While written and direct personal communi- cations (including on the telephone) are still the most common communication means used in sales forces, some companies with specialist products and services have devel- oped sophisticated communications using audio, video and computer-based communi- cations. These can be developed with clients as a way of standardizing presentations, and demonstrating aspects of products hard to communicate effectively using traditional sales presentations and sales literature.
Sales managers know the beneÀts of com- municating through a variety of media to keep interest, and involvement and motiva- tion, higher within sales teams.
● Audio cassettes can supplement telephone contact where there is no need for complicated data to be communicated, or to accompany a sales bulletin. They are useful to motivate, and to communicate broad activity guidelines. They are particularly useful where direct personal field contact with line managers is lower than desirable.
● Video cassettes, while substantially more expensive to produce, provide an
excellent medium for showing products in trial and use environments. They are also used most effectively to communicate a company perspective to customers, conveying the history and heritage, innovativeness, production processes, and so on, helping a customer (and
salesperson) to relate to the supplying company. They also have great scope for development as a ‘talking bulletin’ where frequent sales meetings are impractical.
● Computers offer the scope to convey information directly by modem, or by disk, where complex data needs to be available and frequently updated and available to a sales team. Complex product data and pricing formulas can often best be held on a laptop computer. Compact disks can 92 Sales Management
Communication in the sales force 93
Competitive
activity
Personal
achievements
New
developments
Administration
Sales
results
Key account
activity
Promotions
and media
contain complete product ranges in pictorial format, letting a buyer see each product in his own office.
The modern sales manager needs training and experience in the use of computers in the business environment, as they also offer the most effective way of maintaining contact and controlling field operations over the coming years. Complete sales communica- tion, data transfer, customer account manage- ment and Àeld sales reporting packages are
all available now, although generally only used by major corporations. The use of com- puter packages greatly reduces the need for paperwork, and can reduce the time a sales team must allocate to paperwork processes and reporting, with a resultant cost beneÀt. Everything from customer records through pre-agreeing call objectives, and optimizing journey planning right through to sales reporting and performance monitoring can be managed with the use of computers. 94 Sales Management
Table 7.1 An example of a monthly activity summary
Monthly promotion activity summary Month: December
Promotions
Blue Mountain ● Blue Mountain theme nights in key on-trade (clubs, bars, etc.) outlets. Bourbon ● Bar staff incentive: £1 for 5 bottle tops.
● Free bourbon tumbler with 1 litre bottle in supermarkets – off-shelf dis- plays
Media
Blue Mountain ● Press campaign: Sunday Globe, Sunday News (magazines), Daily Bourbon ● News (Thursdays).
● TV late evening spots (talk shows)
● Magazine advertisements: entertainment pages – Out On The Town, The Scene, Evening Echo (Fridays).
Key account activity
Continental Hypers ● Blue Mountain Bourbon off-shelf features in all A stores from 1/6 to 15/6. Free Glass Offer. All point of sale material approved.
Choice Supermarkets● Blue Mountain Bourbon special price reduction 50p: on-shelf feature with display material.
Supasave ● Blue Mountain Bourbon off-shelf feature in all branches 16/6 to 30/6. 60p price reduction. Supasave feature cards authorized. LoCost Cash & ● Blue Mountain Bourbon case discount £2.90 all outlets 3/6 to 15/6. Carries ● Off-shelf features. Point of sale material allowed.
Brady’s Breweries ● Blue Mountain Bourbon theme nights to be agreed locally by sales- person, with promoters, and lucky draw for free bottle each night; one voucher given with each purchase.
● 2 for 1 Happy Hour all outlets 7/6 to 21/6. Point of sale material supplied.
Monthly promotion activity summary Month: December
Communication in the sales force 95
Checklist 7.1
Communications
Action points What to communicate Essential information:● Everything the salesperson needs to know to perform basic job functions
● Impacts on the sales team’s ability to comply with procedures or implement programmes
● Affects their ability to perform responsibilities and duties
● Provides feedback and measurement against standards of performance, forecasts, targets, goals and objectives Optional information:
● Adds to an understanding of the company and its operations
● Improves the understanding of the marketplace and working environment
● Provides a source of personal training and development Whom to communicate with
● Everyone who establishes a ‘need to know’ the contents of a communication in order to perform job functions in the sales organization
● Persons required to take personal action on communications or to direct others to take action
● Persons who need access to the content of a communication for information purposes
Style of communication
● Formal communications, such as in letters, memoranda and bulletins and meetings
● Informal communications, such as over the telephone, in casual meetings at the office, or in kerbside discussion in the field.
● Formal and informal communications need to be: empathetic, sincere, informative, clear, concise, meaningful and simple. Communication guidelines
● Avoid the arbitrary issuing of orders, instructions or information without supporting explanation
● Face to face communication is preferable:
● – where the subject of the communication is better treated as an informal matter, and not involving any data or detail where the subject of a communication is not good news.
96 Sales Management
Checklist 7.1 continued Action points
● Written communications are preferable:
● – where a communication sets out policies, procedures and practices, or relates to plans, forecasts, targets, performance feedback, standards of performance, product information, or anything that should be stored, etc.
● – where the purpose of a communication is to recognize achievement, personal praise might be supported by mention in a bulletin or letter.
Communication in the sales force 97
Checklist 7.2
Sales bulletins and memos
Action points The main uses of formal sales bulletins and memoranda to
salespersons are to:
● Issue instructions or guidelines for action, procedures, operating methods and systems
● Inform of events, developments, plans, policies, programmes, targets, forecasts
● Provide feedback on results and achievements against objectives, forecasts, targets, standards of performance
● Motivate salespersons to improved productivity and performance
● Confirm discussions and agreements, courses of action and projects
● Give recognition to achievers of noteworthy results. Bulletin content and structure
The length, content and structure of a sales bulletin will depend on such factors as:
● Its purpose (commented on in previous section)
● Complexity of the subject matter
● Experience and ability of recipients to assimilate data
● Intended impact the communication should have on recipients
● The environment it will be received in Typically sales bulletins communicate:
● Current promotional or advertising activity
● Sales activity priorities
● Key account activity
● Competitive activity and general market information
● Company performance data
● Introduction of new recording systems or procedures
● New product developments
● Changes in product specifications, recipes, formulas