Sales Management  was never more complex and challenging than it is today. Effective sales management is a critical initiative which aims to drive sales transformation or reduce operational costs. Simpler days of pushing wares into consumers’ hands have undergone drastic changes.

What is needed now is customer-focused sales management that calls:

• for in-depth knowledge,
• flawless execution in an atmosphere that encourages collaborative teamwork
• Faced with the pressure to cut costs, salespersons  have to pursue the sales force aggressively to increase productivity.

In days gone by, the process of selling was simple, hardly needing any high-tech management of the present times. Salespersons were marching the road most of the week. Cold calling was common, but people accommodate with salespeople simply because they were a window to innovative products and services available.

Fast forward to the age of Internet; does the Internet seemingly made salespersons obsolete? and had Sales management become quite a challenge? and is the focus now on helping consumers to make informed decisions?

The environment is extremely competitive today. Efficient sales management is greatly responsible for the success of any organization. Hiring and retaining proficient salespersons is the ultimate key for a flourishing business to stay at the helm. 

As the veteran leader R. H. Grant said, “A salesman, like the storage battery in your car, is constantly discharging energy. Unless he is recharged at frequent intervals, he soon runs dry. This is one of the greatest responsibilities of sales leadership.”

The leaders are not expected to tell their teams “what is to be done”, but rather, “how it is to be done.” Technology and social media have changed the concept of sales management and are responsible for breaking down the physical barrier between the seller and buyer.

Ideal Sales

Sales management has come to include all sale related activities, like advertising, recruiting, training, motivating, evaluating, market segmentation, identifying potential buyers, compensating personnel, product promotion, personal selling, distribution, information maintenance, pricing, and product merchandising.

Sales being a two-way process, personnel are rewarded financially, while the customer gets the good or service he or she wanted. Maintaining good customer relationship is another objective of the sales department.

Due to the ever expanding nature of business, computer technology has taken over most of the functions carried out with paper and pen. Sales management are hampered or facilitated by good verbal and non-verbal forms of communication.

Making successful sales presentation helps in building and maintaining lasting customer relationship. For this, knowledge about the company, product, customer, and competitors is a must. Sales managers should develop their leadership and their ability to audit the sales persons performance. Laying effective B2B and B2C plans can help companies to thrive and make progress by leaps and bounds.