ASSIGNMENT 4 BM410 Sales Management & Practices Directions: Be sure to save an electronic copy of your answer before submitting it to Ashworth College for grading. Unless otherwise stated, answer in complete sentences, and be sure to use correct English, spelling and grammar. Sources must be cited in APA format. Your response should be four (4) double-spaced pages; refer to the "Assignment Format" page located on the Course Home page for specific format requirements. Part A: You were recently promoted to a sales manager position for ABC Company, which offers customized software for physicians, dentists, and veterinarians. Unfortunately, you are now the sales manager for one of your company’s least productive regions. After several weeks on the job, you become concerned about the high rate of turnover. Three salespeople have resigned within the last two months. Replacements are needed and there is little time to hire, train, and deploy them in the field. Upon further review of the situation, you discover that two of the salespeople resigned because they felt the sales organization was structured unfairly. They had been assigned to geographical areas that were difficult, and their sales quotas were not adjusted accordingly. You know quite well that replacing a sales person can be costly. In fact, the cost to the company can be as high as $300,000 per bad hire because time and money are lost in the process of recruiting, hiring, training, missed sales, bad relationships, and firing. Before you begin your search, you want to be certain that you have a well thought-out organizational plan and that you attract the right people for these positions. To help you prepare your hiring plan, answer the following questions. 1. Describe two (2) reasons why it is important for firms to organize their sales activities into a specific structure. 2. Describe one (1) disadvantage of the current structure. Describe one (1) advantage and one (1) disadvantage of a geographical sales structure. 3. Which sales structure do you recommend and why? Provide two (2) supporting facts. Part B: Realizing that the right people for these positions could come from a variety of places, you decide to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of hiring from within the organization, through referrals, and by using advertising methods. What are your opinions on the following? 1. What are two (2) advantages and two (2) disadvantages of hiring internal candidates for sales positions? 2. What are two (2) benefits of hiring people referred to the company by friends or relatives? 3. Discuss one (1) difference between the kinds of applicants that will come in from a newspaper ad versus postings on online job boards. Does this difference indicate anything about future job performance? Part C: You have just finished a series of interviews with a person who you feel is an excellent candidate for one of your firm’s open sales position. She has a 3.4 grade point average and a marketing degree. The candidate has excellent communication skills, held a part-time sales job throughout college to help pay for school, and was an officer in the sales fraternity on campus. She will definitely make a great entry-level salesperson at your company. Your only concern is that another company will offer her a job before you do! Before the candidate is offered a job, your company requires that a few of the applicant’s references be checked. During the process, you discover that your ideal candidate lied on her resume and application. She was never an officer in the sales fraternity; she was only a member. 1. Given the difficulty in finding excellent candidates, would you hire this candidate? Provide two (2) supporting facts to justify your position. 2. Would your decision change if you also find out this candidate has several speeding tickets? Why or why not? Grading Rubric Please refer to the rubric on the next page for the grading criteria for this assignment. CATEGORY Part A: Sales Organization Structure (10 points) Importance Exemplary 10 points Student clearly states at least 2 reasons for importance of sales structure and lists reasons. Critical thinking regarding reasons is demonstrated. Satisfactory 8 points Student adequately states at least 2 reasons for importance of sales structure but does not demonstrate critical thinking. Unsatisfactory 5 points Student does not clearly states 1-2 reasons for importance of sales structure and critical thinking is not demonstrated. Unacceptable 2 points Student has not adequately listed reasons for importance of sales structures. Part A: Sales Organization Structure (10 points) Current Structure 10 points Student clearly discusses at least 1 disadvantage of the current sales structure and at least 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of a geographical sales structure. 8 points Student adequately discusses at least 1 disadvantage of the current sales structure and at least 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of a geographical sales structure. 5 points Student does not adequately discuss disadvantages of the current sales structure and the advantages and disadvantages of a geographical sales structure. 2 points Student does not discuss disadvantages of the current sales structure and the advantages and disadvantages of a geographical sales structure. Part A: Sales Organization Structure (10 points) Recommendation 10 points Student clearly describes one of the different sales structures: market, product, or functional and critically identifies at least 2 reasons for the choice. 8 points Student adequately describes one of the different sales structures: market, product, or functional and critically identifies at least 2 reasons for the choice. 5 points Student adequately describes one of the different sales structures: market, product, or functional and critically identifies at least 1 reason for the choice. 2 points Student does not adequately describe one of the different sales structures: market, product, or functional and does not critically identify reasons for the choice. Part B: Evaluation Criteria: Internal candidates (10 points) 10 points Student clearly describes at least 2 advantages and at least 2 disadvantages of hiring from within. 8 points Student adequately describes at least 2 advantages and at least 2 disadvantages of hiring from within. 5 points Student adequately describes at least 1 advantage and at least 1 disadvantage of hiring from within. 2 points Student poorly describes advantages and disadvantages of hiring from within. Part B: Evaluation 10 points Criteria: Student clearly describes at Referrals (10 points) least 2 benefits of hiring inhouse referrals. 8 points Student adequately describes at least 2 benefits of hiring in-house referrals. 5 points Student adequately describes at least 1 benefit of hiring in-house referrals. 2 points Student poorly describes at least 1 benefit of hiring in-house referrals. Part B: Evaluation Criteria Advertising (10 points) 10 points Student clearly describes at least 1 difference between the kinds of applicants that will come in from a newspaper ad versus postings on online job boards, and whether this difference will indicate anything about future job performance. 8 points Student adequately describes at least 1 difference between the kinds of applicants that will come in from a newspaper ad versus postings on online job boards, and whether this difference will indicate anything about future job performance. 5 points Student does not clearly describe at least 1 difference between the kinds of applicants that will come in from a newspaper ad versus postings on online job boards, and whether this difference will indicate anything about future job performance. 2 points Student poorly describes at least 1 difference between the kinds of applicants that will come in from a newspaper ad versus postings on online job boards, and whether this difference will indicate anything about future job performance. Part C: Candidate Assessment (10 points) Decision 10 points Student clearly discusses reasons for hiring or not hiring an applicant after discovery of false information on the resume and application, providing at least 2 supporting facts. 8 points Student adequately discusses reasons for hiring or not hiring an applicant after discovery of false information on the resume and application, providing at least 2 supporting facts. 5 points Student does not adequately discuss reasons for hiring or not hiring an applicant after discovery of false information on the resume and application, providing at least 1 supporting fact. 2 points Student poorly discusses reasons for hiring or not hiring an applicant after discovery of false information on the resume and application, providing at least 1 supporting fact. Part C: Candidate Assessment (5 points) Change 5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points Student clearly discusses an assessment change based on extraneous information discovered about the job candidate that was not included on the resume or application. Student adequately discusses an assessment change based on extraneous information discovered about the job candidate that was not included on the resume or application. Student does not adequately discuss an assessment change based on extraneous information discovered about the job candidate that was not included on the resume or application. Student poorly discusses an assessment change based on extraneous information discovered about the job candidate that was not included on the resume or application. Mechanics Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling (10 Points) 10 points Student makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. 8 points Student makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. 5 points Student makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. 2 points Student makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. Format - APA Format, Citations, Organization, Transitions (15 Points) 15 points The paper is written in proper format. All sources used for quotes and facts are credible and cited correctly. Excellent organization, including a variety of thoughtful transitions. 12 points The paper is written in proper format with only 1-2 errors. All sources used for quotes and facts are credible and most are cited correctly. Adequate organization includes a variety of appropriate transitions. 8 points The paper is written in proper format with only 3-5 errors. Most sources used for quotes and facts are credible and cited correctly. Essay is poorly organized, but may include a few effective transitions. 5 points The paper is not written in proper format. Many sources used for quotes and facts are less than credible (suspect) and/or are not cited correctly. Essay is disorganized and does not include effective transitions. This is the end of Assignment 4.
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