Sales Force

About Sales Force (B)

What is the Sales Force? What is the Sales Process? What is the role of the Sales Department in the Company?

Posted: Nov 2007

Why we use the Sales Force term? Because every company ˝Sell˝. Whether it sells a product, service, idea or intellectual property. Or it is a service or consulting, or maybe something completely non-profit oriented, such as humanitarian organization. And ˝Force˝ because it takes strength and courage to make breakthrough in the market, among the crowd of competitors, that are fighting for the same customer base.

The sales process is very complex and is composed of several inter-connected and inter-dependant phases. It starts with identification of customer needs, continues with benefit presentation to customer, overcomes objections, and concludes the sales. All phases are equally important, because if we are not sure what does some customer needs, we can try to sell the wrong product to the wrong person for eternity, but we will fail.

Still, if we found what is the need of customer, and that might be our product, if we do not present ourselves to our potential client, we will fail. The Customer will simply go to our competitor, with similar product or service, but with better presentation.

And situation continues similar way down the process. If we have right customer and we have right product and presentation that sparks the interest of client, but he is still requesting more. If we do not succeed to overcome objections and close the sales, we are nowhere.

Today the market is dense and filled with competitors that fight for market that you consider to be your domain. Whether you have direct competitor with same or similar product ( basically the same product, similar price, different brand – e.g. different toothpaste ), substitute competitor that can provide product or service that can satisfy the same need but in different way ( fresh milk or powder milk ), or it is competitor that will invent something new that will diminish the interest for the whole category of products ( mobile phone replaced pager ).

The market performance is the result of activities of all departments in the company, from procurement, finance, development, production, warehouse, marketing and other supporting function, but the last department in the line that face the market is the Sales Force. The Sales is the part of the chain, which represent the whole company. Sales department is the ambassador of the company.

Modern companies are mostly sales oriented, so they put a strong stress on the development of strong sales department. Such a department is well organized, trained, paid, with the clear strategies, goals and objectives. At same time a lot is expected from the Sales force, since the whole organization, its strategy, the growth, development and existence depends on results and efficiency of the people from the Sales department.