Leading the Sales Force
A Dynamic Management Process

A guide for sales managers, presenting an integrative vision of the complex sales force system.

René Y. Darmon (Author)

9780521848343, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 7 December 2006

398 pages, 28 tables
25.3 x 18 x 2.7 cm, 0.954 kg

'Professor Darmon has crafted an unusual and provocative book on the theory and practice of salesforce management. The book is unique in several ways. It develops an integrated, problem-solving framework that emphasizes both the economic and behavioral methodologies for addressing critical salesforce decisions such as the determination of quotas and bonus rates. In addition, the book extends the salesforce literature by developing a number of new theories to be empirically tested in the future. Overall Professor Darmon's book adds significantly to the theoretical and practical literatures on salesforce management and should be read by multiple audiences including business practitioners, senior executives, and serious academics.' Professor Sharan Jagpal, Rutgers University

How should a sales force be managed effectively? Like aircraft pilots, managers must analyse information and make interconnected decisions in order to accomplish their missions. This book provides an integrative vision of a sales manager's function, using the concept of a dynamic sales force management process. This process adds a new dimension to the 'classical' conception of sales force management, showing how sales managers can be more effective when they develop and maintain a holistic vision. The first part of the book describes the key actors and their roles, while the second part examines the tools used to implement the dynamic sales force management process. René Y. Darmon shows how this process relies on a clear vision of successive sales missions to be accomplished over time by all members of a sales team, as they develop strategies and tactics which contribute to fulfilling the firm's overall aims.

Figures
Tables
Preface
1. Introduction to the dynamic sales force management process
Part I. The Actors Of The Process And Their Roles: 2. Buyers: key actors of the process
3. Dynamic customer relationship management processes
4. Salespeople: intermediaries in the dynamic management process
5. Sales managers: leaders of the dynamic management process
6. The changing environment of the dynamic management process
Part II. Tools For Implementing The Process: The Command Center: 7. Controlling the overall selling effort
8. Tools for controlling centralized processes: specific objective programs
9. Tools for controlling decentralized processes: directional objective programs
10. Controlling effort quality improvement programs
11. Using dashboards and organizing information flows
Conclusion
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Customer services [KJSU], Sales & marketing [KJS], Sales & marketing management [KJMV7], Personnel & human resources management [KJMV2]