Definition
Sales force definition described as the muscles behind the marketing plans. Salesforce is referred to the management employees responsible for making the sale. Thus, these are called the mussels which are used to execute the marketing plans and strategies.
Another point that is included in the sales force definition is these forces operations include money-making or the profit generator for the business. It creates or brings business or included in the actual business of the organization.
Sales Force Meaning
The sales force is the employee force of an organization that is responsible for selling the products and services. The primary functions which are included in the sales force definition are the interaction with the customer.
They are responsible for communicating the details, information to the customers and gathering information in the form of feedback from the customer. Hence, the sales force is an important aspect of marketing management, customer relationship management.
Sales Force Management
Sales force management is subdivided into part of marketing management. As marketing part involves the designing and creating of marketing strategies. Whereas, it is the responsibility of sales force management to implement those strategies. Moreover, sales management is of the elements of the marketing process.
Because they implemented strategies they are called muscles of marketing management.
Sales force management involves personal selling, customer relationship management. Because of these reasons, sales force management is a customer-oriented department. And, one of the basic aspects which are described in of sales force is personal selling.
As the success of a business depends upon the performance of its salesperson. Moreover, how the build a relationship with their customers.
Objectives Of Sales Force
Sales force definition explains what are the reasons and objectives of a sales force. Sales managers are not only responsible for personal selling activity. But also they are responsible for managing a large and often diverse set of salespeople. Plus, they are also responsible for managing sales efforts within and outside companies.
Here are the objectives of any salesforce which are desired by the sales management:
Organization Growth
A very basic and primary objective of any organization is growing. As every organization working to grow and improve performance. So, it becomes a primary objective for the basic operation department i:e sales management to contribute to organizational growth.
Note: Organization’s growth is directly proportionate to the market share and sales volume.
With continuous growth in sales and improvement in marketing strategies organization tends to increase its market share, which results in the rapid growth of an organization.
Compliment Marketing Activities
As we discussed in the sales force definition, they are the muscles of marketing management. So, sales need to compliment the marketing strategies and planings.
For example: when marketing teams design strategies for sale or market test or brand promotion, they will only be successful when the sales force will implement those strategies correctly.
Moreover, complimenting marketing strategies includes implementing and getting feedback from customers as well.
Revenue Generation
Another important and necessary objective of salesforce is to create more revenue for an organization. With constant growth and increase volume of sales, the proportion of revenue also starts to increase.
And the most important and basic purpose of the sales force is creating or generating revenue for the organization
Market Leadership
Higher profits, revenue, sales are the results of how much an organization can achieve the market share. So, it’s important for a sales team to achieve and capture the maximum market share or to become the market leader to maximize their sales, revenue and growth.
For example, Jio has maximized its profits, revenue by becoming the market leaders in the telecom industry. As a result, they have maximum market share, revenue, growth.
Motivate the Sales Force
Another important job which counts in the sale force definition is that the employees or the force require to have motivated people. To so, sales managers requires to keep incentives, awards rewards, seminars, training. All these help in motivating the employees, so they can give their best performance.
Note: Number of incentives and rewards given mostly in the sales department.
Also, it is one of the HR-related roles of sales manager which they have to perform.
Increase in Sales Volume
A very basic and primary objective of a sales team is to increase the volume of organization sales. As, when the sales increase with the market share increases, with this revenue increases and there is an increase in the organization’s growth.
Sustained Profits
With increasing profits, sales and market share organization targets to achieve stability in the organization’ growth. According to the sales force definition sales management strives to increase sales and reducing costs, this ensures good profits for the organization.
Converting Prospects to Customers
Converting a prospect into a customer requires planning and creativity. The process, techniques and strategies are created and accomplished by the sales force management.
Converting the prospects increases the market share and there way toward market leadership. As a result, the organization achieve high sales, revenue and growth.
These were the objectives of the sales force that the organization set for the sales department to achieve the organization’s vision and mission. The objectives of the sales force predefine in sales force definition.
SalesForce Process
The process of communication between salesperson and customer seems simple and small. But, in reality, the process of selling and working of sales managers have more comprehensive and rich work.
Any type of selling either personal or online requires a lot of planning, preparation, and analysing before and after the sales has been done. As the sales force definition describes the requirement a salesperson is knowledgeable about the product and the product hierarchy of the organization.
Here is the entire process of which followed in sales management:
1. Pre-sale preparation
Before making sales every sales manager needs to gather information regarding the product and about the customer’s problems as well. Since customers face problems regarding the use of the product or purpose or details or features of the product.
So, a sales force needs to know about the product and they have to prepare and find solutions for customers problem. According, to sales force definitions sales-person, must prepare themselves regarding company, product, market, customers, environment, competitors.
Organization prepare provide sales and leadership training programs to develop skills for problem-solving and understanding customers demands.
2. Prospecting
After preparing themselves about the surroundings, products etc, now salesperson needs to find the prospects. Prospects refer to potential customers. Prospects are the people, who are unwilling, not have the ability, unsatisfied, Not knowledgeable about the product to buy.
As, the sales force definition describes salesforce find the potential customers from current customers, other sales-people, online actives, location targeting. Afterwards, the salesforce prepares the list of prospects, who have the willingness, power, and motivation to buy the product. So, the salesperson can approach them for sale.
3. Pre-approach
Once the salesperson has selected their prospects, now its time to prepare themselves for the sale. Sale preparation includes finding the customers problems, needs and wants. Afterwards, the salesperson finds solutions to customer problems.
Last, they prepare their presentation in such a way that it provides a solution and make a sale to the customer.
4. Approach & Sales Presentation
In the next step as the sale force definition describes the salesperson who contacts the customer. Contacting can be in form of face to face, phone, interview, the salesperson. The approach consists of two major parts. Obtaining an interview, and the first contact.
Once the salesman has sought and found potential customers and he has matched their wants with his product, he is ready to formally present that product to the customer.
The presentation can be: 1. Oral 2. Visual 3. Verbal A good presentation must be: 1.Clear 2. Complete 3. Confident 4. No Dimining of Competition
5. Post-sale activities
As the sales force definition describes the customer’s problems and solution. Post-sale activities include analysing performance.
Analysing what wrong and what good has been done on how to improve the sales force process to improve sales management and the organization revenue.
Another thing which counts in the post-sales activity is customer relation, post-sales services. To build strong relationships with the customer, it is important to provide post-sale service, ask them about their experience. It not only builds strong relationships with customers but also makes future sales with the customer easier.
Post sale Activity Must include: 1. Post-sale services 2. Feedback 3. Asking for any other requirement
sales force planning in sales management
Definition describes the sales managers have to plan their every step in sales management. Sales force planning incudes the objectives, barriers etc to how to create a call of action.
Careful sales force planing gives a much clear vision to the organization and a proper roadmap for the sales department to follow.
Here are the steps which sales force planning follows while doing:
Evaluate the current situation
A very first step an organization have to is to evaluate their current position. Evaluating their current position in the market or environment, helps them to understand what are the important and requirements for the organization in the current position.
For example: if an organization is having a great position, a good market share and have the ability to invest in more further projects. The organization can plan or set the objective in the next step of expanding according to Horizontal Marketing.
Define your objective
As we discussed earlier in the sales force definition it is important to lay down the objective for the salesforce to achieve. The objective is not only referred to as department objectives. These are ay down considering the organizational needs and requirements. Plus the objectives in sales force planning are mostly inspired by the mission and vision of an organization.
Knowing The Barriers
After knowing where the organization is heading towards, a manager should also analyse the barriers which can be proved as road blockers or disturbed the sales force planning. As we discussed in the sales force definition customers have issues with products. Similarly, a sales force faces barriers like competitions products, customers services, market environment etc.
SWOT Analysis
After the organization has known the barries which can cause the problems externally. Now, the organization should also know about the internal position of an organization as well.
For example: In our earlier example organization was desired to expand its operation. For that purpose, the organization conduct a SWOT analysis to identify the threats and opportune within the Sales management of the organization.
Create your sales call strategy
Creating a sales strategy refers to creating a plan to implement marketing strategies. As sales management are the muscles of the marketing management described in the sales force definition. So, in a sales force, the planning call designs a strategy in such a way that complements the marketing management strategies and plans.
Identify Needs
Once the sales team finalizes their strategy, then its time to identify the requirements which need to be present for the implementation of the strategy. Generally, the needs for implementing the sales force plan are related to:
1. Recruitment 2. Training 3. Technology 4. Funds
Requirements could also include a list of accounts. The important thing is to identify needs upfront.
Outline an action plan
Outlining the action plan which in the sales force definition explains including items such as finalizing pricing with your company before you make the sale. It is more like a to-do list that is done by the sales professionals to make a sale.
Let’s assume an organization has set the target of increasing the sales volume by 40%. And the marketing department set the marketing strategy as well to increase sales volume. Afterwards, sales management creates the call strategy- increase in sales of each salesperson by 7%. So, the action plan will be the individual plan which each employee creates to achieve their specific target.
Here were the steps which are included in sales force planning. It describes the sales force definition, meaning and its application in an organization.
Sales Force Example
Sales force example are some real-life examples of some industry which operates with big salesforce team in an organization. Here are a few sales force examples of some industry to give a more clear idea of sales force definition.
- Examples of consumer sales forces include automobile salespersons.
- Sales staffs found in a variety of retail stores.
- Salesforce of the Telecom industry focused on telephonic sales
- Another example of telephonic sales is insurance industry agents.
- The largest sales force are employed in industrial goods industries.
These were the few sales force examples of industries that helps to connect the theoretical knowledge of sales force definition to a real-life example.