Organising

the Sales
Force

Customer
Segmentation

Customer Offering

Sales Process

Sales and Marketing Channels

Sales Force
Structure

Step 1
Sales
Strategy

Step 2
Go To Market
Strategy

Sales Force Size

Assignment of Responsibilities

Step 3
Sales Force
Design

Sales Force Design

Process
Step 1: Determine Appropriate Sales Strategy

Segment Customers

Decide What Products to be Offered to Each

Segment

Sales Process Decisions

Sales Force Design

Process
Sales Strategy
Customer
Segmentation

Customer Offering

Sales Process

Sales Force Design

Process
Step
Define a2
Go to Market Strategy

Select Sales Channels

Internal Options

External Options

Sales Force Design Process

Step 2
Internal Options

Sales Force

Online Sales

Direct Mail

Telesales

Sales Force Design

Process
Step
External2
Options

Distributors

Retailers

Value Added Resellers

Collaborators

Agents

Sales Force Design Process

Step 2- Go To Market Strategy
Sales and Marketing Channels
Direct
Sales
Force

Value
Added
Partners

Agents/
Distributor
s

Tele
Channels

Retailers

Online
Sales

Segmentation
Criteria

Segmentation Criteria

Profile Criteria

Behavioural Criteria

Needs Criteria

Profile
Criteria

Profile Criteria
Segmentation Based On Who The Customer
Is

Industry

Telecom
Engineering
Chemical
Media
Automobile
Financial Services

Profile Criteria
Segmentation Based On Who The Customer
Is

Market Level

Distributor
OEM
End User

Profile Criteria
Segmentation Based On Who The Customer
Is

Customer Size

Large
Medium
Small
Retail

Profile Criteria
Segmentation Based On Who The Customer
Is

Global
National
Customer Scope
Regional
Local

Profile Criteria Criteria

Segmentation Based On the Decision

Centre

Decision Centre

Centarlised
Decentralised

Profile Criteria Criteria

Segmentation Based On the Customers
Buying Process

Customers
Buying Process

Telephone
Internet
Retail Store
Company Sales Person

Profile Criteria Criteria

Segmentation Based On The Customer

Awareness Level

Awareness Level

Highly Aware
Unaware

Behaviour
Criteria

Behavioral Criteria

Segmentation Based On What The

Customer Does

Sales History

Purchases in Previous Periods

Behavioral Criteria

Segmentation Based On What The

Customer Does
Own Customer
Competitors Customer
Customer Status Non User of Category
Prospective Customer
Ex Customer

Behavioral Criteria
Segmentation Based On What The
Customer Does

Loyalty

Long Term Customer

New Customer
Lost Customer

Behavioral Criteria
Segmentation Based On What The
Customer Does

Growth

High Potential for Future

Growth
Moderate Potential for Future
Growth
Low Potential for Future
Growth

Behavioral Criteria

Segmentation Based On What The

Customer Does

Sensitivity to
Effort

Highly Responsive
Moderately Responsive
Not Responsive

Behavioral Criteria

Segmentation Based On What The

Customer Does

Response to
Innovation

Innovator
Early Adopter
Early Majority
Late Majority
Laggard

Needs
Criteria

Needs Criteria Criteria

Segmentation Based On What The
Customer Needs

Service

Information
Consultation
Application Support
Service Support

Needs Criteria Criteria

Segmentation Based On What The
Customer Needs

Customisation

Standard Products
Non Standard Products
Highly Customised Products

Needs Criteria Criteria

Segmentation Based On What The

Customer Needs

Importance To
Buyer

Mission Critical
Important Input
Moderately Important Input
Tertiary Input

Impact of
Customer on
Sales
Strategy

Impact of Customer on Sales Strategy

Customer Characteristic

Sales Response

Purchase Quantity
Purchase Potential
Purchase Profitability

Time and Effort Invested in the Customer

Customer Loyalty

Mix of Promotion and Support to be used

Decision Making Process

Sales Process

Information Source Preferred

Information Channel Selected

Value Proposition Sought

Sales Message/ Value Proposition Offered

Willingness to Experiment

PLC Point when Customer is Approached

Price Sensitivity

What products and services are offered

Where a customer buys

How sales channels are designed

Impact of Customer on Sales Strategy

Customer Characteristic
High Purchase Quantity
High Purchase Potential
High Purchase Profitability
Low Purchase Quantity
Low Purchase Potential
Low Purchase Profitability

Sales Response
Dedicated Sales Personnel
Direct Sales Force
Generalist Sales Personnel
Outsourced Channel

Impact of Customer on Sales Strategy

Customer Characteristic

Sales Response

High Customer Loyalty

High Degree of Pre and Post Sales

Support

Medium Customer Loyalty

Pre Sales Support.

Need Based Post Sales Support

One off Purchase

Need based support

Impact of Customer on Sales Strategy

Customer
Characteristic
Buying Centre

Sales Response
Multi Functional Sales Process

Purchase Department and few Sales Personnel plus relevant Support

Influencers
Functions

Purchase Department only

Generalist Sales Personnel only

Impact of Customer on Sales Strategy

Customer
Characteristic

Sales Response

Information Source Preferred

Information Channel Selected

Human Channels Preferred at

time of purchase

Deploy Sales Personnel

Non Human Channels

Preferred

Use Website, Product Documentation, CDs

Human Channels preferred on

an ongoing basis

Use Help Desk and Selectively on-site

support

Impact of Customer on Sales Strategy

Customer Characteristic

Sales Response

Value Proposition Sought

Sales Message/ Value Proposition Offered

Just the Product

Automated Process-EDI/ Interactive Website

Advise on purchase decision,

installation, deployment

Use a Consultative Specialised Sales Force

Enterprise Support

Deploy Multi Disciplinary Team to work with

the customers multi functional team

Impact of Customer on Sales Strategy

Customer Characteristic

Sales Response

Willingness to Experiment

PLC Point when Customer is Approached

Highly Experiment Oriented

Involve in new product launch, Prototyping,

Market Testing

Conservative

Approach after product fully established

Impact of Customer on Sales Strategy

Customer
Characteristic

Sales Response

Price Sensitivity

What products and services are offered

Performance Sensitive

Offer high performance top end products

Price Sensitive

Offer standard performance economy

products

Impact of Customer on Sales Strategy

Customer Characteristic
Where a customer buys

Sales Response
How sales channels are designed

Prefers Company Personnel for

Company Sales Force
interaction and support
Prefers self service

Web Channel or other Automated Channels

Prefers one stop shop integrator

Intermediary
or intermediary

End of
Section