ASSIGNMENT 4
BM410 Sales
Management & Practices
Directions: Be sure to save an electronic copy of your
answer before submitting it to Ashworth College for grading. Unless otherwise
stated, answer in complete sentences, and be sure to use correct English,
spelling and grammar. Sources must be cited in APA format. Your response should
be four (4) double-spaced pages; refer to the “Assignment Format”
page located on the Course Home page for specific format requirements.
Part A: You were recently promoted to a sales manager position for ABC
Company, whichoffers customized software for physicians, dentists,
and veterinarians. Unfortunately, you are now the sales manager for one of your
company’s least productive regions. After several weeks on the job, you become
concerned about the high rate of turnover. Three salespeople have resigned within
the last two months. Replacements are needed and there is little time to hire,
train, and deploy them in the field.
Upon further
review of the situation, you discover that two of the salespeople resigned
because they felt the sales organization was structured unfairly. They had been
assigned to geographical areas that were difficult, and their sales quotas were
not adjusted accordingly.
You know quite
well that replacing a sales person can be costly. In fact, the cost to the
company can be as high as $300,000 per bad hire because time and money are lost
in the process of recruiting, hiring, training, missed sales, bad
relationships, and firing. Before you begin your search, you want to be certain
that you have a well thought-out organizational plan and that you attract the
right people for these positions.
To help you
prepare your hiring plan, answer the following questions.
- Describe two (2) reasons why it is important
for firms to organize their sales activities into a specific structure.
- Describe one (1) disadvantage of
the current structure. Describe one (1) advantage and one (1) disadvantage
of a geographical sales structure.
- Which sales structure do you recommend
and why? Provide two (2) supporting facts.
Part B: Realizing that the right people for these positions could come from a
variety of places, you decide to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of
hiring from within the organization, through referrals, and by using
advertising methods. What are your opinions on the following?
1. What
are two (2) advantages and two (2) disadvantages of hiring internal candidates
for sales positions?
2. What
are two (2) benefits of hiring people referred to the company by friends or
relatives?
3. Discuss
one (1) difference between the kinds of applicants that will come in from a
newspaper ad versus postings on online job boards. Does this difference
indicate anything about future job performance?
Part C: You have just finished a series of interviews with a person who you
feel is an excellent candidate for one of your firm’s open sales position. She
has a 3.4 grade point average and a marketing degree. The candidate has
excellent communication skills, held a part-time sales job throughout college
to help pay for school, and was an officer in the sales fraternity on campus.
She will definitely make a great entry-level salesperson at your company. Your
only concern is that another company will offer her a job before you do! Before the candidate is offered a job, your
company requires that a few of the applicant’s references be checked. During
the process, you discover that your ideal candidate lied on her resume and
application. She was never an officer in the sales fraternity; she was only a
member.
1.
Given
the difficulty in finding excellent candidates, would you hire this candidate?
Provide two (2) supporting facts to justify your position.
2.
Would
your decision change if you also find out this candidate has several speeding
tickets? Why or why not?
Grading Rubric
Please refer to the
rubric on the next page for the grading criteria for this assignment.
This is
the end of Assignment 4.
