ABSTRACT

Sales effectiveness is often defined by sales revenue dollars. However, this data may oversimplify a complex situation. Many factors that drive sales are out of salespeople’s control such as territory and regional differences, management policies, competitors, and the product itself. It takes a skilled salesperson to make a sales proposal that addresses a potential customer’s needs. In fact, the salesperson’s role has been changing from product developer to relationship manager and from “solution seller” to consultant. Increasingly, order taking, service, technical support, and product expertise are not even handled directly by the salesperson. As a result, the salesperson’s status in the organization has changed. In 1992, all of the Chally’s world-class sales forces represented their own products. In 2012, however, the top sales organizations are all specialized sales and service companies that do not manufacture any products themselves.