Motivating the Sales Force Not an Easy Task

Regardless of how good one's advertising, public relations, and other IMC programs are, for many companies, it is the sales force that is called on to close the deal—particularly those in the business-to-business market. As you might imagine, there is always a need for good salespeople, and companies do whatever they can to attract and

retain them and to motivate them to continue to do good work—regardless of the industry.

As the business environment changes, so too do the needs and wants of the sales force. In the past, when the salesman was the breadwinner, money worked well. By providing the sales force with the opportunity to earn more money by working harder, motivation was easily achieved. But now, times have changed. Dual-worker families, more emphasis on lifestyles, and more opportunities are just some of the factors that are resulting in more diversified salespeople and that explain why money in and of itself doesn't cut it like it used to. So companies have explored a number of options, as seen in the following examples:

• Jupiter Media Metrix. As the competition between Jupiter and its number-one rival

Forrester Research (both provide Internet research services) intensified, Forrester hung a sign in its headquarters' office inspiring employees to "Beat Jupiter." In response, Jupiter initiated a motivation of its own: leather boxing gloves in the lobby showcase of its New York offices. Each quarter, the sales rep who "scores the biggest knockout" against rival Forrester gets to autograph the gloves.

Hobart. The Ohio-based commercial food manufacturer—whose equipment is in the White House—outfitted the White House cafeteria on the TV show West Wing with its equipment. The product placement was well received by the sales force, but to add even more to the punch, the national sales force meeting was held in Hollywood and top-performing salespeople got to tour the set and meet actor Martin Sheen. As noted by Dean Landeche, vice president of marketing for Hobart, "It became the buzz around our campus for quite some time."

Guardian Life Insurance. Among the hardest groups to motivate are the sales forces of insurance companies. As noted by one ex-agent, "The industry is unique in a sense in that we are working with unmotivated buyers—people who have a need for what an agent sells, but do not believe they need to buy it yet. We all deny we are going to die." Keeping salespeople motivated is critical, and companies have taken various approaches. Guardian Life Insurance has created an online "university," available 24 hours a day, to provide its sales force with desired training. The company also holds regional motivational sales meetings and provides access to outside motivation sources. Sales reps demand, and receive, constantly updated information on "hot topics" to keep them as aware of trends as their increasingly sophisticated clients are.

Other companies have come up with their own incentives, ranging from money to trips to trophies. Mark McMaster, writing in Sales & Marketing Management magazine, suggests 51 possibilities, including:

• Have each salesperson bring a joke to the sales meeting.

• Hold a meeting where the only agenda item is popcorn.

• Rent a Porsche Boxster for use by the top performer for the weekend.

• Adopt an animal at the zoo and name it after the top achiever.

• Bring in a comedian for a 7 a.m. sales meeting.

McMaster provides another 46 possibilities, including playing games of tag, providing hotel upgrades, and encouraging practical jokes in the office. Interestingly, none of these include paying more money. Maybe money just doesn't motivate people anymore!

Sources: Mark McMaster, "51 Ways to Motivate Your Sales Force (on Any Budget)," Sales & Marketing Management, March 2002, pp. 30-31; Dana James, "Something in Common," Marketing News, May 27, 2002, pp. 11-14; Eileen Courter, "Keeping Your Sales Force Happy," Advisor Today, October 2001, pp. 50-58; Laurie Luczak, "Sock It to 'Em," Sales & Marketing Management, October 2001, pp. 57-64.

The Scope of Personal Selling The chapter ..jtene.r cLemorts^trates^ jus^t a fevv of tl.e ways organizations attempt to motivate salespeople and illustrates how they are integrating the personal selling function into the overall marketing communications program through the use of product placements, sales promotions, and other IMC tools. The changing marketplace has had a significant impact on how personal selling activities are conducted and how successful firms will compete in the future. In Chapter 1, we stated that while we recognize the importance of personal selling and the role it plays in the overall marketing and promotions effort, it is not emphasized in this text. Personal selling is typically under the control of the sales manager, not the advertising and promotions department. A study conducted by Sales & Marketing Management showed that in 46 percent of the companies surveyed, sales and marketing are totally separate departments.1 But personal selling does make a valuable contribution to the promotional program. As you can see by the introduction to this chapter, additional IMC tools are used in conjunction with personal selling, with the salespeople themselves often the receivers. To develop a promotional plan effectively, a firm must integrate the roles and responsibilities of its sales force into the communications program. Strong cooperation between the departments is also necessary.

This chapter focuses on the role personal selling assumes in the IMC program, the advantages and disadvantages of this program element, and the basis for evaluating its contributions to attaining communications objectives. In addition, we explore how personal selling is combined with other program elements, both to support them and to receive support from them.

Personal selling involves selling through a person-to-person communications process. The emphasis placed on personal selling varies from firm to firm depending on a variety of factors, including the nature of the product or service being marketed, size of the organization, and type of industry. Personal selling often plays the dominant role in industrial firms, while in other firms, such as makers of low-priced consumer nondurable goods, its role is minimized. In many industries, these roles are changing to a more balanced use of promotional program elements. In an integrated marketing communications program, personal selling is a partner with, not a substitute for, the other promotional mix elements.

Manufacturers may promote their products directly to consumers through advertising and promotions and/or direct-marketing efforts or indirectly through resellers |n the IMC Program and salespeople. (A sales force may call on customers directly—for example, in the insurance industry or real estate. But this chapter focuses on the personal selling function as it exists in most large corporations or smaller companies—that is, as a link to resellers or dealers in business-to-business transactions.) Depending on the role defined by the organization, the responsibilities and specific tasks of salespeople may differ, but ultimately these tasks are designed to help attain communications and marketing objectives.

Personal selling differs from the other forms of communication presented thus far in that messages flow from a sender (or group of senders) to a receiver (or group of receivers) directly (usually face to face). This direct and interpersonal communication lets the sender immediately receive and evaluate feedback from the receiver. This communications process, known as dyadic communication (between two people or groups), allows for more specific tailoring of the message and more personal communications than do many of the other media discussed. The message can be changed to address the receiver's specific needs and wants.

In some situations, this ability to focus on specific problems is mandatory; a standard communication would not suffice. Consider an industrial buying situation in which the salesperson is an engineer. To promote the company's products and/or services, the salesperson must understand the client's specific needs. This may mean understanding the tensile strength of materials or being able to read blueprints or plans to understand the requirements. Or say a salesperson represents a computer graphics firm. Part of his or her responsibility for making a sale may involve the design of a software program to solve a problem unique to this customer. Mass communications cannot accomplish these tasks. Personal selling plays a critical role not just in industrial settings but in the consumer market as well.

The great entrepreneur Marshall Field said, "The distance between the salesperson and the potential buyer is the most important three feet in business."2 Personal selling is important in selling to consumers and resellers. Consumer-product companies must secure distribution, motivate resellers to stock and promote the product, and so on.

Why is personal selling so important? Let's examine its role with respect to other promotional program elements.

Continue reading here: The Nature of Personal Selling

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