Marketing Strategies For Selling And Sales Management

Summary

Although there is an abounding practice of research in selling and sales management, a considerable amount of knowledge rests on theories and paradigms that were forward-thinking in past decades. In order to keep up with a demanding marketplace, the paradigms and theories will need revision.

According to authors Rackham and DeVincentis:

Sales forces are caught in the middle. On one side, their customers have changed dramatically in terms of how they purchase and what they expect. On the other side, their own corporations have shifted, going through downsizing, restructuring, and cost cutting. Traditional boundaries such as those between sales and marketing have crumbled. Salespeople have to cope with more products, introduced faster with shorter life cycles, and less competitive differentiation.

Recently, researchers who have no discipline in the sales and sales management arena have furthered the idea that it is a necessity for companies to support customer value, therefore making it easier to implement marketing strategies. Customer value is defined the difference the benefit a customer sees from a market offering and the costs of obtaining those benefits. Not only do the most successful sales forces adapt quickly to critical change, but they also implement strategies for new customers, always generate new product and consistently seek areas in which performance can be improved. The authors used this article as a way to give insight on their view of changes that affect the practices of sales and management.

Analysis & Critique

In general, this article is very well written. Although the audience was not stated, I believe it was targeted towards personnel in the marketing and sales management arena as well as business ow...

... middle of paper ...

...r is a burden, I would have to once again disagree. In today’s society, technology is everything hence online shopping, emails regarding sales, etc. Only being able to speak from an outside perspective, I feel that the use of technology would make a marketer’s job easier. Can technology and customer expectations change rapidly? Yes, however I feel that if one knows their information from the beginning, adjusting won’t be hard when the time presents itself.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the main external environmental influences are technological advances, customer evolution, competitors, and ethical/legal. New advances and trends in sales are generating demand. With this demand come opportunities that necessitate new innovative approaches and swift adaptation on all ends of the sales management spectrum. Overall the article was thought provoking as well as eye-opening.