Salespeople are part of an overall team. When a salesperson tries to work independently, the results are not always very effective. This activity highlights an ineffective situation for a mobile home loan salesman for a bank. Review the situation – what can you recommend to improve the firm’s current sales … Continue reading...
Tag: people
Salespeople Incentive Schemes
There are a variety of incentive schemes that can be implemented in order to help motivate and reward salespeople. In this exercise you need to first calculate the total salary/incentive paid in each of the following payment structures. Then you need to determine which structure is the best approach.
What a Sales Manager Does?
As implied by his/her title, a sales manager is responsible for achieving targeted sales through the effective management of a sales team. In this activity, you need to identify (from the list below) what tasks that a sales manager actually does.
ACTIVITY/TASK
- Structuring sales bonuses
- Giving ‘motivational’ talks
- Phoning key
What a Salesperson Does?
For this activity, assume that you have just been appointed as a salesperson for a company that distributes ‘accounting software’ (that is, targeted at small to medium sized companies). On your first day in the role, your new sales manager tells you that he wants you ‘on-the-road’ selling in four … Continue reading...
Product Development Team Structure
Below are five different examples of how firms can structure their new product development project teams. Can you identify which team structure approach would be the most effective?
ACTIVITY/TASK
- “I go to a weekly product development team meeting – and from time to time I’m allocated some tasks to do,
Not Enough New Product Ideas?
The ability of firms to generate new product concepts is a key factor in new product success. Some firms appear to be more successful at this task than others. The firm below is not very good at it – see if you can identify why.
ACTIVITY/TASK
John:
Good morning … Continue reading...
Impact of Reduced Staff Empowerment
CRM success is highly reliant upon the motivation and performance of a firm’s customer contact staff. Considering this point, review the situation below – do you think that the management has made the right decision?
ACTIVITY/TASK
Assume that you have just started working at a supermarket, in their marketing … Continue reading...
Designing Internal Marketing
Assume you were the marketing manager for a bank and you are planning a major new product launch, with a substantial advertising and direct mail budget. As you need to rely upon the bank’s branch and call center staff to complete the sales, you will need to develop an internal … Continue reading...
Should we empower our staff?
Below is an excerpt from a manager’s meeting at a large department store chain. They are discussing the merits of introducing a system of greater staff empowerment. Unfortunately, there are good arguments both for and against and the team cannot decide what to do – can you help them?
ACTIVITY/TASK… Continue reading...
The Need for Internal Marketing
The following is an excerpt from a monthly ‘performance’ one-on-one meeting. Regular communication, teamwork, and individual motivation are important factors in the success of internal marketing. Review the following discussion. Who do you think is at fault? How can this situation be improved for the future?
ACTIVITY/TASK
Jackie:
Hi John, … Continue reading...
Need to improve Internal Marketing?
In this activity, you need to first review the following manager’s discussion regarding the disappointing performance of a marketing campaign. Given the information provided, identify where do you think the problem occurred? Does this firm need to spend more time and effort on its ‘internal marketing’ program?
ACTIVITY/TASK
Bill:
Our … Continue reading...
What CRM Tactics Should We Use?
For this exercise, assume that you are the marketing manager for a large hotel chain. You’ve been asked to put together a CRM program for the hotel’s major customers (which are mainly businesses and corporate executives). From the list of possible CRM tactics listed below, select six to ten … Continue reading...
Should we introduce a CRM program?
Assume that you work for a major department store. You have been asked to evaluate their idea for a new CRM program that they are considering introducing (see information below). What advice do you give them?
ACTIVITY/TASK
Let’s assume that work in marketing at an up-market (higher quality) department … Continue reading...
Internal Marketing: Changing the Corporate Culture
Often firms seek to modify their corporate culture, as part of their overall internal marketing program. For this exercise, assume you are a consultant brought into a Fortune 1000 firm with the project of dramatically altering the firm’s corporate culture in order to improve its level of marketing orientation. Your … Continue reading...
Impact of Management Values on Strategy
In this activity, a firm is deciding on whether or not to invest in a major new product. In order to illustrate the influence of top management values, the profiles of four different CEOs are presented. Your task is to identify whether the management style of the CEO would influence … Continue reading...
Assessing the Corporate Culture
Listed below is a series of statements made by employees when describing the way their firms motivate and deal with their staff. This gives a good insight in the firm’s corporate culture, which is a key aspect of the internal environment. Your task in this activity is to identify how … Continue reading...
