Introduction
Sales and marketing personnel are involved in various activities related to a company’s products and services. One of the key duties that they are expected to perform is researching and developing marketing opportunities for a given company. That means sales and marketing jobs require full articulation of the implementable and plannable metrics of work to achieve high returns on revenue (ROR) (Conde & Prybutok, 2020). A firm seeks a sales agent to develop and implement sales and marketing strategies that support top management in advertising and selling products, thereby creating a competitive advantage in the company’s industry. The job involves generating unique sales plans and creating engaging adverts through promotional literature and official communication.
Sales and marketing personnel must strategize on the price and differentiation of offering the item in the market to customers (Conde & Prybutok, 2020). Sales and marketing employees represent a company’s brand and, thus, are expected to increase product awareness by factoring in consumer trends, rivalry, and innovative technology that may bring a tangible change in the offer. Whenever a company seeks a sales representative, existing or upcoming products must be marketed to the buyers. Therefore, the sales agent helps promote the brand to ensure recognition in the place where the item is offered. A sales agent is expected to gather, investigate, and summarize data and information necessary to forecast the product’s market sustainability (Conde & Prybutok, 2020).
Maintaining strong relationships with all the company’s stakeholders is a key requirement for a sales agent. A company’s sales and marketing employee must stay current by attending all the training and workshops that improve their professional networks. Thus, with all these roles to play, it is common for sales and marketing jobs to be regarded as complex and comprehensive due to the individual’s expected outcome and the value they bring to the company, particularly in terms of products and services.
Problem Identification
In a working environment, it is obvious that there are constraints that will limit the execution of sales and marketing duties. These challenges need to be addressed to improve the efficiency of the job and enhance the performance of sales agents for the company. One of the key problems that sales representatives encounter is setting high and unrealistic sales targets for a given period, which demotivates them.
On this note, sales agents are always busy due to the wide range of activities they must do to complete successful prospecting (Conde & Prybutok, 2020). Sales personnel are expected to have a detailed report of customer details, the number of leads generated, the level of influence achieved, the total number of people approached, and what these prospects responded to. As a result, sales representatives may lack sufficient time to engage in effective marketing and selling due to insufficient resources.
In addition to unrealistic targets from management, there is a lack of coordination between marketing and other departments, resulting in poor internal communication. The sales team needs to incorporate communication and updates from operational departments, such as human resources, finance, transportation, and public relations. A marketing fellow can undertake a comprehensive promotional move only to realize that what is being advertised may have been out of stock or is not currently available. On the same note, the finance department may delay the necessary resources for selling products, which can inconvenience the seller.
The human resource department may not have placed enough personnel, meaning that any task requiring coordination may be delayed and ineffective. Other constraints include a lack of internal training to boost selling abilities and prospecting skills. This occurs when management is unaware or has a poor leadership model that fails to recognize employees’ efforts to drive change within a company. If the above issues are addressed, employee well-being can be improved, and a significant percentage of staff can experience lower turnover.
Application of Motivation Theories
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
This theory is one of the common ones that can be used to address workplace issues that hinder the effective performance of sales and marketing roles. Designed by Abraham Maslow in 1943, the framework comprises the five-tier model of human needs (Herzberg, 1976). These needs are organized in a hierarchical pyramid, as shown in Figure 1 below. From the bottom of the hierarchy, the needs comprise physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Maslow stated that the lower needs in the hierarchy must be satisfied before a person goes for the higher needs in the model.
The challenge of setting high, unrealistic goals for sales representatives has been a significant contributor to staff turnover in many companies. The sales and marketing team must be considered by having their psychological needs met, assured of safety, loved, and belonging to a special company unit. To achieve high returns, one needs to be comfortable. A company can decide to provide tea and lunch to sales reps whenever they go to the field to look for prospects. Additionally, the arrangement to enable individuals to commute by vehicle ensures safety.
Individuals must be assured of their job security so they can work without fearing job loss. That means an official contract should establish all the terms, such as medication, insurance, and remuneration. Therefore, if a firm sets high goals for individuals, it should facilitate them by training them to equip them with relevant job skills (Herzberg, 1976). When staff are well-trained, they feel recognized, which raises their esteem, as they feel part of the company, as suggested in Maslow’s theory.
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory
One of the most effective approaches to motivating workers is applying Herzberg’s two-factor theory. Developed by Frederick Herzberg in 1968, the model posits that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction influence an individual’s motivation, as illustrated in Figure 2 below. The satisfaction factor includes hygiene, while the dissatisfaction factor covers motivation. According to the theory, the motivators comprise achievement, recognition, advancement, creativity, and variety (Locke, 1991).
Having highly set goals requires recognition for the little that a sales agent may manage in their work. That means being acknowledged for their input to the firm through promotion, special assignments, or rewards. The proper coordination within departments puts a sales agent in a position where they can improve their interpersonal relationships, enabling them to interact effectively with other employees. A lack of training hinders personal development, meaning that if a sales and marketing job is invested in acquiring new skills, there is an opportunity to enhance existing abilities. The theory influences all the above factors since the ultimate goal is to have a motivated individual.
Evaluation of the Potential Job Changes
Recognition and acknowledgment of employees are key when setting targets for a given period. Additionally, initiating a standard means of communication through daily briefings, regular memos, and comprehensive reports through emails is also proposed as a change. Lastly, training should be started after every working plan. Among the changes recommended in the above section, training is the most suitable for implementation, as it encompasses many factors advocated for in both models (Locke, 1991). In this case, when a person is trained, they achieve high results, feel recognized, and advance their job through personal development.
For example, showing a sales representative how to handle different clients depending on their generation is essential for them to know how to approach various prospects effectively. Sales personnel will generate more leads and achieve greater success, thereby improving their lives (Ordóñez et al., 2009). The training surpasses other changes, as catering to someone’s physiological needs may be short-term, as determinants may vary over time. Improving employee skills adds value to the company since it raises the sales volume, meaning it will be possible to gain a high ROR.
Final Job Changes to be Proposed
Based on the evaluation indicated above, if sales and marketing representatives are trained, well-communicated with, and recognized by having an organized and systemic workflow, they will have a high chance of improving their work. First, a company must plan to engage its staff in training sessions and hire an expert to enhance its sales abilities (Ordóñez et al., 2009). This move will likely yield benefits as many employees will be equipped with strategic formulas to apply in sales, leading to the company’s increased profit.
Secondly, having a different formula to pay employees apart from commissions is recommended. There should be a basic salary, along with some allowances and financial incentives, for achieving a specific milestone. Every company must make this a habit to ensure that employees are motivated.
Additionally, formulating communication through memos, email addresses, and daily briefings will help resolve the issue of departmental challenges, as mentioned in Section Two (Herzberg, 1976). The changes mentioned here mean that sales and marketing agents will be boosted in terms of skills, remuneration, and performance. The benefits include high sales, low staff turnover, and increased work self-esteem, which distinguishes the company from rival firms.
Job Holder’s Reactions
Change institutionalization is not a walk in the park, as it entails calculative moves to attain a specific issue. Many sales reps will respond positively because the proposed changes are employee-centric. Training will equally equip them, although it might be challenging for some members. Not everyone is open to changes through training, as some prefer to experience the work and make adjustments as they go (Ordóñez et al., 2009). Some sales agents may consider it a waste of time as they wish to be busy making prospects to earn high returns.
A standard communication method is effective for sales agents because they can refer to the information passed on in case of any customer interaction (Ordóñez et al., 2009). However, some may feel the company complicates the work formulas by dictating different guidelines every time. As a result, they might not be welcoming to the new working formulas, which can lead to demotivation in their work.
Change Process
Change is received with mixed reactions from employees, as not all may be able to conform to it. The management of the change process should not be based on a reactive approach. Preventing resistance enables a company to address and combat any force as early as possible, perfecting the work performance (Moorhead et al., 1991). To ensure effective institutionalization of changes without significant resistance in sales and marketing jobs, a company ought to consider the following;
Do Change Management Timely
Change should not be undertaken without a critical analysis of the outcome. First, it is essential to inform employees why they are implementing changes in their working formulas, so that they approach the changes with a positive mindset. Due to a lack of proper coordination within the departments, some sales and marketing managers may feel that the company is proposing activities irrelevant to the business (Moorhead et al., 1991). For example, the recommended task is to feature a comprehensive daily occurrence through emails. In that case, the persons concerned might feel it is a punishment for a matter that does not require a complex breakdown.
Another way to manage change on time is to utilize senior leaders to drive the change. The management will monitor the changes through team leaders, supervisors, and other appointed groups (Ordóñez et al., 2009). That will ensure that people do not beat about the bush when doing their daily activities.
Implement in Stages
To enable full company changes, a firm needs to gradually develop new ways that will lead to a total transformation. That means it is possible to include training by an interval of a month or two before embarking every week. That way, the sales and marketing team will have seen the yield of new and fresh concepts to apply to the jobs.
The other change in formulating new communication can be undertaken through memos, emails, and daily briefings. It means setting specific issues to be communicated daily and encouraging the sales team to identify challenges or recommendations to boost their workflow. All these tasks require time and are engaging; hence, employees might find it difficult to adapt quickly.
Identification of the Root Causes of Resistance
It is essential to observe the symptoms that may cause resistance to change. That may include complaints from sales representatives, lower performance levels, or failure to fulfill duties one is expected to perform. With that being noted, a sales and marketing manager can identify alternative ways to solve underlying problems, thereby reducing the likelihood of resistance to fully penetrating (Locke, 1991). For example, a manager can note that the marketing personnel are not submitting their daily reports to the required departments due to workload and time constraints. In this way, the manager can respond by delegating work to support employees who are not necessarily involved in sales and marketing.
Conclusion
The metrics highlighted above must be executed with due diligence to enhance work motivation, allowing the sales and marketing group to work efficiently. Having a timely change in incorporating training is significantly essential. The concept of conducting simultaneous change activities means that workflows can be evaluated and alignments made where necessary, thereby achieving the highest performance possible (Locke, 1991). In this case, monitoring progress means checking the progress and communicating it to the sales reps so they can see the difference. When employees experience increased sales following a specific change, they tend to accept it, which is one way to achieve a stable, competitive advantage with full employee support.
When a sales agent is given what may seem to be an unrealistic target, they can give their all because they are aware that it will become feasible over time due to the changes being implemented. An interpersonal relationship hindered by departmental constraints can be improved by recognizing the efforts of all employees. Communication of changes will give employees hope in achieving a specific goal, leading to personal growth in the sales department (Herzberg, 1976).
For managers to facilitate effective communication, they must navigate multiple channels and address different people. That means there will be collaboration at work, leading to motivation and improved performance in the sales and marketing department. When leaders identify the root cause of change resistance, it will be possible to prevent barriers that arise from negative attitudes among employees. Achieving high performance in sales and marketing roles is possible when all the necessary elements are in place.
Reference List
Conde, R. and Prybutok, V. (2020) “Inside sales agent’s sales activities influence on work outcomes and sales agent tenure through autonomous motivation,” Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 36(5), pp. 867–880. Web.
Herzberg, F. (1976) “One more time: How do you motivate employees?,” Job Satisfaction — A Reader, 5(6), pp. 17–32. Web.
Locke, E.A. (1991) “The motivation sequence, the motivation hub, and the motivation core,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), pp. 288–299. Web.
Moorhead, G., Ference, R., and Neck, C.P. (1991) “Group decision fiascoes continue: Space Shuttle Challenger and a revised groupthink framework,” Human Relations, 44(6), pp. 539–550. Web.
Ordóñez, L.D. et al. (2009) “Goals gone wild: The systematic side effects of overprescribing goal setting,” Academy of Management Perspectives, 23(1), pp. 6–16. Web.