The organization of the sales force entails the structure that has been adopted by a certain sales force in an organization. Some sales force may be less structured while others may have complex structures.
In addition, the structuring of a sales force may also be in terms of a centralized sales force and a decentralized workforce. The organization of the sales force helps the organization to choose the channel, which will be most appropriate in marketing the products. While organizing the workforce, the chosen channel should be structured in a way that meets the conditions in the market.
The organization of the sales workforce also determines the assigning of roles to the workforce. The sales workforce should be assigned roles that will enhance the organization’ success in the market. H2pro should also organize the sales workforce according to the customers’ needs in the market.
Type of Structure
The type of organizational structure refers to the delegation of authority and power in the organization, as well as assigning of roles and duties that each employee should undertake. Line and staff structure encompass having specialized services and activities being offered and carried out by certain members of staff.
For example, the organization can select specialists and supervisors who will deal with sales staff. The line supervisors have the power to command the members of sales staff who fall under their respective lines. The structure adopted by H2pro can be regarded as line and staff structure since supervisors have been assigned the role of overseeing various activities in the organization.
Span of Control
The span of control details the delegation of duties in the organization and how the various members of staff have been assigned various roles. The span of control in H2pro ranges from the Chief Executive Officer, the mangers at various levels, to the employees at the lowest ranks.
Line and Staff or Not?
The structure of H2pro can be regarded as that of Line and Staff; at the top of the organization is the owner who carries out the role of a CEO. There are also managers of departments such as the manager in charge of sales and marketing.
The human resource manager deals with the hiring of employees. There is also a manager in charge of inventions and innovations taking place in the organization. The manager in charge of public relations represents the organization in meetings and forums, which may take place either outside or in the country.
Sales Territories
Sales territories encompass the markets in which the firm wishes to carry out promotion for its product. A company defines the sales territories through identifying the potential market. Based on the potential market, it is easy to know the territories that the sales team will cover.
The best territories are the ones most likely to have potential customers. In the case of H2pro, the sales territories of the headphones include playgrounds such as places where people engage in competitions in such sports like swimming, football, as well as athletics.
Sales Force Size
The sales force size refers to the number of employees in the sales department who will take part in marketing the product. An organization should have adequate employees to carry out the sales function. The size of the sales force should be enough to cover the entire market and ensure that promotion for a product is carried out extensively.
Sales force training
Every organization that wishes to market its products to the target customers must train its sales workforce. Training the sales workforce ensures that they have the adequate knowledge about the product to be marketed. This way, they will convince customers and potential buyers that the product they are marketing is the best.
H2pro has to ensure that the sales team is well equipped with information about the headphones they intend to sell in the market. Members of the sales team should have adequate knowledge on the best ways they can communicate to the customers. This will ensure that customers receive the intended message concerning the product.
Training of sales workforce is essential as it will ensure that the sales team communicates effectively with customers, relate well to customers, and explain to customers about how the devices are used. During the training of the sales staff, it will be essential to train the team on how the wireless headphones are used. This will equip them with ways to answer some questions from the customers regarding the gadget.
The training of the sales team will also encompass sending the team to various markets where they will try to identify the best market to sell the product. The sales team has to be trained on how to convince customers of the need to use wireless headphones, as opposed to the use of wired headphones, which are the ones mainly circulating in the market.
The training of sales workforce ensures that the sales team gains knowledge on how to establish contact with customers. The sales workforce should develop a strong relationship to enable them market the product since the headphones are a new product in the market. The workforce should be trained on how to outdo the competitors in the market. This is because competitors may pose a significant threat to the marketing of the new headphones.
Training needs
Training needs encompass understanding the areas in which the sales team should be trained. While considering training needs, H2pro should identify the skills, knowledge, and abilities that the sales workforce should have in order to meet the requirements of marketing the product.
Through identifying the training needs, the organization will be equipped on how to allocate resources for the purposes of training and marketing of the product. In identifying training needs, H2pro should allocate the sales team resources that will enhance productivity.
Training needs should also identify gaps in knowledge and explore the best ways to fill these gaps. The other essential training need, which should be fulfilled by the sales team, encompasses equipping them with information about the prices of the headphones. This includes both the wholesale and retail price. This will ensure that the product is sold at prices, which customers can afford to purchase.
In order to ensure that the training needs are in line with the requirements of the organization, there should be an assessment of training needs. One of the ways to assess the training needs is through organizational assessment, which will help in determining the abilities, knowledge, and skills needed by H2pro marketing team.
H2pro should institute strategies of eliminating the weaknesses that may negatively influence the sales team. Another training need that H2pro should take into consideration includes assessing the members of the sales team individually. This way, it will be easy to know the capability of the workforce to conduct sales competitively. Assessing the members individually will also ensure that the organization knows weaknesses of sales representative and comes up with ways of dealing with these weaknesses.
Training needs also encompass exploring the ways in which the sales team will market the organization’s product. In the case of H2pro, the sales team should be trained on how to carry out promotions of the headphones. Having knowledge about promotions will enable the workforce to know how they can attract the target market, which includes sportsmen such as swimmers and athletes.
The sales workforce should also be taught on how to price the headphones in various markets. Another training need encompasses equipping the sales team with knowledge on how they can identify the potential market for the product. For example, they should know how to penetrate markets such as large cities, which may be holding sporting activities since such places can be promising markets for the product.
Training Methods
There are various methods that H2pro can employ in training their workforce. One of the methods includes hiring a sales coach who can help in pointing out vital sales issues. This method entails training and motivating the sales team.
A sales coach teaches members of the sales team the best methods to improve their sales techniques. The other method that can be used to train the sales staff encompasses teleconference training. Training through teleconferencing will ensure that members of H2pro sales team participate in conferences of sales training, which are taking place worldwide.
Another method that can be employed in training the sales team of H2pro includes role playing. This encompasses allowing some members of the team to assume the role of buyers while others will assume the role of salespersons. This method will enable the members of the sales team to portray their competencies, and how best they can carry out the sales.
The role playing method is also essential since it provides a salesperson the opportunity to learn from his or her colleagues. While using the training methods mentioned, it is essential that the trainer engages the team by asking questions and answering questions from members of the sales team. Participation of each of the members is essential as it enhances the success of the training program.
Training Program Evaluation
The evaluation of a training program is essential; it ensures that the targets set during the training of the sales team have been met. Evaluation of a training program also encompasses assessing whether the sales team has utilized the organization’s resources properly.
Training program evaluation entails tracking the success of the individual sales persons as well as assessing the success of the entire sales team. The effectiveness of the sales training program can be measured by looking at the performance of the organization. For example, if the sales team of H2pro helps the company realize high revenue from the sale of the headphones, then it can be concluded that the training program was a success.
The training program can also be evaluated through assessing the satisfaction of the customers; this is based on the feedback that customers give about the product. The ability of the sales team to meet the training objectives can also be used as a way of evaluating the training program.