Restructuring the
Distribution
Sales Effort for Maximum Productivity
by Scott Benfield and Rich
Vurva
Did you know
that inside and outside sales forces are 30% to 40% of the
typical distributor’s operating expenses? Furthermore, research has shown that many distributors cannot
answer the following questions, with supporting analyses, about
their sales efforts:
1. How do we measure sales
productivity and are we becoming more or less productive?
2. How many inside and outside sales people do we need? On what accounts should we deploy them?
3. Are there different ways to deploy outside sellers, using
them for different tasks that would make them more productive?
4. What comprehensive process do we use to manage inside and
outside sales expense?
5. Should I pay commissions on reverse auctions and purchases by
small/high transaction customers?
6. What is the minimum account size I should assign to a
territory?
These questions
are of major importance as forecasts are for distributor sales
force expenditures to slow, and in some instances decline, in
the next decade.
If
you want answers to these questions in a format that uses actual
distributor examples, order your copy of Restructuring the Distribution Sales Effort for Maximum Productivity.
The book is a comprehensive text written by distribution
veterans Scott Benfield and Rich Vurva. Their combined experience covers over 50 years in business to
business distribution markets.
The book took over five years of research and writing and
is a how to text on improving sales force productivity.
Teach your sales managers, branch managers and executives
to be concerned about productivity and why it is essential to
profits. Find out how to allocate sales people for better productivity
in geographic sales forces.
Learn about six alternate models of outside sales and how
to use them to enhance productivity.
Review the four models of inside sales and how to know
the number of inside sellers you need.
And, finally, read the latest research on cataloging and
e-commerce and learn why most compensation changes don’t work. |
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