Effective goals for self-leadership are those that are easy for salespeople to achieve.

Abstract

Selling and leadership both involve influence, so much of what is known about the new paradigm of transactional and transformational leadership can be suggested for enhancing the effectiveness of selling. Thus, as with transformational leadership, selling will be more effective when salespersons are both emotionally and intellectually appealing as well as considerate of their customers' needs. As with transactional leadership, salespersons will be more effective if they are clear about how the customer profits from concurrence with the salespersons' efforts and ensure that the benefits occur. Effective salespersons arrange to keep up-to-date with the customer's problems and needs. Salespersons can also exert important influence on colleagues inside and outside their firms.

Journal Information

As the only scholarly research-based journal in its field, JPSSM seeks to advance both the theory and practice of personal selling and sales management. It provides a forum for the exchange of the latest ideas and findings among educators, researchers, sales executives, trainers, and students. For more than 30 years JPSSM has offered its readers high-quality research and innovative conceptual work that spans an impressive array of topics-motivation, performance, evaluation, team selling, national account management, and more. In addition to feature articles by leaders in the field, the journal offers a widely used selling and sales management abstracts section, drawn from other top marketing journals. Emerging topics are addressed through periodic special issues devoted to such cutting-edge issues as CRM and sales force ethics.

Publisher Information

Building on two centuries' experience, Taylor & Francis has grown rapidlyover the last two decades to become a leading international academic publisher.The Group publishes over 800 journals and over 1,800 new books each year, coveringa wide variety of subject areas and incorporating the journal imprints of Routledge,Carfax, Spon Press, Psychology Press, Martin Dunitz, and Taylor & Francis.Taylor & Francis is fully committed to the publication and dissemination of scholarly information of the highest quality, and today this remains the primary goal.

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  • Explain the five sequential steps of self-leadership. As a process, self-leadership is composed of five sequential stages. First, goals and objectives must be set that properly reflect what is important and what is to be accomplished. In turn, an analysis of the territory and classification of accounts is conducted to better understand the territory potential and prioritize accounts according to revenue producing possibilities. With goals in place and accounts prioritized, the third step develops corresponding strategic plans designed to achieve sales goals through proper allocation of resources and effort. The next stage maximizes the effectiveness of allocated resources by incorporating technology and salesforce automation to expand salesperson resource capabilities. Finally, assessment activities are conducted to evaluate performance and goal attainment and to assess possible changes in plans and strategies.

  • Discuss the importance of thorough and effective planning. Success in any career has been described as doing the right things and doing them well. It is not simply the amount of effort that determines an achievement, but rather how well that effort is honed and aligned with one's goals. In selling, this is often restated as selling smarter rather than selling harder. That is, before we expend our valuable time and resources, we must establish our priorities in the form of objectives. Then, and only then, do we implement the strategic plan that has been specifically developed to achieve our goals in the light of the available resources and market potential that exist within our territory. Self-leadership translates to a process of first deciding what is to be accomplished and then placing into motion the proper plan designed to achieve those objectives.

  • Identify the four levels of sales goals and explain their interrelationships. There are four different levels of goals that salespeople must establish to maximize sales effectiveness:
    1. personal goals-what one wants to accomplish relative to oneself;
    2. sales call goals-the priorities that are set out to be accomplished during a specific call;
    3. account goals-the objectives relative to each individual account; and
    4. territory goals-what is to be accomplished for the overall territory.

    Each level requires different types of effort and produces different outcomes, and each of the levels is interrelated and interdependent on the others. Ultimately, each higher-level goal is dependent on the salesperson setting and achieving the specific goals for each lower level.

  • Describe two techniques for account classification. There are two basic methods of classifying accounts. In ascending order of complexity, these methods are: single-factor analysis and portfolio analysis (also referred to as two-factor analysis).
    • Single-Factor Analysis-Single-factor analysis, also referred to as ABC analysis, is the simplest and most often used method for classifying accounts. Accounts are analyzed on the basis of one single factor-typically the level of sales potential-and placed into either three or four categories denoted by letters of the alphabet, "A," "B," "C," "D." All accounts in the same category receive equal selling effort.
    • Portfolio Analysis (Two-Factor Analysis)-This classification method allows two factors to be considered simultaneously. Each account is examined on the basis of the two factors selected for analysis and sorted into the proper segment of a matrix. This matrix is typically divided into four cells, with accounts placed into the proper classification cell on the basis of their individual ratings ("high" and "low" or "strong" and "weak") on each of the two factors. Accounts in the same cell share a common level of attractiveness as a customer and will receive the same amount of selling effort.

  • Explain the application of different territory routing techniques. Territory routing plans incorporate information developed in the territory analysis and account classification to minimize unproductive travel time that could be better spent working with customers. Good routing plans minimize the backtracking and criss-crossing that would otherwise occur. Routing plans correspond to one of five common patterns.
    1. Straight line-With a straight-line plan, salespeople start from their offices and make calls in one direction until they reach the end of the territory. At that point, they change direction and continue to make calls on a straight line on the new vector.
    2. Cloverleaf-Using the cloverleaf pattern, a salesperson works a different part of the territory and travels in a circular loop back to the starting point. Each loop could take a day, a week, or longer to complete. A new loop is covered on each trip until the entire territory has been covered.
    3. Circular-Circular patterns begin at the office and move in an expanding pattern of concentric circles that spiral across the territory. This method works best when accounts are evenly dispersed throughout the territory.
    4. Leapfrog-When the territory is exceptionally large and accounts are clustered into several widely dispersed groups, the leapfrog routing methodology is most efficient. Beginning in one cluster, the salesperson works each of the accounts at that location and then jumps (typically by flying) to the next cluster. This continues until the last cluster has been worked and the salesperson jumps back to the office or home.
    5. Major City-Downtown areas are typically highly concentrated with locations controlled by a grid of city blocks and streets. Consequently, the downtown segment is typically a small square or rectangular area allowing accounts to be worked in a straight-line fashion street by street. Outlying areas are placed in evenly balanced triangles or pie-shaped quadrants, with one quadrant being covered at a time in either a straight-line or cloverleaf pattern.

  • Interpret the usefulness of different types of selling technology and automation. Properly applied, selling technology spurs creativity and innovation, streamlines the selling process, generates new selling opportunities, facilitates communication, and enhances customer follow-up. Salespeople must not only master the technology itself, but they must also understand when and where it can be applied most effectively. A wide selection of different-sized computers is at the center of most selling technologies. They provide the production tools for generating reports, proposals, and graphic-enhanced presentations. Spreadsheet applications and database applications facilitate the analysis of customer accounts and searching for information needed by customers. Contact management software enables the salesperson to gather and organize account information and schedule calls. Access to the Internet and World Wide Web provide salespeople access to an assortment of public and corporate networks that enable one to communicate, research, and access company information and training from anywhere in the world. Using pagers and cell phones puts salespeople in touch with customers, the home office, and even the family while traveling cross-country or just walking across the parking lot to make a customer call. Voice mail voids the previous restrictions of time and place that accompanied the requirement to make personal contact. Messages can now be left and received 24 hours a day and seven days a week. High-tech sales support offices provide geographically dispersed salespeople with a common standard of computing technology, access to software applications, and portals to organizational networks at offices around the world. Wherever they may be working, they have the tools and capabilities identical to those available to them in their home offices.

  • Delineate six skills for building internal relationships and teams.
    1. Understanding the Other Individuals-Fully understanding and considering the other individuals in the partnership is necessary to know what is important to them. What is important to them must also be important to the salesperson if the partnership is to grow and be effective.
    2. Attending to the Little Things-The little kindnesses and courtesies are small in size, but great in importance. Properly attended to and nurtured, they enhance the interrelationships. However, when neglected or misused, they can destroy the relationship very quickly.
    3. Keeping Commitments-We build hopes and plans around the promises and commitments made to us by others. When a commitment is not kept, disappointment and problems result and credibility and trust suffer major damage that will be difficult or impossible to repair.
    4. Clarifying Expectations-The root cause of most relational difficulties can be found in ambiguous expectations regarding roles and goals. By clarifying goals and priorities as well as who is responsible for different activities up front, the hurt feelings, disappointments, and lost time resulting from misunderstandings and conflict can be prevented.
    5. Showing Personal Integrity-Demonstrating personal integrity generates trust. Be honest, open, and treat everyone by the same set of principles.
    6. Apologizing Sincerely When a Mistake Is Made-It is one thing to make a mistake. It is another thing to not admit it. People forgive mistakes, but ill intentions and cover-ups can destroy trust.
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    When salespeople do not set clear goals and objectives?

    When salespeople do not set clear goals and objectives: they drift from task to task. Which of the following describes a leapfrog routing plan? It is a territory routing plan in which the salesperson begins in one cluster and works each of the accounts at that location and then jumps to the next cluster.

    What are the four levels of sales goals?

    personal goals-what one wants to accomplish relative to oneself; sales call goals-the priorities that are set out to be accomplished during a specific call; account goals-the objectives relative to each individual account; and. territory goals-what is to be accomplished for the overall territory.

    Are relationships salespeople have with other individuals in their own company?

    External relationships are relationships salespeople have with other individuals in their own company. A salesperson's success depends on the degree of support he or she receives from others in the various functional areas of an organization.

    Which of the following stages of self leadership is referred to as beginning with the end in mind?

    First, goals and objectives must be set that properly reflect what is important and what is to be accomplished. Establishing priorities by setting goals and objectives is the key to effective self-leadership. This first stage of self-leadership has been appropriately referred to as "beginning with the end in mind."