Sales Management

A Comparison of the Sales Cultures between Tickford Flexible Products and Samuel Jones Ltd A sales culture within any organization is defined based on the predetermined strategic objectives. A good sales culture will promote customer-company relationship hence creating brand loyalty effective for business growth. An organization that lacks an effective sales culture will always have increased customer complaints and lower sales performance. A company’s sales culture is directed at driving the thinking efforts towards customer success. It calls for the instigation of an effective sales force that would improve the communication and at the same time ensure the company meets its goals and objectives of profit maximization. Drawing a comparison between the two companies, Tickford Flexible Products and Samuel Jones Ltd before acquisition, the two sales cultures tend to show clear lines of differences (Baldauf et al, 2002). To have a comparative analysis, the stepping-stone is to gain a better understanding of what makes up a sales culture.

The introduction began by giving a definition while the second part will seek to outline the qualities of an effective sales culture. An organization seeking to have an effective sales culture should put both the sales force and the customer at the center of its activities. The sales force is always in constant communication with the customers while customers look for maximum satisfaction. Having the right sales force calls for an analysis of the employee’s personality and level of agreeableness. Sales managers stand in between as intermediaries in order to gain a better understanding of their employees for an effective working atmosphere (Donaldson, 2007). The difference in culture of the two companies is depicted in the behavior of Romano Pitesti. A closer analysis of the conversation ensuing between him and his boss David is a depiction of two diverse cultures in existence.

Tickford shows some form organization and structures to being followed by each employee within the organization, a policy that was absent in Samuel Jones Ltd. The case describes Jones as a very gullible person, who always signed anything that came on his table without a question. Through this, the sales force benefited a lot registering close to 20-25% commissions of their total annual pay, something absent in the current company. In Samuel Jones, the car usage was applicable to very few persons hence there were no formal procedures governing car usage, yet the current firm focuses on fixed expenses on car usage. The statement portrays that the business valued maintenance of costs for the sake of profit maximization. Even with such benefits, Samuel Jones Ltd still registered low profits raising the question as whether the culture of the organization favored customers.

The analysis shows that the sales force was being motivated, but they were not reflecting it on the customers. It directly affected the sales of the company, which were constantly decreasing. Tickford formed a new organizational structure, with the incorporation of a sales manager consumer product department. David Courtney was the newly appointed manager in a position he had juvenile experience handling. Part of his previous employment centered on working with sales forecasts and analyzing markt trends (Honeycutt et al, 2003). The new structure is sound, but the employees placed in the department differ in thoughts and experience. Romano Pitesti needs a supervisor who has worked with Tickford for some time, in order to align him with the culture of the company.

The two were co-workers in the previous employment, earning equal amounts of compensation. In the newly formed company, Romano regards him as a junior supervisor making it difficult for him to control his behavior. For the sake of the company staff and the customers, Tickford will have to do a reshuffle in order to curb Romano’s behavior. His attitude affects the company employees, who register reduced productivity levels due to excessive employment-related stress. It calls for a documentation of additional company policies, rules, and procedures to control the behavior (Johnston & Marshall, 2013) Employee Behavioral Analysis and Job Abilities

The conversation between David and Romano portrays some leadership weaknesses. Sales managers need to have diagnostic skills, which are assistive in analyzing the nature of the problem or opportunity in question. They need to recognize their legitimate power, which is essential in coercing and rewarding to gain submission and improve organizational performance. The position calls for a mastering of leadership concepts and supervision skills in order to have smooth internal operations directed towards the accomplishment of the company’s goals and objectives. Tickton Flexible Products Ltd employees did not welcome the acquisition process between the two companies positively since they associated it with extreme diversification (Ingram et al, 2012).

Samuel Jones employees were unhappy with the positions they held within the company since they felt demeaned by reporting to lower level managers. It led to divisions within departments in the organization and people complaining about each other. Romano’s individualistic behavior contributed heavily to the scuffles that were ensuing in the company. Jack Simpson, the then sales director, had received complaints about Pitesti’s behavior. He directed Courtney to talk to Romano concerning the continuous occurrence of the behavior. David portrays a high level of submission by failing to stand on company rules and policies; he fails to control Romano’s character even in the obvious circumstances. In the conversation David details problems being experienced within the organization yet his junior employee is unable to recognize that (Mensah, 2010).

Pitesti shows outright conflict of interest by mixing working time and fulfilling his personal goals. He is unable to plan his time effectively and fails to work on his reports within the required time graphs. David, on the other hand, shows gullibility by accepting Pitesti’s views, a sign that he has no factual or documented proof of whatever he says. The actions of David towards Pitesti are a reflection of a person who lacks clear communication structure and channels of receiving information. The conversation portrays David Courtney’s inabilities to deploy his authority. Sales managers maintain their stance and sometimes coerce to enhance and promote organizational growth. Since the employee and the customers are the center point of the organization, the purpose is to create a system that will create a fertile ground towards profit maximization, cost minimization, and market growth. There is a possibility of attainment if all the employees understand the mission and vision of the organization.

David’s failure to clarify the expectations and organizational policies made it difficult for him to solve the problem caused by one of his employees (Schwartz, 2006). He failed to apply the necessary abilities, to unravel the intent of Pitesti. It becomes difficult to work even as a team since he lacks the holistic ability to harness the members together, which are add-ons to the existing managerial requirements. Additionally, a sales manager should be in a position to motivate the efforts of his juniors, which he has never done. Pitesti complains that David has never recognized his achievements yet he is quick at looking at his mistakes. Such weaknesses directly affect his ability to handle the needs of both the customers and the employees (Schwartz, 2006). The weaknesses portrayed by David are to the advantage of Romano Pitesti. The latter has a persuasive talk and describes his salesperson abilities. Though he has been demonstrating some conflict-related characteristics within the organization, he can work effectively to meet the organizational goals. Additionally, his persuasive skills are the type of communication abilities attached to a sales manager.

He depicts this through his conversation; he was able to acquire new customers such as the Milan export order. The possible implications of such behaviors and actions are detrimental to the organization. The purpose of leadership is to align the goals and objectives of the sales people to those of the organization. It calls for sales managers to obtain a balance and consistency within the two spheres. Courtney’s inability to portray his leadership skills bring negative effects to the company in that he failed in anticipating problems related to his vicinity of management. He lacks the ability to seek and obtain substantive feedback from his juniors, which is vital in problem diagnosis. Pitesti’s behavior can affect teamwork within the organization, vital for the achievement of goals and objectives. His individualistic character and extravagant behavior go against the established policies and procedures of the company. Such wayward behavior may damage the overall morale of the workforce. This is because the status demands maintenance of expected behaviors throughout the terms of employment (Honeycutt et al, 2003; Cron, 2009).

Organizational Work Plans to Improve Internal Operations
The action plan for Davis should be directed at improving the performance in his current position. A sales manager should have effective management and leadership skills, aimed at controlling employee behavior and improving performance. The action plan should be specific; that is; it should meet the SMART objectives. David needs adequate training in this area of weakness, in order to control such behaviors. As previously stated, the action plan should be spread enough to obtain a balance between the technical and managerial abilities of the sales manager. A continuous review should be put instigated, to ascertain if the predefined objectives are being achieved (Johnston, M. & Marshall, 2013). Romano Pitesti is an effective employee though his behavior portrays immaturity and lack of respect for the authority. The action plan should focus on controlling his workplace character since such behavior disrupts workplace productivity. Additionally, such an employee can intimidate co-workers and even corrupt a team within the company.

The action plan should include the following steps; a documentation of the behavior, which can encompass a vivid description of the incident, the person who reported it and even the dates. The second part calls for an evaluation of the behavior; if it is directed to the manager, coworkers or the whole workforce. An analysis of the aggressiveness should be conducted and if the employee is experiencing personal problems that could be causing the behavior (Donaldson, B. 2007). The third part is a review of the company’s employee guidelines for the disciplinary process, which are rules, the standard operating procedures, and the norms. They give a clear direction for the action to be taken under different disciplinary circumstances. The fourth step is to contact the human resource department for further support and guidance. The fifth part involves the disciplinary action, which is based on the documentation, evaluation remarks, and the company guidelines.

The two action plans need active participation of both the sales director and the human resource department. In this case, the sales director has adequate information pertaining to the problems within the newly formed Department. He learned this through continuous employee complaints concerning Pitesti’s character and attitude towards fellow employees. Under such circumstances, the top departmental supervisors are directly involved in creating a harmonious working environment, meant to achieve the company goals and objectives. In addition, the human resource department is vital in ensuring a corrective action is established as per the recommendation laid down by the company (Cron et al, 2009). According to Bliss & Thornton (2006), terminating an employee is a very challenging task that calls for concrete proof and documentation. They ascribe to the notion that the termination of employees comes after two consecutive warning unless it is a matter of urgency.

Such matters can engulf the company into legal unending tussles, which end up eating into the company profits. The case of Romano Pitesti calls for employment termination for the benefit of the organization. The automatic theory propagates outright dismissal of employees in cases of breach of contract pertaining to company policies. The conversation between Romano and his boss Davis is a clear depiction of a person unwilling to change and has no respect for authority. He portrays unwillingness in following company policies and has poor relationships with all departments within the company. The behavior negatively affects the company workforce, with higher probability of being diffused into the overall organizational workforce.

Reference List

Baldauf, A., Cravens, D. W., & Grant, K. 2002. Consequences of sales management control infield sales organizations: a cross-national perspective. International Business Review,11(5), 577-609. Cron, William L. and DeCarlo, Thomas E. Dalrymple’s Sales Management. 10th Edition. 2009.John Wiley and Sons. Hoboken NJ. pp. 451-454. Bliss, W. & Thornton, G. 2006. Employment termination source book : a collection of practicalsamples. Alexandria, Va: Society for Human Resource Management. Donaldson, B. 2007. Sales management: principles, process, and practice. PalgraveMacmillan. Honeycutt, E., Ford, J. & Simintiras, A. 2003. Sales management a global perspective. LondonNew York: Routledge. Ingram, T. N., LaForge, R. W., Avila, R. A., Schwepker Jr, C. H., & Williams, M. R. 2012.Sales management: Analysis and decision making. ME Sharpe. Johnston, M. & Marshall, G. 2013. Sales force management. New York: Routledge. Mensah, F. 2010. Sales management. S.l: Trafford Pub.

Schwartz, M. 2006. Fundamentals of sales management for the newly appointed salesmanager. New York: AMACOM.