SALES MANAGEMENT Field Interview Report Format. 1. Schedule and conduct an interview with a practicing sales manager.

Transcription

1 SALES MANAGEMENT Field Interview Report Format The course project consists of the following three activities: 1. Schedule and conduct an interview with a practicing sales manager. 2. Write a thank you letter to the sales manager for the interview. 3. Present in class and submit a formal report using the format outlined below: GUIDELINES The sales manager interviewed should be a practicing sales manager directly supervising the actual daytoday operation of an outside sales force (not over-the-counter retail salespeople). The sales manager should not be someone to whom you are related. This project is designed to give the student prospecting and persuasion experience along with the actual interview and report writing experience. If you have a sales manager in mind that you would like to interview, but you are not certain that he or she would meet these guidelines, please check with the instructor. RECOMMENDED INTERVIEW PROCEDURE Use the Outline following as a guide and write the answers you get on a separate page during the interview. Cover the main topics listed but do not feel as if you have to restrict your interview to this specific set of topics. Allow for some very subjective, qualitative feedback from the sales manager. Most of them will cover the main topics in sales management without any specialized prompting. You may tape the interview (only with their permission, of course) and use it as a reference to write your paper. The report, however, is not a transcript of the interview, but a good summary and discussion of your interview based on the material covered in sales management class. A good tactic to follow is to start each major topic by asking a question like, "Let s start with your company. Could you give me a brief description of your company? Alternatively, perhaps, Could you tell me a little bit about your company? This topic gives the sales manager and you an opportunity to talk about a non-personal subject to get the interview started. Next, you might ask, "Could you tell me how you got to be a sales manager?" Usually once you mention a topic, you will find that the sales manager will have not trouble discussing the topic thoroughly. The additional questions under each heading are provided primarily for your benefit as an interviewer to keep the interview going smoothly, if they are needed. You might think of yourself as a member of the press trying to conduct an interesting, but especially informative interview for your audience. You want the person being interviewed to be comfortable and interested in discussing the topics you want to cover. You also want to project the image that you are a knowledgeable person in this area capable of carrying on an intelligent, informed discussion. 1

2 SUGGESTED INTERVIEW OUTLINE GUIDE These are possible questions that you might ask about each of the following topics. How you phrase each question is your choice. Part One. Sales Manager's Interview 1. Description of Sales Manager's company What product line(s) does the company sell? How big is the company? Does the company serve a local, regional, national, or global market? 2. Sales Manager's Background How many years has the sales manager been in sales management? Has the sales manager worked in a different occupation? Does the sales manager have experience as a salesperson? How many years has the sales manager worked for his/her company? 3. Recruiting and Selection Process Does the company have specific guidelines to determine when, how many, and what types of salespeople are hired? Is there a formal, written job description and qualifications for the sales manager to use during the recruiting process? What is the ratio of people contacted to those who are eventually hired? What selection tools does the sales manager have at his/her disposal to assist him/her in identifying and hiring good salespeople? Does the sales manager have any other functional department(s) (personnel, production, etc.) in the company that enters into the selection process? 4. Training Does the sales manager have a training program for recruits? When do the new sales recruits receive training? Who conducts most of the sales training? What are the primary subjects covered by the training personnel? What presentation techniques are used for the training? 5. Morale and Motivation How does the sales manager identify morale problems? What types of morale problems seem to be most common? What types of corrective action does the sales manager normally use to boost morale? How does the sales manager motivate her/his people? 6. Compensation How is the sales force compensated? (Straight salary, straight commission, or a combination)? Do the salespeople have the option of a drawing account? Is compensation used as a performance incentive? 7. Expenses What types of expenses are eligible for reimbursement? How long does the reimbursement process take? (Approximate lag time between when the expense occurs and actual reimbursement for the salesperson) 2

3 8. Quotas Does the sales manager use quotas to influence sales force behavior? What types of quotas are used? Does the sales force have any input into quota determination? 9. Supervision How does the sales manager supervise the sales force (direct or indirect supervision)? What roles do the compensation program, territory management, quota assignments, expense accounts, and sales analysis procedures play in the supervisory process? 'What types of reports does the sales manager use for supervision? 10. Planning Activities What types of planning activities, long and short-term, does the sales manager normally perform? (Company, local office, and/or the salespeoples' planning) 11. Evaluation of Sales Representatives How does the sale manager evaluate the performance of the sales force? How often and what methods/tools does he/she use? 3

4 Part Two. [Your Analysis of the Sales Manager's operation) 12. Based strictly on your interview, in your opinion: A. What did the sales manager like the most (activities, responsibilities, feelings of status, etc.) that he/she appeared to enjoy about his/her work? B. What did the sales manager dislike the most (activities, responsibilities, lack of positive feelings, that he/she appeared to dread) about his/her work? 13. Did you discuss the prospect of someone like yourself getting into sales management? If so, what advice did he/she give you to help you become a sales manager? 14. Based strictly on the limited view of the sales manager that you interviewed, answer the following questions: A. What was your general impression of the sales manager and the operation that he/she was running? B. Did you notice any glaringly obvious problems that the sales manager either did not notice or appeared to attempt to ignore? C. Considering your brief view of the sale manager's operation were there any obvious inconsistencies between the manager's responses and what you observed? D. What recommendations (if any) would you suggest to improve performance and/or reduce costs for the sales manager? Part Three. Thank-you letter to Sales Manager 4

5 FORMAL REPORT FORMAT Using the information obtained during the interview submit a formal report using the same headings outlined above. Use black text on white paper, printed, double-spaced with one-inch margins on all sides. Do not place your report in a binder or cover. Secure your report with one staple in the upper left-hand comer. Use a title page containing the course title, your name, the name and address of the sales manager's company, the sales manager's name and telephone number, and the date the interview was conducted. Use a table of contents and number your pages. The last page of the body of your report should be a copy of your thank-you letter to the sales manager for allowing time in his/her busy schedule for the interview. The project is not complete until the sales manager receives a satisfactory thank you letter. You may include additional material such as, company recruiting forms, company and product description brochures, promotional releases, sales results, etc. you feel contributes to the paper's value in appendices at the end of the paper. Refer to them in the main body of the report as (See Appendix A, B,). Papers should be from eight to twelve pages long, not counting the title page, table of contents, and appendices. Your report should include the following parts: Title Page Table of contents Part One Interview Part Two Your Analysis Part Three Thank You Letter Appendices (optional) 5