SALES MANAGEMENT FUNCTION

A sales organization performs the following functions:

• Analysis of markets thoroughly, including products and market research.
• Adoption of sound and defensible sales-policy.
• Accurate market or sales forecasting and planning the sales[1]campaign, based on relevant data or information supplied by the marketing research staff.
• Deciding about prices of the goods and services; terms of sales and pricing policies to be implemented in the potential and existing markets.
• Labelling, Packaging and packing, for the consumer, who wants a container, which will satisfy his desire for attractive appearance; keeping qualities, utility, quantity, and correct price and many other factors in view.
• Branding or naming the product(s) and/or services to differentiate them from the competitors and to recognise easily by the customer.
• Deciding the channels of distribution for easy accessibility and timely delivery of the products and services.
• Selection, training and control of salesmen, and fixing their remuneration to run the business operations efficiently and effectively.
• Allocation of territory, and quota setting for effective Selling and to fix the responsibility to the concern person.
• Sales-programmes and sales-promotion-activities prepared so that every sales activity may be completed in a planned manner
• Arranging for advertising and publicity to inform the customer about the new products and services and their multiple uses.
• Order-preparation and office-recording to know the profitability of the business and to evaluate the performance of the employees.
• Preparation of customer s record-card to the customer loyalty about the products.
• Scrutiny and recording of reports to compare the other competitors and to compare with the past period.
• Study of statistical-records and reports for comparative analyses in terms of sales, etc.
• Maintenance of salesman’s records to know their efficiency and to develop them.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF SALE MANAGERS

1.  Environmental analysis and marketing research-this usually involves monitoring and adapting to external factors that affect success or failure such as the economy and competition and  collecting data to resolve specific marketing issues.
2. Broadening an organizations/individuals scope-this involves deciding on the emphasis to place as well as the approach to take on societal issues and international marketing.
3. Consumer analysis-this involves examining and evaluating consumer characteristic needs and purchase processes; and selecting the group(s) of consumers at which to aim marketing efforts.
4. Product planning-this includes goods,services,organisations,people,places,and ideas-developing and maintaining products, product assortments(a set o all products and items that a particular seller offers for sale to buyers),product images, brands, packaging and optional features and deleting faltering products.
5. Distribution planning-this involves forming relations with distribution intermediaries, physical distribution, inventory management, warehousing, transportation, the allocation of goods and services, wholesaling and retailing.
6. Promotion planning-this involves communicating with customers, the general public and others through some form of advertising, public relations, personal selling and or sales promotion.
7. Price planning-this involves determining price level and ranges, pricing techniques, terms of purchase, price adjustments and the use of price as an active or passive factor.
8. Marketing management-this involve planning, implementing, and controlling the marketing program(strategy) and individual marketing functions; appraising the risks and benefits in decision making; and focusing on total quality.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF SALES MANAGER

1. Knowledge of: firm’s long and short-run goals and objectives, production process, consumer behavior, competitors
2. Functional skills: market forecast, design of sales organization, recruiting and selecting salesperson, training, budgeting, compensation, territory and quota design, sales analysis, developing sales approach, customer service, order processing, credit and collection, promotion
3. Administrative ability: planning, organizing, coordination, motivating, evaluation and control, communication
4. Leadership ability