Module Four

Sales Organization Structure and

Sales Force Deployment
 Merging Two Sales Forces
An Expert’s Viewpoint:
Zeneca and Astra were two independent pharmaceutical
companies that merged, forming AstraZeneca. Integrating
the two sales forces was a major challenge, for example,
Astra was more decentralized and Zeneca was more
centralized. The decision was made to develop a new
sales model that blended the advantages of centralization
and decentralization, and they decided to move to a
market-oriented sales organization structure.

Action
 Merging Two Sales Forces
An Expert’s Viewpoint:

Result

The new sales organization has been successful in

generating significant sales and market share growth.
Tony Zook, vice president of sales at AstraZeneca,
thinks that “by bringing together two winners, you can
create a champion.”
 Sales Organization Concepts

Specialization
The degree to which individuals perform some of the
required tasks to the exclusion of others. Individuals
can become experts on certain tasks, leading to better
performance for the entire organization.

Centralization
The degree two which important decisions and tasks
performed at higher levels in the management
hierarchy. Centralized structures place authority and
responsibility at higher management levels.
Sales Force Specialization Continuum

Generalists Some specialization Specialists

All selling activities of selling activities, Certain selling
and all products to products, and/or activities for certain
all customers customers products for certain
customers
Span of Control vs. Management Levels

Flat Sales Organization

National

Management Levels
Sales
Manager

District District District District District

Sales Sales Sales Sales Sales
Manager Manager Manager Manager Manager

Span of Control
 Span of Control vs. Management Levels
Tall Sales Organization

National Sales
Manager

Management Levels
Regional Sales Regional Sales
Manager Manager

District District District District District District

Sales Sales Sales Sales Sales Sales
Manager Manager Manager Manager Manager Manager

Span of Control
 Line vs. Staff Positions

National Sales Manager

Sales Training Manager

Regional Sales Managers

Sales Training Manager

District Sales Managers

Staff Position

Salespeople Line Position

 Setting up sales organisation

• Define objectives
– Quantitative and qualitative

• Delineate necessary activities

– Necessary activities
– Volume of performance

• Grouping activities into positions

– Closely related tasks assigned to same positions

• Assignment of personnel to positions

 Setting up …….

• Provision for coordination and control

– Span of control
– Formal or informal
– Out put is a written job description
– Job description
– Reporting, objectives , duties responsibilities,
performance measurements
 Selling Situation Contingencies
Selling-Situation Factors and Organizational Structure

Organizational Environmental Task Performance

Structure Characteristics Performance Objective

High Envir.
Specialization Non routine Adaptiveness
uncertainty

Low Envir.
Centralization Repetitive Effectiveness
Uncertainty
 Selling Situation Contingencies
Customer and Product Determinants
of Sales Force Specialization

Customer Needs Different

Market- Product/Market-
Driven Driven
Simple Specialization Specialization Complex
Product Range of
Offering Geography- Product- Products
Driven Driven
Specialization Specialization

Customer Needs Similar

 Geographic Sales Organization
National Sales Manager

Sales Training Manager

Eastern Region Sales Manager Western Region Sales Manager

Zone Sales Managers (4) Zone Sales Managers (4)

District Sales Managers (20) District Sales Managers (20)

Salespeople (100) Salespeople (100)

 Product Sales Organization

National Sales Manager

Office Equipment Sales Manager Office Supplies Sales Manager

District Sales Managers (10) District Sales Managers (10)

Salespeople (100) Salespeople (100)

 Market Sales Organization
National Sales Manager

Commercial Accounts Government Accounts

Sales Manager Sales Manager

Sales Training
Manager

Zone Sales Managers (4) District Sales Managers (5)

District Sales Managers (25) Salespeople (50)

Salespeople (150)
 Functional Sales Organization

National Sales Manager

Field Sales Manager Telemarketing Sales Manager

Regional Sales Managers (4) District Sales Managers (2)

District Sales Managers (16) Salespeople (40)

Salespeople (160)
 Comparison of
Sales Organization Structures
Organizational
Structure Advantages Disadvantages

• Low Cost
• Limited
• No geographic duplication
specialization
Geographic • No customer duplication
• Lack of
• Fewer management levels
management
control over product
or
• Salespeople become
• customer
High cost emphasis
experts
Produc • Geographic
in product attr. &
t duplication
applications
• Customer duplication
• Management control over
selling effort
 Comparison of
Sales Organization Structures
Organizational
Structure Advantages Disadvantages

• Salespeople develop
better understanding of
unique customer needs • High cost
Market
• Management control over • Geographic
selling allocated to different duplication
markets

• Geographic
• Efficiency in performing
Function duplication
selling activities
al • Customer duplication
• Need for coordination
 Hybrid Sales Organization Structure
National Sales Manager

Commercial Accounts Government Accounts

Sales Manager Sales Manager

Major Accounts Regular Accounts Office Equipment Office Supplies

Sales Manager Sales Manager Sales Manager Sales Manager

Field Sales Telemarketing

Manager Sales Manager

Western Eastern
Sales Manager Sales Manager
 Sales Organization Structures:
Identifying Major Accounts

Large Large Major

Account Account
Size of Account

Regular Complex
Small Account Account
Simple Complex
Complexity of Account
Sales Organization Structures:
Major Accounts Options

Develop Major Account Salesforce

Assign Major Accounts to

Sales Managers

Assign Major Accounts to Salespeople

along with Other Accounts
 Salesforce Deployment

Sales Force deployment decisions can be viewed as

providing answers to three interrelated questions.

1. How much selling effort is needed to cover accounts and

prospects adequately so that sales and profit objectives will
be achieved?

2. How many salespeople are required to provide the desired

amount of selling effort?

3. How should territories be designed to ensure proper coverage

of accounts and to provide each salesperson with a
reasonable opportunity for success?
 Interrelatedness of
Sales Force Deployment Decisions
How much selling effort is needed to cover
Allocation
Allocation of
of accounts and prospects adequately so that sales
Selling
Selling Effort
Effort and profit objectives will be achieved?

Sales
Sales Force
Force How many salespeople are required to provide the
Size desired amount of selling effort?
Size
How should territories be designed and
salespeople assigned to territories to ensure
Territory
Territory proper coverage of accounts and to provide each
Design
Design salesperson with a reasonable opportunity for
success?
 Allocation of Selling Effort:
Analytical Approaches to Allocation of Selling Effort
Easy to Develop and Use

Single
Single Factor
Factor
Models
Models

Low High
Analytical Portfolio
Portfolio Analytical
Rigor Models
Models Rigor

Decision
Decision
Models
Models

Difficult to Develop and Use

 Allocation of Selling Effort:
Single Factor Models

• Easy to develop and use/low analytical rigor

• Accounts classified into categories based on one

factor, such as market potential

• All accounts in the same category are assigned the

same number of sales calls

• Effort allocation decisions are based on the analysis

of only one factor and differences among accounts in
the same category are not considered in assigning
sales call coverage
 Allocation of Selling Effort:
Single Factor Model Example

Market Potential Average Sales Calls to Average Sales Calls to

Categories an Account Last Year an Account Next Year

A 25 32
B 23 24
C 20 16
D 16 8
 Allocation of Selling Effort:
Portfolio Models

• Account Opportunity - an account’s need for

and ability to purchase the firm’s products

• Competitive Position - the strength of the

relationship between the firm and an account
 Allocation of Selling Effort:
Portfolio Model Segments and Strategies

Competitive Position
Account Opportunity Strong Weak

Segment 1 Segment 2
High
Low

Segment 3 Segment 4
 Allocation of Selling Effort:
Decision Models

• Simple Basic Concept - to allocate sales

calls to accounts that promise the highest
sales return from the sales calls

• Optimal number of calls in terms of sales

or profit maximization
Sales Force Size: Key Considerations

• Sales Productivity - the ratio of sales

generated to selling effort used
– In early stages, the addition of salespeople increases sales
considerably more than the selling costs. As salespeople
continue to be added, sales increases tend to decline until a
point is reached when the costs to add a salesperson are
more than the revenues that salesperson can generate.
• Salesforce Turnover
– Is very costly
– Should be anticipated
 Sales Force Size: Analytical Tools

The Breakdown Approach is used to determine the

number of salespeople needed to generate a forecasted
level of sales. This approach is easy to develop.
However, it is weak conceptually. The concept underlying
the calculations is that sales determine the number of
salespeople needed—putting “the cart before the horse.”

Salesforce size = Forecasted sales / Average sales per person

 Sales Force Size: Analytical Tools

The Workload Approach determines how much selling

effort is needed to adequately cover the firm’s market.
Then the number of salespeople required to provide this
amount of selling effort is calculated. This approach
relatively simple to develop and is sound conceptually.

Total selling effort needed

Number of salespeople =
Average selling effort per
salesperson
 Sales Force Size: Analytical Tools

The Incremental Approach is the most rigorous for

calculating salesforce size. Its basic concept is to
compare the marginal profits and marginal costs
associated with each incremental salesperson. The major
advantage of this approach is that it quantifies the
important relationships between salesforce size, sales,
and costs. However, the incremental method is difficult to
develop, and it cannot be used for new sales forces where
historical data and accurate judgments are not possible.
 Designing Territories

• Territories consist of whatever specific

accounts are assigned to a specific
salesperson. The territory can be viewed
as the work unit for a salesperson.

• Territory Considerations
– Trading areas
– Present effort
– Recommended effort
 Territory Design Procedure

Analyze
Analyze
Select Assess
Assess Finalize
Planning
Planning and
and Form
Form Initial
Initial
Planning and
and Territory
Territory Territory
Control
Control Unit
Unit Territories
Control
Control Unit
Unit Workload Design
Opportunity
Opportunity