager
Sales Training Manager
Eastern Region Sales Manager
Western Region Sales Manager
Zone Sales Managers (4)
Zone Sales Managers (4)
District Sales Managers (20)
District Sales Managers (20)
Salespeople (100)
Salespeople (100)
Product Sales Organization
National Sales Manager
Office Equipment Sales Manager
Office Supplies Sales Manager
District Sales Managers (10)
District Sales Managers (10)
Salespeople (100)
Salespeople (100)
Market Sales Organization
National Sales Manager
Commercial Accounts Sales Manager Sales Training Manager Zone Sales Managers (4) District Sales Managers (25) Salespeople (150) District Sales Managers (5) Salespeople (50) Government Accounts Sales Manager
Functional Sales Organization
National Sales Manager
Field Sales Manager Regional Sales Managers (4) District Sales Managers (16) Salespeople (160)
Telemarketing Sales Manager District Sales Managers (2) Salespeople (40)
Identifying Major Accounts
Large Size of Account
Large Account
Major Account
Regular Small Account
Complex Account
Simple Complex Complexity of Account
Major Accounts Options
Develop Major Account Salesforce
Assign Major Accounts to Sales Managers
Assign Major Accounts to Salespeople along with Other Accounts
Comparison of Sales Organization Structures
Organizational Structure Advantages
• Low Cost • No geographic duplication • No customer duplication • Fewer management levels
Disadvantages
• Limited specialization • Lack of management control over product or customer emphasis
Geographic
Product
• Salespeople become experts • High cost in product attr. & applications • Geographic duplication • Management control over • Customer duplication selling effort
Comparison of Sales Organization Structures
Organizational Structure Advantages
• Salespeople develop better understanding of unique customer needs • Management control over selling allocated to different markets
Disadvantages
Market
• High cost • Geographic duplication
Functional
• Efficiency in performing selling activities
• Geographic duplication • Customer duplication • Need for coordination
Hybrid Sales Organization Structure
National Sales Manager
Commercial Accounts Sales Manager
Government Accounts Sales Manager
Major Accounts Sales Manager
Regular Accounts Sales Manager
Office Equipment Sales Manager
Office Supplies Sales Manager
Field Sales Manager
Telemarketing Sales Manager
Western Sales Manager
Eastern Sales Manager
Salesforce Deployment
Sales Force deployment decisions can be viewed as providing answers to three interrelated questions.
1. How much selling effort is needed to cover accounts and prospects adequately so that sales and profit objectives will be achieved? 2. How many salespeople are required to provide the desired amount of selling effort? 3. How should territories be designed to ensure proper coverage of accounts and to provide each salesperson with a reasonable opportunity for success?
Interrelatedness of Sales Force Deployment Decisions
Allocation of Allocation of Selling Effort Selling Effort Sales Force Sales Force Size Size Territory Territory Design Design
How much selling effort is needed to cover accounts and prospects adequately so that sales and profit objectives will be achieved?
How many salespeople are required to provide the desired amount of selling effort?
How should territories be designed and salespeople assigned to territories to ensure proper coverage of accounts and to provide each salesperson with a reasonable opportunity for success?
Analytical Approaches to Allocation of Selling Effort
Easy to Develop and Use Single Factor Single Factor Models Models Low Analytical Rigor High Analytical Rigor
Portfolio Portfolio Models Models
Decision Decision Models Models Difficult to Develop and Use
Single Factor Models
• • • •
Easy to develop and use/low analytical rigor Accounts classified into categories based on one factor, such as market potential All accounts in the same category are assigned the same number of sales calls Effort allocation decisions are based on the analysis of only one factor and differences among accounts in the same category are not considered in assigning sales call coverage
Single Factor Model Example
Market Potential Categories A B C D
Average Sales Calls to an Account Last Year 25 23 20 16
Average Sales Calls to an Account Next Year 32 24 16 8
Portfolio Models
• Account Opportunity - an account’s need for and ability to purchase the firm’s products • Competitive Position - the strength of the relationship between the firm and an account
Portfolio Model Segments and Strategies
Competitive Position Strong Weak Account Opportunity High
Segment 1 Segment 2
Low
Segment 3
Segment 4
Decision Models
• Simple Basic Concept - to allocate sales calls to accounts that promise the highest sales return from the sales calls • Optimal number of calls in terms of sales or profit maximization
Sales Force Size: Key Considerations
• Sales Productivity - the ratio of sales generated to selling effort used
– In early stages, the addition of salespeople increases sales considerably more than the selling costs. As salespeople continue to be added, sales increases tend to decline until a point is reached when the costs to add a salesperson are more than the revenues that salesperson can generate.
• Salesforce Turnover
– Is very costly – Should be anticipated
Sales Force Size: Analytical Tools
The Breakdown Approach is used to determine the number of salespeople needed to generate a forecasted level of sales. This approach is easy to develop. However, it is weak conceptually. The concept underlying the calculations is that sales determine the number of salespeople needed—putting “the cart before the horse.”
Salesforce size = Forecasted sales / Average sales per person
Sales Force Size: Analytical Tools
The Workload Approach determines how much selling effort is needed to adequately cover the firm’s market. Then the number of salespeople required to provide this amount of selling effort is calculated. This approach relatively simple to develop and is sound conceptually.
Total selling effort needed Average selling effort per salesperson
Number of salespeople =
Sales Force Size: Analytical Tools
The Incremental Approach is the most rigorous for calculating salesforce size. Its compares the marginal profits and marginal costs associated with each incremental salesperson. The major advantage is that it quantifies the important relationships between salesforce size, sales, and costs. However, this method is difficult to develop, and it cannot be used for new sales forces where historical data and accurate judgments are not possible.
# of Salespeople
100 101 102 103
Marginal Contribution
$85,000 $80,000 $75,000 $70,000
Marginal Cost
$75,000 $75,000 $75,000 $75,000
Designing Territories
• Territories consist of whatever specific accounts are assigned to a specific salesperson. The territory can be viewed as the work unit for a salesperson. • Territory Considerations
– Trading areas – Present effort – Recommended effort
Territory Design Procedure
Select Planning and Control Unit
Analyze Planning and Control Unit Opportunity
Form Initial Territories
Assess Territory Workload
Finalize Territory Design
doc_427081684.ppt
covers in detail the structures of typical sales organizations.
Sales Organization Structure and Sales Force Deployment
Setting the Stage
Strategy and Sales Organization Structure: IBM
1. What is one of the key changes IBM made to the structure of its sales organization? 2. What change did IBM make to the way its salespeople and sales managers interact?
Sales Organization Concepts
Specialization
The degree to which individuals perform some of the required tasks to the exclusion of others. Individuals can become experts on certain tasks, leading to better performance for the entire organization.
Centralization
The degree two which important decisions and tasks performed at higher levels in the management hierarchy. Centralized structures place authority and responsibility at higher management levels.
Sales Force Specialization Continuum
Generalists
All selling activities and all products to all customers
Some specialization of selling activities, products, and/or customers
Specialists
Certain selling activities for certain products for certain customers
Span of Control vs. Management Levels
Flat Sales Organization
National Sales Manager
Management Levels
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
Span of Control
Span of Control vs. Management Levels
Tall Sales Organization
National Sales Manager
Management Levels
Regional Sales Manager
Regional Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
District District Sales Sales Manager Manager
Span of Control
Line vs. Staff Positions
National Sales Manager Sales Training Manager Regional Sales Managers Sales Training Manager District Sales Managers Staff Position Salespeople Line Position
Selling-Situation Factors and Organizational Structure
Organizational Structure
Specialization
Environmental Characteristics
High Envir. uncertainty
Task Performance Performance Objective
Nonroutine Adaptiveness
Centralization
Low Envir. Uncertainty
Repetitive
Effectiveness
Customer and Product Determinants of Sales Force Specialization
Customer Needs Different
MarketDriven Specialization GeographyDriven Specialization Product/MarketDriven Specialization ProductDriven Specialization
Simple Product Offering
Complex Range of Products
Customer Needs Similar
Geographic Sales Organization
National Sales Manager
Sales Training Manager
Eastern Region Sales Manager
Western Region Sales Manager
Zone Sales Managers (4)
Zone Sales Managers (4)
District Sales Managers (20)
District Sales Managers (20)
Salespeople (100)
Salespeople (100)
Product Sales Organization
National Sales Manager
Office Equipment Sales Manager
Office Supplies Sales Manager
District Sales Managers (10)
District Sales Managers (10)
Salespeople (100)
Salespeople (100)
Market Sales Organization
National Sales Manager
Commercial Accounts Sales Manager Sales Training Manager Zone Sales Managers (4) District Sales Managers (25) Salespeople (150) District Sales Managers (5) Salespeople (50) Government Accounts Sales Manager
Functional Sales Organization
National Sales Manager
Field Sales Manager Regional Sales Managers (4) District Sales Managers (16) Salespeople (160)
Telemarketing Sales Manager District Sales Managers (2) Salespeople (40)
Identifying Major Accounts
Large Size of Account
Large Account
Major Account
Regular Small Account
Complex Account
Simple Complex Complexity of Account
Major Accounts Options
Develop Major Account Salesforce
Assign Major Accounts to Sales Managers
Assign Major Accounts to Salespeople along with Other Accounts
Comparison of Sales Organization Structures
Organizational Structure Advantages
• Low Cost • No geographic duplication • No customer duplication • Fewer management levels
Disadvantages
• Limited specialization • Lack of management control over product or customer emphasis
Geographic
Product
• Salespeople become experts • High cost in product attr. & applications • Geographic duplication • Management control over • Customer duplication selling effort
Comparison of Sales Organization Structures
Organizational Structure Advantages
• Salespeople develop better understanding of unique customer needs • Management control over selling allocated to different markets
Disadvantages
Market
• High cost • Geographic duplication
Functional
• Efficiency in performing selling activities
• Geographic duplication • Customer duplication • Need for coordination
Hybrid Sales Organization Structure
National Sales Manager
Commercial Accounts Sales Manager
Government Accounts Sales Manager
Major Accounts Sales Manager
Regular Accounts Sales Manager
Office Equipment Sales Manager
Office Supplies Sales Manager
Field Sales Manager
Telemarketing Sales Manager
Western Sales Manager
Eastern Sales Manager
Salesforce Deployment
Sales Force deployment decisions can be viewed as providing answers to three interrelated questions.
1. How much selling effort is needed to cover accounts and prospects adequately so that sales and profit objectives will be achieved? 2. How many salespeople are required to provide the desired amount of selling effort? 3. How should territories be designed to ensure proper coverage of accounts and to provide each salesperson with a reasonable opportunity for success?
Interrelatedness of Sales Force Deployment Decisions
Allocation of Allocation of Selling Effort Selling Effort Sales Force Sales Force Size Size Territory Territory Design Design
How much selling effort is needed to cover accounts and prospects adequately so that sales and profit objectives will be achieved?
How many salespeople are required to provide the desired amount of selling effort?
How should territories be designed and salespeople assigned to territories to ensure proper coverage of accounts and to provide each salesperson with a reasonable opportunity for success?
Analytical Approaches to Allocation of Selling Effort
Easy to Develop and Use Single Factor Single Factor Models Models Low Analytical Rigor High Analytical Rigor
Portfolio Portfolio Models Models
Decision Decision Models Models Difficult to Develop and Use
Single Factor Models
• • • •
Easy to develop and use/low analytical rigor Accounts classified into categories based on one factor, such as market potential All accounts in the same category are assigned the same number of sales calls Effort allocation decisions are based on the analysis of only one factor and differences among accounts in the same category are not considered in assigning sales call coverage
Single Factor Model Example
Market Potential Categories A B C D
Average Sales Calls to an Account Last Year 25 23 20 16
Average Sales Calls to an Account Next Year 32 24 16 8
Portfolio Models
• Account Opportunity - an account’s need for and ability to purchase the firm’s products • Competitive Position - the strength of the relationship between the firm and an account
Portfolio Model Segments and Strategies
Competitive Position Strong Weak Account Opportunity High
Segment 1 Segment 2
Low
Segment 3
Segment 4
Decision Models
• Simple Basic Concept - to allocate sales calls to accounts that promise the highest sales return from the sales calls • Optimal number of calls in terms of sales or profit maximization
Sales Force Size: Key Considerations
• Sales Productivity - the ratio of sales generated to selling effort used
– In early stages, the addition of salespeople increases sales considerably more than the selling costs. As salespeople continue to be added, sales increases tend to decline until a point is reached when the costs to add a salesperson are more than the revenues that salesperson can generate.
• Salesforce Turnover
– Is very costly – Should be anticipated
Sales Force Size: Analytical Tools
The Breakdown Approach is used to determine the number of salespeople needed to generate a forecasted level of sales. This approach is easy to develop. However, it is weak conceptually. The concept underlying the calculations is that sales determine the number of salespeople needed—putting “the cart before the horse.”
Salesforce size = Forecasted sales / Average sales per person
Sales Force Size: Analytical Tools
The Workload Approach determines how much selling effort is needed to adequately cover the firm’s market. Then the number of salespeople required to provide this amount of selling effort is calculated. This approach relatively simple to develop and is sound conceptually.
Total selling effort needed Average selling effort per salesperson
Number of salespeople =
Sales Force Size: Analytical Tools
The Incremental Approach is the most rigorous for calculating salesforce size. Its compares the marginal profits and marginal costs associated with each incremental salesperson. The major advantage is that it quantifies the important relationships between salesforce size, sales, and costs. However, this method is difficult to develop, and it cannot be used for new sales forces where historical data and accurate judgments are not possible.
# of Salespeople
100 101 102 103
Marginal Contribution
$85,000 $80,000 $75,000 $70,000
Marginal Cost
$75,000 $75,000 $75,000 $75,000
Designing Territories
• Territories consist of whatever specific accounts are assigned to a specific salesperson. The territory can be viewed as the work unit for a salesperson. • Territory Considerations
– Trading areas – Present effort – Recommended effort
Territory Design Procedure
Select Planning and Control Unit
Analyze Planning and Control Unit Opportunity
Form Initial Territories
Assess Territory Workload
Finalize Territory Design
doc_427081684.ppt