TA. System ESP ONSIBILI TIES OF THE SALES MANAGER TIONAl SALESMEN’S TRAINING ASSOCIATION CHICAGO, ILL , U. S. A« COPYRIGHTED 1920 BY THE NATIONAL SALESMEN’S TRAINING ASSOCIATION Copyright, 1920, in Great Britain, her Colonies, and in the International Copy- right Union, comprising Belgium, Denmark, France, Haiti, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Luxemberg, Monaco, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Tunis, Mexico and the South American Republics. All Rights Reserved. 452 V,\ FOREWORD I "S there a Sales Manager who is ever satisfied with the results secured by his salesmen? I will venture to answer in the negative. He may be pleased — but satisfied — never. His dreams, his ambition, his life work is that of getting more business, then more business and then breaking all past records. After he has done that, he starts in again to break the record-breaking record. Presuming he is successful, analysis will show that he gets re- sults by following well-defined principles, or what might be called si the fundamentals of successful Sales Management. The success- ful Sales Manager is a Super-Salesman because he gets collectively what the salesman gets individually. He is a past-master in human o engineering because he wins his laurels sheerly by his skill in dealing with the human element. j Successful Sales Management is not an accident. No man is born to the task. Dame Fortune leaves the business of selling severely alone. To trust to any other element than well-laid plans ' ^ Vis not likely to be conducive to results. It is clearly recognized,^ * today that there is just as much science to Sales Management as-' _ there is to salesmanship. The purpose of these eight books on Sales Management, A which constitute a complete Course on the subject, is to give every ^ Sales Manager and every salesman who has aspirations to a mana- gerial berth, a system of Sales Management that is in keeping with the best plans and practices of the most successful Sales Managers rin the country. Probably no other Institution in the world has such unique facilities for presenting a Course of this kind as the National i cJ V £\ ; A.‘ ( 4 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT Salesmen's Training Association. In sympathy with the mission of the Association, are many Sales Managers and Executives who willingly laid bare the methods by which they attained success. With the opportunity to make a careful analysis of these success- ful methods plus the knowledge, wisdom and experience of the Sales Executives at the head of the Association, a greater degree * of efficiency can be the only result for any Sales Manager who will assimilate the knowledge to be gained from this Course. The amount of good you get from this course depends greatly on how much you put into the study of it. A cursory examination cannot possibly bring you the results that systematic study will. If you just touch the high lights, you will be overlooking points, ideas or suggestions that may be just the thing you need to know and do, to get the most from your salesmen. No Sales Manager can afford to overlook any possible point that may give him some advantage over his competitor or enable him to secure better results from his salesmen. Competition in practically every line is so keen that nothing that tends to increased personal efficiency or efficiency of the selling force can be passed by with impunity. In this respect, it has long been apparent to the Association, coming in contact as it regularly does with Sales Managers all over the Country, that there was a big need for a standardized text or course that would enable Sales Managers and < ambitious salesmen to become familiar with the proved and tested plans as formulated and successfully followed out by men who are rated both as authorities and leaders in the Sales Managerial field. THE N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT, which is now in your hands, offers you knowledge that cannot be measured from a dollar standpoint. It is not the work of one man who has succeeded as a Sales Manager. It is not simply a Course written around the subject of Sales Management. Actually it is the ideas, plans, practices and methods — in composite form — of those used^by a large number of leading Sales Managers. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER 5 From a survey of Sales Management made by the Association, a vast amount of data was gathered and studied. Basic or funda- mental rules were the object of this research. The result, as set before you in this Course, is an authoritative and standardized system of Sales Management. No detail has been overlooked that has any » bearing whatever on the subject. The Association has unlimited faith in the results to be secured from a careful study of this Course. It has been built up and around only those methods that have been tried, tested and found not wanting. It represents the combined experience of Sales Managers who have won their laurels. It offers you knowledge, that if put into practice, will get you results and save you years in costly experimentation. Inasmuch as Sales Managers are to a great extent recruited from the ranks of Salesmen, this course will give the potential Sales Manager a clear and comprehensive view of the duties of a Sales Manager. Not only that, but it will teach him how to get results and get them quickly, It is a charted course that will steer him safely and surely to that ultimate goal of “maximum results.” It took nearly two years to survey and secure the Sales Man- agerial data around which this Course was written. You can read through it in possibly four hours. But you CAN'T STUDY IT i in that period of time. Every paragraph needs your close atten- tion; needs self-analysis. You must compare your present methods with those set forth in this text. Only then can you make the . comparison that will enable you to see wherein your methods differ from those proved plans on which this Course is founded. To enable you to get every ounce of good from this Course, we have devised a SELF-QUIZ system that you must answer, at least, to yourself. If you overlook this Self-Analysis, simple as some of the questions may seem, you are side-stepping efficiency and refusing to compare your methods with those that have helped place a number of men in the first flight of Sales Managers. They 6 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT have won their spurs because of the methods they have found, through years of experience, to be the ONE BEST WAY. These methods are now recognized as fundamental and, representing as they do the foundations on which some remarkable records have been built, it is assumed that you will pay strict attention to the SELF-QUIZ system. It is the only way in which you can derive the maximum amount of results. In short, the knowledge to be gained from this Course will substitute sure-fire tactics in place of experiment and guessing. It will replace haphazard methods with proved plans and give you a clear and practical conception of the entire field of Sales Manage- ment. It has been the aim of the Association to place this Course in the hands of Sales Managers and others at a minimum of cost. For that reason, it has been boiled down to actual facts; expensive paper and bindings have been discarded in favor of economical stock without, however, sacrificing neatness. I believe you will appreciate the compact and handy size of these books just as surely as you will appreciate the knowledge you will gain from the study of their contents. Don’t read these books — study them. It will prove an invest- ment of time you will always look back to with more than an ordinary degree of pleasure, to say nothing about profit. Cordially and sincerely yours, J. E. Greenslade, President, NATIONAL SALESMEN’S TRAINING ASS’N. INTRODUCTION , TN presenting the N. S. T. A. System of Sales Management for I the consideration of those who will find it beneficial to know, in a complete manner, the principles and practices of Scien- tific Management as it pertains to the Sales Manager, the Sales Force, and the Territory, we feel confident that this set of lessons is by far the most up-to-date and valuable exposition that has so far been produced. There has long been a need for the condensed, practical knowl- edge of Sales Management that these brochures contain. Our object has been to include, under definite and logical classifications, the largest possible number of viewpoints, and to show the methods that are used by the foremost Sales Managers of this and other countries. In this we believe we have been unusually successful. The individual Sales Manager will be able to obtain from this System the vital facts that will enable him to increase the efficiency of himself and the salesmen he directs. If the suggestions and prin- ciples outlined in this System are given the consideration they , deserve, the result will be the elimination of all friction between the Sales Manager, his Superior Officers and his Subordinates. Our purpose, it will be seen, is a big one. But a careful perusal , of this Course will convince the unprejudiced mind that the subject has been handled in a masterly manner that commands respect, and that the material therein has been so ably presented as to merit the consideration of Sales Managers and Salesmen who are on the lookout for progressive ideas and methods. It is possible to obtain a number of good books on Sales Man- agement, but it must not be forgotten that these books were written from an individual point of view, and can in no sense be considered 7 8 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT as^compilations of the best ideas and methods on this subject. The N. S. T. A. System of Sales Management, on the other hand, is much more than a mere text. It contains much more than can be found in a large number of books on Sales Management; and, at the same time, contains hundreds of new, workable ideas and valuable suggestions for organizing the Sales Department, selecting and training salesmen, planning the sales campaign, stimulating the salesmen, sales office management, and gives methods that have been found efficacious in co-operating with the salesmen when in the field. To the Sales Manager at his desk, this Course brings a large number of refreshing viewpoints and intensely practical methods that he can turn into dollars of profit for his firm. It is our candid opinion, which is supported by those who are thoroughly conver- sant with the best ideas extant along Sales Management lines, that the material included in this Course is more complete than has thus far been available to Sales Managers, and to Salesmen who look forward to some day filling executive selling positions. We feel that a consideration of the different sections of this System will convince “the man on the job” that these handy brochures will be a reference work that possesses both practical utility and inspirational value. One feature that is contained in the N. S. T. A. System of Sales Management, which will prove of particular advantage to the Sales Manager whose time is limited, is the Self-Quiz and Self- Analysis tests, which are given at the end of each brochure. Men of intellect, with either an intuitive or acquired knowledge of human nature, have always made use of questions to bring out vital points, and it is admitted that one of the best ways of impress- ing upon the mind the things we want to remember is to question ourselves concerning them. A direct statement may be made and the point missed by the hearer or reader. This is not equally true when one hears or reads a RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER 9 question. A statement is often a "sop” to the mind. A question, on the other hand, is a "challenge” that quickens the flow of men- tal images; that brings up from the memory ideas and facts that have been stored there by previous observation, study and exper- ience; and that stimulates creative imagination. When a thinking man reads a book, he stops at the end of each paragraph, chapter, or at the end of the book, to think over what he has read. His thoughts assume a questioning form that enables him to get the real "meat” of the subject. This is the common experience of those who have done much reading along practical lines. It is especially necessary, when one is reading for information or for knowledge. The student of this System of Sales Management will find these Self-Quizzes and Self-Analysis questions make it a comparatively easy matter to assimilate the thousands of ideas, facts, and suggestions that are contained in this Course. We believe this feature is one that will be especially appreciated by the busy man who purchases this Course, and that it will add to its utility as a reference work for Sales Managers, Salesmen, and Business Executives. It will be found a most convenient and effi- cient way of reviewing the matter contained in the brochures, and will help the reader to refresh his mind on any particular phase of Sales Management he has before him for consideration. For instance, should a Sales Manager meet with a problem as to the best methods of stimulating his salesmen to increase their activity, he can take the brochure, “Stimulating the Salesmen,” and read the Self-Quiz and Self-Analysis tests, with certainty that he will be able to find one or more practical suggestions, from the Quizzes themselves, that will give him a definite start toward the solution of his problem. It will particularly be profitable to become conversant with the titles of these brochures, to the end that the proper brochure may be selected when the Sales Manager wants definite informa- 10 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT tion quickly; for the N. S. T. A. System of Sales Management, which consists of carefully written viewpoints and suggestions, and a complete set of forty-eight Self-Analysis and Self-Quiz tests, for each of the eight booklets, is a storehouse of useful knowledge that cannot be secured without great expense and exhaustive research by the Sales Manager on the job. If this text-work on Sales Management accomplishes only a small part of what it is its purpose to accomplish, i. e., to raise the standard of Sales, Salesmen, and Sales Office Methods, we shall feel fully compensated for the hard work that was necessary proper- ly to compile the many valuable principles and practices that are presented herein. We know that you will find these brochures valuable in your daily work, and that they will aid you in selecting and inspiring your salesmen, and will lessen the amount of effort you as a Sales Manager must put forth to accomplish the best possible results in the easiest, quickest, and most economical way. CONTENTS SALES MANAGEMENT Book 1— RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES-MANAGER What a Sales Manager Should Know About His Work. The Sales Manager’s Attitude Toward His Men. The Relation of the Sales Manager to His Firm. Co-operation With Established House Policy. Co-operation With General Manager and Staff. Co-operation With Department Heads. Co-operation With Advertising Department. Co-operation With the Service Department. Co-operation With Credit Department. Co-operation With Collection Department. Co-operation With Manufacturing Division. Co-operation With Sales Office Employes. Co-operation With Shipping and Traffic Department. 2— ORGANIZING THE SALES DEPARTMENT Building the Sales Department. Building a Strong Sales Force. Standard For Hiring Salesmen. Securing New Salesmen. By Advertising. Through Salesmanship Schools. By Field Organizers. Through Your Own Salesmen. Office and Factory Employes. Securing Salesmen Through Customers. The Spare-Time Salesmen. Organizing Through Colleges. Possibilities The Sales Manager Meets Discovering Latent Abilities. Selecting Branch Managers. The Sales Manager As a Student of Human Nature. Building Up a Sales Manual. 3— SELECTING THE SALESMEN Methods of Selecting Salesmen. Qualities To Look For In Salesmen. By Application. By Character. By Psychological Test. By Training. By Personality. By Adaptability. By Expression. By Casual Talk. By Temperament. By Reputation. 11 12 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT By Try-Out Method. By Experience. By Testimonial. By Recommendation. By Observation. A Clearing House For Salesmen’s Ideas. Soliciting Suggestions From Sales Force. 4. — TRAINING THE SALESMEN The Importance of Training. Training Salesmen To Sell Your Product. Salesmanship Schools. Salesmanship Training Classes. Training By Senior Salesmen. House Policy and History. Technical Points of the Goods. Methods For Selling the Goods. Sizing-Up Prospective Customers. How To Appeal to Buying Motives. Planning the Sales Talk. The Sale Itself. Demonstration Sales By Salesmen. Talks by Department Heads. Developing Comage and Confidence. 6— PLANNING THE SALES CAMPAIGN Sales, The Prime Object of Sales Management Investigation Into Sales Possibilities. Increasing Your Per Capita Sales. Practical Methods of Distribution. Potential Uses of the Product. Methods of Laying Out Territories. Charting the Possible Sales Field. Taking Reasonable Chances After Investigation. Assuming % Responsibility.^ When and How To Use Authority. Drawing Plans From Your Organization. Knowing Extent and Nature of Competition. Building The Campaign On Proved Experience. Backing Up the Sales Campaign. Planning Practical Equipment For Salesmen. Outlining Successive Steps In a Campaign. Scheduling the Trenches to Be Taken. The Barrage Fire of Advance Literature. 0— STIMULATING THE SALESMEN Leading vs. Driving Salesmen. Administering Mental Stimulus. Personal Interest and Encouragement. Taking a Heart Interest In Salesmen. Stimulation Through Pleasant Home Conditions. Stimulation Through Sense of Ownership. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER 13 Square-Deal Stimulation. Sales Conventions. Weekly or Monthly Meetings. Working By Schedule — Systematic Use of Time. Use of Quota In Sales Work. Stimulating Salesmen Through The Bonus Plan. Records of Sales and of Salesmen. Holding Up the Pace-Setters. Bringing Out Positive Points of the Product. We, Ours, Us Versus I, Mine, Me. 7— SALES OFFICE MANAGEMENT Watching Costs, Leaks and Expenses. Classifying Ideas as Well as Orders. Graphic Charts of Sales. Placing Routine Upon Subordinates. Keeping a Daily Record of Sales. General Correspondence with Salesmen. Expediting Salesmen’s Orders. The Route List and Salesman’s Mail. Charting The Salesmen’s Responsibilities. Co-operation of Sales Office With Sales Force. Treatment of Customers by House Employes. Handling Complaints and Making Adjustments. Making Central Office a Model For Branches. Office Systems and Equipment. Personal Letters to Salesmen. Circular-Letter Instructions. Sales Bulletins and House Organs. Planning the Day’s Work. Instructions in the Use of Forms, Reports, Etc. The Sales Manager’s Duty to His Salesmen. 8— CO-OPERATING WITH THE SALESMEN Getting Leads and Prospects for Salesmen. House Control of Territory. Featuring the Personality of Management. The Use of Demonstrators. Through Illustrated Lectures. Moving Picture Advertising. Departmental Service for Customers. Keeping the Product Ahead of Competition. The Value of Well-Chosen News Items. Commendatory Editorial Write-Ups. The Use of Honest Testimonials. Co-operating Through Personal Letters. Service Prior to Making the Sale. Special Service to Satisfy Buyers. Promptness in Sending Samples and Expenses. Promptness and Service in Delivery. Through National Advertising. Through Localized Advertising. Use of the Circular Follow-Up. PART ONE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER WHAT A SALES MANAGER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HIS WORK. T HERE are eight prime divisions of the Sales Manager’s work. Under these eight divisions come a large number of minor sub-divisions, which take up in detail the respective things that will be valuable in some degree to all Sales Mana- gers, even though each Sales Manager who reads this course may not find it possible to fit all of them to his proposition. The eight essential elements that a Sales Manager must know are: (1) Responsibilities of the Sales Manager; (2) How to Organize the Sales Department; (3) The Best Methods of Securing Salesmen; (4) Practical Methods of Training Salesmen; (5) How to Gather and Use Campaign Material ; (6) Methods of Stimulating the Sales Force; (7) Specific Facts about Office Management; (8) The Best Way to Insure Active Cooperation. In a work of this size, it is obviously impossible to give all the methods used by all Sales Managers; nor is it necessary to do so; but an endeavor has been made to so thoroughly outline the facts needed that individual Sales Managers will profit to the extent to which the information given herein is studied with a discerning mind. In compiling this information, the endeavor has been mainly made to put into the hands of Sales Managers suggestions that will help in getting and holding business. 14 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER 15 The National Salesmen’s Training Association and the Authors will feel that their endeavors have been justified if this course on Sales Management will help the thousands of Sales Managers to whom it will go to more perfectly understand their problems, and to apply the general principles of Sales Management with a clearer understanding of what can be done when the right attitude of mind is taken, and when essential facts are found through investi- gation. It is hardly necessary to say that the possibilities of suc- cess are unlimited when the Principles of Scientific Sales Manage- ment are applied correctly to specific problems. The Sales Manager’s Attitude Toward His Men It would not be necessary to call attention to the value of the “You and I” element in dealing with salesmen, were it not for the fact that many salesmen, as soon as they become Sales Managers, forget that.a fundamental precept of managing men is to recognize'' their real worth, and address them with a courteous regard for their selling ability. Salesmen are keener and brighter than ordinary employes. | Their work as salesmen makes them more discerning, and gives them a deeper insight into the guiding motives of those with whom they come in contact. The better salesman a man is, the more closely he can be expected to judge your motives. This being so, and self-interest being the guiding motive with most of mankind, it follows that it is seldom that a good salesman will be satisfied under a Sales Manager who is interested only in himself and who is unable or unwilling to interest himself in the salesman. Service and Satisfaction is the modern slogan in dealing with'\ the trade and is the keynote of success in dealing with salesmen./ Show him that his interests are important to you and he will do likewise by you. Show only a half-hearted interest in him and you can be sure that he will serve your interests in a like manner. When you can talk with your salesmen and feel in your heart that you are putting them before you in the getting of results, 16 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT you are going to get real cooperation, and will generate a degree of enthusiasm that will exceed your most sanguine expectations. Sales Managers have found that it is easier to handle salesmen efficiently and pleasantly by putting the “you” element into their talks with the salesmen. The closer a Sales Manager can come to talking the salesman’s needs and wants, the surer it is that he is go- ing to get that salesman working to the limit for the house. It is not, of course, necessary to do away with the “I” element, but it has been found better to subordinate it as far as possible in dealing with salesmen, for salesmen are particularly awake to their own needs and wants; and it takes a strong personal appeal to fire their imagination to the possibilities of a proposition, even though it has undoubted merit. A safe policy to follow when talking with salesmen is to make the “you” element so strong that the salesmen will think they have suggested all the things you want them to do. Then they do the things suggested because they feel they are doing exactly what they want to do. The Relation of the Sales Manager to His Firm Inasmuch as the Sales Manager is employed for the purpose of getting the best possible results in both quantity and quality of selling, his attitude toward his firm should be an attitude of want- ing to cooperate in all ways that will advance its interests. He should not be jealous of other departments. He should be willing to aid the executives in the way they require; yet he should not submerge his individuality to the extent that improper methods of procedure may be forced upon him. He should make a stand for his plans and methods, which are based on his desire to serve the house, whenever he feels that the house is pursuing a policy that will lessen its success, or that will cause either a loss of profit or prestige. He should believe in the business for which he works as though he owned it. He does, in a real sense, own the right to advance its interests as long as he is with it; and for this reason he should tactfully take a firm stand RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER 17 against anybody and any conditions which might tend to break down the sales force he is so carefully developing and enthusing for the best possible sales work. It is seldom that a Sales Manager who is himself an apostle of Practical, Scientific Salesmanship will have trouble with his house. The employers want results; and to the Sales Manager who can show these results they offer almost unlimited power in his field of work. He can get anything he asks for, if he proves his ability to use it to the firm’s interests. He is, in every sense, an executive of the business; and so important a one that without him, or a capable substitute, the business of the firm would be lost in a maze of competition. An efficient Sales Manager can “make” a firm; an inefficient one can ruin even the best kind of a house if permitted to continue his inefficient methods. Good salesmen are good judges of Sales Man- agers and take pride in working for efficient ones. The individual salesman, unless he is an unusual man, is benefited by the enthu- siasm of his Sales Manager. He does his best work for the right kind of a leader; and falls back when he is working under a Sales Manager who cannot make him speed up. Cooperation with Established House Policy The Sales Manager should respect the policy of the house for which he works. He should take great care not to go contrary to the wishes of the owners or chief executive. For, it is evident, if the Sales Manager does not respect the executives for whom he works, or does not respect the policy of his house, he cannot well ask the salesmen working under him to do so and give the house the consideration it deserves. To induce others to follow a certain line of action, it is necessary that the teacher believe in it. In a real sense, the Sales Manager is a teacher of his salesmen, and he can best induce them to give the policy of the house the consideration it should have in their work if he himself practices what he preaches and if he takes a personal 18 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT interest in advancing the sales of his firm in the manner worked out as practical and consistent. Furthermore, your house is known by its policy of service almost as much as by the merchandise it carries, and it is the first duty of the Sales Manager to see that he in no way changes the established method of doing business, if he has not full authority to do so, with- out first consulting those who have the interests of the business at heart, and who have been instrumental in establishing the pol- icy being followed. If he has a substitute for the present house policy, which he may have in many instances; if he knows that his method will make bigger profits for the house, or make sales easier; if he is sure that his thought-out policy is better in some way than the one now used, he can get attention from his employers, and will be able to influence them to see conditions and things as he sees them. It should not be thought from this that the Sales Manager should be indifferent to the weak points in the house policy. Nei- ther should it be assumed that it is his duty to keep his “hands off” of existing conditions. The contrary is true. The Sales Manager should make any changes that may be necessary to aid him in making sales, and which will not have a deterrent effect on those members of his firm whose cooperation he needs. If he has rea- sons back of his changes, if he consults with those who will be affected, if he wants to advance the interests of the house, and has proved his ability to get results, there is little chance that he will meet with great opposition when he advances better means of get- ting results. Cooperation with General Manager and Staff One of the chief reasons why any Sales Manager holds his posi- tion is that the executives who hired him feel that he is a man who can be depended on to cooperate with them to the last degree of loyalty. He is employed to increase the earnings of the company he serves. He is expected to have initiative in doing this; but, in RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER 19 many cases, it would be impossible for him to do it alone, without the cooperation of those to whom he is responsible. The Scientific Sales Manager, first of all, treats the interests of the company for which he works as if they were his own. They are, in a sense, his interests; for his success is bound up in that of his company. He therefore serves his employers to the best of his ability. He is in loyalty bound to support the management, if he in turn would have the salesmen under him give him loyal support. He cannot discredit those above him in any way, and then expect the salesmen working with him to give their whole- hearted respect and loyalty. It often happens that the Sales Manager has to reason things out with his superiors. Many a big man is set against doing things in a radical or different way, and the new way may be the efficient and best way in many cases. In such instances, however, if the Sales Manager will apply his knowledge of Salesmanship to “sell” those above him on his progressive ideas and plans, he will be more successful than will be the case if he follows another policy. If he cannot sell his ideas or plans to the management right at the start, a continuation of good work in his department will tend in time to give him full recognition. Cooperation with Department Heads Close cooperation with the various departmental managers brings results. If a Sales Manager does not cooperate with the Advertising, the Service, the Credit, the Collection, the Manufac- turing, Sales Office Employes, and the Shipping and Traffic De- partments — with whom he is doing business as much as with in- dividual customers — he will not be able to get the best results for the salesmen working for him or for the customers sold by his salesmen. It takes a closely knit organization to make a success under modern competitive conditions. “One for all and all for one” is a motto that may well be followed by house employes that want their firm to make good with its customers, and increase the 20 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT good-will of the public with whom that firm deals through its em- ployes. The Sales Manager, because of his long training in Salesman- ship, his knowledge of human nature, his knowledge of conditions in the territory, his appreciation of the needs and wants of cus- tomers, should be the one man above all others who is able to stim- ulate his fellow executives to a point where they will want to co- operate with him “for the good of the business,” and because they personally want to see his department make good. If he cannot stimulate his fellow executives, as well as the salesmen working with him, he has failed in one of the most important essentials of his position. There is nothing of more importance than coopera- tion in making a success of a business, unless the actual getting of a profitable business in the field might be put first. The Sales Manager will quickly be able to determine to what extent the other departments are cooperating with him. He can then induce further cooperation as the occasion seems to demand. If he is getting along in an all-right manner without specific atten- tion from individual departments, he may be turned down when he makes a request for more consideration; but as a general rule he can depend on it that all his reasonable demands will be met, if not at once, as soon as he has proved the necessity for his request. A house is in business to make money, and it is going to support the Sales Manager who endeavors to help it make money in the best and quickest way. Cooperation with Advertising Department There should be no friction between the advertising and sales department, for these two departments are in no sense competitors. If the sales department makes good, it is in many cases partly due to the excellence of the advertising matter prepared by the adver- tising department. In case the sales department fails to do its part, the best advertising will not pay. Cooperation should be the watchword — for the good of the firm. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER 21 It is only possible to cooperate when the advertising manager realizes that he cannot do his best without the cooperation of the Sales Manager, and when the Sales Manager feels that the adver- tising department can lessen the work of the individual salesman, and thereby make it easier for him to convince each prospect of the standing of the house, of the sincerity of its policy, of its intention to serve him, and of the quality of its goods for the prices it quotes. It is quite true that without advertising many business houses have made good through the use of strong personal salesmen; but it has become so well established at the present time that(adver- tising has a direct value to each salesman calling on the trade, that to get the best results progressive business houses mix adver- tising with personal salesmanship just as the individual salesman is expected to mix brain-energy with foot-energy. 3 The Sales Manager who is progressive will give his best ideas to the advertising manager and help the advertising manager find out the different points of interest to the trade and the consumers in the goods, and show how his salesmen make their appeals to dif- ferent types of customers. From this material the advertising de- partment will be better able to classify the customers in such a way that it can make direct appeals to the individuals, or so it can form a composite-customer, to whom it can appeal through the printed word. In either case, the success of the advertising campaign may de- pend on the degree of cooperation of the Sales Manager, and the manner in which the salesmen gather the information necessary to insure the success of the newspaper, magazine, billboard, electric sign, circulars, letters, or other advertising that may be used to bring to the trade the public’s favorable attention. Cooperation with the Service Department The importance of the Sales Manager’s cooperation with the Service Department is evident, for any way in which the Sales Man- ager can help out those individuals insuring satisfaction to cus- 22 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT tomers helps to increase the sales. The Service Department, in a real sense, is a sales maker, and very closely allied with the Sales Department, if not a part of it. It should be treated with the same consideration as the Credit Department, for while the Credit Department saves the Sales Department from losing money on un- profitable sales, the Service Department insures satisfied customers — customers who will directly or indirectly bring new customers into the sales list. Inasmuch as the salesmen are constantly referring to the service their company gives, it is the duty of the Sales Manager to see that this service is made as advantageous to the customer as pos- sible, without unduly cutting into the profits of the firm for which he works. The customer appreciates good service. While it is true that in some lines of business the customer often gets more service than he is entitled to, as a rule the reverse is true. As long as service increases the sales, and does not cut too deeply into the profits, it can be charged to the selling expense, and made to pay. Before a price is put on an article, in fact, the amount of service to be given with it should be considered; then the price ought to be fixed to cover the average amount of service it is in- tended to give customers. Some customers, to be sure, will demand more than their right- ful share; but, such customers are often the best word-of-mouth ad- vertisers a company has. The customers who do not use so much of the company time and who do not demand so much attention may advertise you less, and may really not be so valuable from the standpoint of making re-sales and getting new business as the cus- tomer who demands a lot of attention even after his bill is paid. Give each customer all the service you possibly can. When the limit is reached, tell him so, explaining why the limit has been reached. The more a customer comes to you for something he wants in the way of information, repairs, or service of any nature, the of- RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER 23 tener you have a chance to show him the sound policy of your com- pany, resell him, and to send him away feeling better than before. If you can get a customer to believing that he is indebted to you, without actually telling him so, he will at times endeavor to turn enough business over to you, which you would not otherwise get, to offset his debt. Men are honest and they will repay their debts of service as well as of money. It is necessary, however, that they be made to realize in a tactful and reasonable way that they are really indebted for extra service, and that unless your business with them is profitable you will not be able to render service. Cooperation with Credit Department Salesmen are inclined to sell any customer who they assume from outward circumstances will be likely to pay. This condition must be carefully watched for a customer who would pay cash if approached right in the first place will often refuse to do business with a firm whose salesman has granted him a line of credit which is in turn rejected by the Credit Man. This makes it necessary that there be close cooperation between the Sales Manager and the Credit Man. The Sales Manager should know the inner workings of the Cred- it Department. He should know the why of each rejection of credit so he can explain matters to his salesmen, and either give the salesmen a number of rules which they can follow in judging the customer’s credit standing, or teach them how to handle a cus- tomer so he can be induced to pay cash if the Credit Man finds he cannot at the time grant the credit that would otherwise be asked for. Because he is anxious to make a good showing in volume of business, the Sales Manager often gives less attention to the work of the Credit Department than its importance to the firm would justify. He does not always see its importance to his department, as well as to the firm as a whole. He may not appreciate that without a careful Credit Department some of his salesmen would 24 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT lose more money through bad accounts than they make through profitable sales that are paid in full. If the profit on an account is ten percent, and the salesman sells one bad account out of every ten sales, there will hardly be a profit for the house. You will see that it is to your advantage to make only those sales that are profitable. You can only be sure that a sale made on credit will be profitable when it is closely checked up by the Credit Man to fit the financial standing and character of the in- dividual customer, as he finds it through special reports, through reference to his files, through rating books, through bank refer- ences, etc. Then keep in touch with your Credit Department. Realize that you are the initiative and profit producing part of the con- cern, while the credit department has an important place in seeing that the motors of the sales department do not get out of commis- sion through a lack of fuel. Cooperation with Collection Department What has just been said regarding the cooperation of the Sales Department with the Credit Department applies with equal force to the Collection Department. The Sales Manager should impress upon his men that it is their duty to cooperate with the Collection Department in every possible way, even to the extent of collecting accounts themselves. No salesman is worthy of the name if he would rather see his firm lose money than to collect it himself. If a salesman really wants to be successful he must serve his firm well. He must be willing to do the tasks that are necessary, even though they seem to be outside of his particular field. It certainly is fair to ask a salesman to collect an account for a bill of goods he has sold, and for which he himself has asked credit, if it cannot be collected through the regular sources. Profits are based, not on sales so much as on the amount of mon- ey that comes in through such sales. It is a recognized fact that RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER 25 a salesman who gives his goods away without demanding reliable credit statements from his customers is not an asset to the house. As a rule, the salesmen must be extra careful to see that a new customer has the assets that will make it extremely probable that he will be able as well as willing to pay the firm for its goods. Whenever a bill remains unpaid the salesman should be penalized to the extent of having to cooperate in its collection. Even though some salesmen object to doing collecting work, if the attitude of the Sales Manager is positive, and he shows them the reasons why it is a part of their duty to the firm, and how his success and the success of the firm may depend on quick collections, he will usually be able to influence such self-interested salesmen to fall in line with the more firm-interested salesmen. The salesman should have firm-interest as well as self-interest to class as a first-grade man, and when this is shown him, little trouble will be experienced in getting him to make collections that will insure greater profits for the firm. The policy of the house, of course, will determine to what extent the salesmen are to make collections. Keep your hand on the throttle. Keep your salesmen in line. Convince them of the value of doing what you want them to do. Put it up to them. Get them to take on responsibility — as much as each man can carry; then, through their realization of the im- portance of doing things, get them to build for the future of the business as well as for their own individual incomes. Cooperation with Manufacturing Division It is from the Sales Manager in many cases that suggestions for the improvement in manufacturing goods must come. The sales- men in the field of active selling get many ideas from the customers they meet. These ideas are in turn communicated to the Sales Manager, and when he receives a sufficient number of them that show the merchandise lacks in certain essential qualities necessary to increase the amount sold, he takes up the points he has learned 26 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT with the Manufacturing Division of his firm; and new plans are made, or old plans added to, that the merchandise may better fit the needs and wants of the consumers. The chief purpose of making goods is to sell them. Men are in business to make money. If an article will sell better made one way than it will if made in another, the Manufacturing Depart- ment should be in such close cooperation with the Sales Manager and his salesmen that the change is made as soon as possible. In this way there will be constant improvement in merchandise for the general public, and a corresponding improvement in sales and profits. The customer is the best judge of what he wants, and the Sales Manager who has induced his salesmen to be on the watch for bet- ter methods of satisfying the demands of the trade will, other things being equal, have the largest volume of sales to the credit of his firm each year. It is not always possible to get full informa- tion on the best way of manufacturing goods before they are put on the market. A new way of producing goods for consumption is devised, tried out, proved as better than the old method; and then the new mer- chandise is sold to the public. As a general rule, improvement would stop right here; but, in actual experience, when the article once gets on the market it is tried and tested by the great consumer jury; and the individuals who compose this great jury have ideas that are often of profit to the house manufacturing the article, and which ideas can be had, often without asking. Your goods may be excellent, but if it is possible to make them fit the demands of the trade better than they now do, and you do not discover and work out the way in which this can be done, a competitor will; and then you will see the field which you have worked up so carefully and intensively disappear into the possession of your progressive competitor. Eternal vigilance in improving merchandise is the price of having a superior product. It is the RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER 27 house that has the superior product that can afford to hire the superior class of salesmen, and which will in the end be the biggest success. Cooperation with Sales Office Employes It is to be expected by outsiders that the employes of a Sales Department will exhibit in their dealings with salesmen and cus- tomers and among themselves a knowledge of and an application of the Principles of Salesmanship that are being used in the gener- al selling scheme. Such is not, however, always the case. The employes of the Sales Office, on the contrary, in many cases show a negligence and lack of interest in business etiquette and sales- manship that can only be explained by saying that the Sales Man- ager has not been equal to his position. If the Sales Manager will indicate that he has a personal interest in each employe, and will try to show the individual employe the importance of cooperation, and will prove its value to them by showing a spirit of cooperation himself, conditions will adjust them- selves to a high degree of efficiency as the organization worked out by Sales Manager, Sales Office Employes and Salesmen begins to run smoothly. It can only be assumed that the employes will cooperate to the advantage of the Sales Manager and his employer if they think that such cooperation is in some way an advantage to them, and in no way hurtful. Each employe can be made a distinct sales builder, even though he or she is not actively engaged in selling. At times it may be quite as important to get a salesman’s orders through as it was for the salesman to take the particular order in the first place. And here it is, through the stimulation and management of the Sales Manager, that the sales office employes can be enthused to a point where they will want to do everything in their power to make the department for which they work a success. A Sales Manager who can get the personal interest of his employes centered 28 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT in their work, and make them feel their responsibilities, will be a long way toward that freedom from detail that will make it pos- sible for him to extensively plan for bigger business. If you will consider the sales office employes as human beings who are not only interested in making a dollar, but who can also be enthused with a team spirit and a desire to help you in your work, you will be able to get the cooperation you want, and which may be so essential to making the sales organization under your con- trol stand head and shoulders over what it has in the past, or what similar organizations are doing in other firms. Then you can feel that you are justifying your managerial ability, as well as your inspirational sales work. Cooperation with Shipping and Traffic Department A great many delays in shipping goods are avoided when the Sales Manager keeps in touch with the Traffic Department. It should be the aim of the Sales Manager to see that all goods are shipped on time. His salesmen are obliged, in many cases, to promise definite delivery of merchandise in order to close orders. Thus it is necessary, in view of the service the house wants to render a customer, and in view of the fact that the honesty of the sales- man should not suffer, that the Sales Manager uphold the promises of the salesman at the house. He can do this in one way by seeing that each order is shipped on time, or that it is split into divisions, or that it is handled in any way that may be most convenient to the customer. It is manifestly impossible for the house to make itself a store- room for an overstocked customer. The Sales Manager, when he has the room, will often hold an order even months after it has been put in by the salesman, rather than risk a cancellation; but there is a limit to the time an order can be held, and when this limit is reached it should be disposed of or go forward without de- lay. If a customer wants an order of goods shipped to him on a cer- RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER 29 tain date, and it is found that this order cannot be shipped until some time later, through traffic congestion, or through a lack of materials, etc., the Sales Manager must take this matter up both with the salesman and the customer, in order to avoid any com- plaint. If a customer finds that he will not lose by waiting for all j' or part of his order, the conditions can be arranged to suit the house. The customer’s consent, however, is necessary to avoid any * friction over the delivery of the goods. A sale is only a sale when the house can ship the goods exactly as ordered and on time. If the house falls down on its end of the agreement the customer does not feel obliged to hold up his end of it. Close cooperation between the Sales Department and the Traffic Department will go a long way toward avoiding delays in ship- ments. In fact, the sales force will be greatly helped, and will not have cause for a slump in confidence in the house if it finds it can always depend on customers receiving goods in due season for re-sale or general utility. SELF-QUIZ OR SELF-ANALYSIS PERSONAL EFFICIENCY TESTS 1 .—DO I REMEMBER THAT A FUNDAMENTAL PRECEPT OF MANAGING SALES- MEN IS TO RECOGNIZE THEIR REAL WORTH , GIVE CONSIDERATION TO EACH MAN'S INDIVIDUALITY , AND TALK WITH HIM IN TERMS OF “YOU" * INSTEAD OF “I”? 2— DO I REALIZE THAT THE SALESMEN I DIRECT HAVE A DEEP INSIGHT INTO MY GUIDING METHODS AND WILL ONLY BE SATISFIED WITH ME IF I TAKE A PERSONAL INTEREST IN EACH MAN t 3— DO I TREAT THE SALESMEN I DIRECT WITH THE SAME CONSIDERATION , * AS TO GIVING THEM MY BEST SERVICE AND INSURING THEIR SATISFAC- TION WITH MY WORK, AS I WOULD THE FIRM'S BEST CUSTOMERS? 4.— DO I CONSIDER THAT IT TAKES A STRONG PERSONAL APPEAL TO FIRE A SALESMAN'S IMAGINATION TO THE POSSIBILITIES OF A PROPOSITION EVEN THOUGH IT HAS UNUSUAL MERIT? 5— DO I PERCEIVE THE SAFEST POLICY TO FOLLOW WHEN DEALING WITH THE SALESMEN I DIRECT IS TO MAKE THE “YOU" ELEMENT SO STRONG THAT THE INDIVIDUAL SALESMAN WILL FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS BECAUSE HE FEELS THAT SUCH INSTRUCTIONS WERE , IN PART AT LEAST, SUGGESTED BY HIMSELF? 6 .— IS MY ATTITUDE TOWARD MY FIRM ONE OF COOPERATION SO AS TO AVOID BEING JEALOUS OF OTHER DEPARTMENT HEADS; YET DO I KEEP MY INDIVIDUALITY INTACT TO THE EXTENT THAT IMPROPER METHODS OF PROCEDURE MAY NOT BE FORCED UPON ME? 30 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT 7. — WHEN MY HOUSE IS PURSUING A POLICY THAT WILL LESSEN ITS SUC- CESS, PROFITS , OR PRESTIGE, DO I TACTFULLY TAKE A FIRM STAND AGAINST ANYBODY AND ANYTHING WHICH MIGHT TEND TO BREAK DOWN THE SALES FORCE, AND PROVE THAT MY PLANS AND METHODS ARE BASED ON FACTS AND PRINCIPLES THAT WILL STAND THE TESTS OF BUSINESS ? 8 . —DO I APPRECIATE THAT, ONCE I HAVE PROVED MY ABILITY TO USE AUTHORITY FOR THE FIRM’S BEST INTERESTS, IT WILL GIVE ME AL- MOST UNLIMITED POWER IN MY FIELD OF WORK f 9 . —DO I PERCEIVE THAT MY POSITION OFFERS ME OPPORTUNITIES TO “MAKE” MY FIRM, OR “BREAK” IT THROUGH INEFFICIENT METHODS, K THAT MY ENTHUSIASM WILL BE REFLECTED IN THE SALESMEN I DIRECT; AND THAT IF I AM THE RIGHT KIND OF LEADER, I CAN SPEED UP EVEN GOOD SALESMEN? 10 —DO I RESPECT THE POLICY OF MY HOUSE AND FOLLOW THE WISHES OF ITS OWNER OR CHIEF EXECUTIVE , SO THAT I MAY, IN TURN, DEMAND OF THE SALESMEN I DIRECT THE FULLEST CONSIDERATION FOR THE r HOUSE POLICY , AND SUCH REGULATIONS THAT I FIND NECESSARY? 11. — DO I AVOID CHANGING THE ESTABLISHED METHOD OF DOING BUSINESS, IF I HAVE NOT FULL AUTHORITY, WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN ESTABLISHING MY FIRM’S BUSI- NESS REPUTATION AND PRESTIGE? 12. — DO I RECOMMEND CHANGES IN WEAK POINTS IN THE HOUSE POLICY; CHANGES THAT WILL HELP THE SALESMEN UNDER ME TO MAKE SALES; CHANGES THAT WILL RENDER GREATER SERVICE AND BETTER SATIS- FACTION TO THE CUSTOMER, WHEN SUCH CHANGES DO NOT CONFLICT WITH THE RIGHTS OF OTHER DEPARTMENT HEADS? 13 —DO I REALIZE THAT I CANNOT DISCREDIT MY SUPERIOR OFFICERS WITHOUT CASTING DISCREDIT UPON MYSELF, AND THAT I CAN ONLY EXPECT THE SALESMEN I DIRECT TO GIVE ME THEIR WHOLE-HEARTED RESPECT AND LOYALTY IF I MYSELF AM LOYAL TO THE FIRM? 14.— DO I APPLY MY KNOWLEDGE OF SALESMANSHIP TO “SELL” MY SUPERIOR EXECUTIVES ON RADICAL OR DIFFERENT WAYS OF DOING THINGS WHICH I PROPOSE, KNOWING THAT IF I CANNOT SELL MY IDEAS OR PLANS TO THE MANAGEMENT AT THE START, GOOD WORK ON MY PART WILL IN TIME BRING MY IDEAS AND PLANS FULL RECOGNITION? 1 5— DO I COOPERATE WITH THE ADVERTISING MANAGER; THE SERVICE, THE CREDIT, THE COLLECTION, THE MANUFACTURING, THE SHIPPING AND THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENTS; WITH SALES OFFICE EMPLOYES AND THUS OBTAIN THE BEST RESULTS FOR THE SALESMEN I DIRECT AND FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS? 16 . —DO I REALIZE THAT MY OWN TRAINING IN SALESMANSHIP, MY KNOW- LEDGE OF HUMAN NATURE, MY KNOWLEDGE OF CONDITIONS IN THE f TERRITORY, MY APPRECIATION OF THE NEEDS AND WANTS OF CUS- TOMERS, MAKE ME THE ONE MAN IN MY FIRM WHO IS ABLE, ABOVE ALL OTHERS, TO STIMULATE MY FELLOW EXECUTIVES TO THE POINT WHERE THEY WILL WANT TO COOPERATE WITH ONE ANOTHER “FOR THE PS? GOOD OF THE BUSINESS”? 17. — DO I ASCERTAIN TO WHAT EXTENT OTHER DEPARTMENTS ARE CO- ' OPERATING WITH ME, AND INDUCE FURTHER COOPERATION AS OCCA- SION DEMANDS, MEETING OPPOSITION WITH FACTS THAT PROVE THE NECESSITY FOR MY REQUEST? 18 . —DO I AVOID FRICTION WITH THE ADVERTISING MANAGER, REALIZING THAT THE SALES AND ADVERTISING DEPARTMENTS ARE IN NO SENSE COMPETITORS, BUT THAT WE MUST WORK HAND IN HAND IN SERVING OUR FIRM? 19 . —DO I SEE THAT THE ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT LESSENS THE WORK OF THE PERSONAL SALESMAN AND MAKES IT EASIER FOR HIM TO CONVINCE EACH PROSPECT OF THE STANDING OF THE HOUSE, OF THE SINCERITY OF ITS POLICY, OF ITS INTENTION TO SERVE HIM, OF THE QUALITY OF ITS GOODS, AND THE FAIRNESS OF THE PRICES HE QUOTES t RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES MANAGER 31 20. — DO I FULLY APPRECIATE THAT ADVERTISING MUST BE "MIXED" WITH PERSONAL SALESMANSHIP, FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE BUSINESS, IN THE SAME WAY THAT A PERSONAL SALESMAN MIXES BRAIN ENERGY AND FOOT ENERGY? 21. — DO I HELP THE ADVERTISING MANAGER ASCERTAIN THE DIFFERENT POINTS OF INTEREST, TO TRADE AND CONSUMERS, IN THE FIRM'S GOODS, AND HOW THE SALESMEN UNDER ME MAKE THEIR APPEALS TO DIFFERENT TYPES OF CUSTOMERS? 22. — DO I APPRECIATE THAT THE SUCCESS OF AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN 2 MAY DEPEND UPON MY COOPERATION AND THE ZEAL WITH WHICH * THE SALESMEN I DIRECT GATHER NECESSARY INFORMATION? 23. — DO I REALIZE THAT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT IS A SALES MAKER, INASMUCH AS IT INSURES SATISFIED CUSTOMERS WHO WILL DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY HELP MY FIRM TO MAKE SALES? % 24 . — DO I DELIVER THE STIPULATED AMOUNT OF SERVICE PROMISED BY MY FIRM OR THE SALESMEN I DIRECT, GIVING EXTRA SERVICE AS LONG AS IT INCREASES THE SALES AND DOES NOT CUT TOO DEEPLY INTO THE PROFITS? * 25— DO I TACTFULLY EXPLAIN TO A SALESMAN OR CUSTOMER THE REA- SONS WHY THE LIMIT OF SERVICE HAS BEEN REACHED, WHEN SUCH IS THE CASE, IN ORDER TO AVOID UNWARRANTED DRAINS UPON THE PROFITS OF MY HOUSE? 26 . — DO I WARN THE SALESMEN I DIRECT AGAINST SELLING A CUSTOMER ON CREDIT, WHEN HE MIGHT BE INDUCED TO BUY FOR CASH, IF THERE IS ANY DANGER THAT THE CREDIT DEPARTMENT MAY TURN THE ORDER DOWN AND THUS ANTAGONIZE THE CUSTOMER? 27— DO I ASCERTAIN THE "WHY" OF EACH REJECTION OF CREDIT, EXPLAIN MATTERS TO THE SALESMAN INTERESTED, GIVING SUCH RULES, REGU- LATIONS OR ADVICE AS WILL HELP THE SALESMEN TO HANDLE CUS- TOMERS SO THAT THEY CAN BE INDUCED TO PAY CASH IF THE CREDIT MAN REFUSES THEM CREDIT ? 28 —DO I APPRECIATE THAT WITHOUT A CAREFUL CREDIT DEPARTMENT, SOME OF THE SALESMEN I DIRECT MIGHT LOSE MORE MONEY THROUGH BAD ACCOUNTS THAN THEY WOULD MAKE THROUGH PROFITABLE SALES THAT ARE PAID FOR IN FULL? 29 —DO I IMPRESS UPON THE SALESMEN I DIRECT THAT IT IS THEIR DUTY TO COOPERATE WITH THE COLLECTION DEPARTMENT IN EVERY POS- SIBLE WAY, EVEN TO THE EXTENT OF COLLECTING ACCOUNTS THEM- SELVES WHEN IT IS ADVISABLE AND WITHIN THE HOUSE POLICY TO DO SO? J 30 .— WHEN A SALESMAN OBJECTS TO COLLECTING, DO I SHOW HIM IN A TACT- FUL WAY THAT IT IS IMPORTANT FOR HIM TO SHOW ZEAL IN THE COLLECTION OF ACCOUNTS THAT CANNOT BE COLLECTED THROUGH THE REGULAR SOURCES, IN ORDER THAT HIS FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS MAY RECEIVE PROPER CONSIDERATION? m 13 .—DO I KEEP MY HAND ON THE THROTTLE OF THE SALES ENGINE, KEEP T MY SALESMEN AT THEIR APPOINTED TASKS, CONVINCE THEM THAT RULES AND ADVICE ARE FOR THEIR BENEFIT, URGE EACH MAN TO CARRY WHAT RESPONSIBILITY HE CAN, AND GET THEM TO BUILD FOR THE FUTURE OF THE BUSINESS IN ORDER THAT THEIR OWN INDIVID- UAL INCOMES MAY BE INCREASED AND ASSURED? 32 .— DO I POINT OUT TO THE SALESMEN I DIRECT THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING IDEAS FROM CUSTOMERS THAT WILL IMPROVE THE UTILITY OF MY FIRM'S PRODUCTS, AND IN TURN COMMUNICATE THESE IDEAS TO THE MANUFACTURING EXECUTIVES OF THE FIRM? 33— DO I FULLY APPRECIATE THAT IT IS MUCH EASIER AND SAFER, AS A RULE, TO CHANGE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES THAN TO SELL THE PUBLIC SOMETHING IT DOES NOT WANT, AND KEEP ON THE LOOKOUT FOR IDEAS THAT WILL MAKE THE SALE OF MY FIRM'S PRODUCTS EASIER? 3 0 12 105465923 32 N. S. T. A. SYSTEM OF SALES MANAGEMENT 1 34. — DO I REALIZE THAT A SUPERIOR PRODUCT IS MADE BY A SUPERIOR 11 HOUSE , TO BE SOLD BY SUPERIOR SALESMEN— AND THAT I AM A SU-M PERIOR SALES MANAGER ONLY IF I USE ETERNAL VIGILANCE IN IM - PROVING MY SALES FORCE , SALES METHODS , ETC .? 35. — DO I KNOW THAT OUTSIDERS EXPECT SALES DEPARTMENT EMPLOYES fij TO EXHIBIT A KNOWLEDGE AND APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF 1 SALESMANSHIP , AS USED IN THE GENERAL SELLING SCHEME , IN THEIR 1 DEALINGS WITH SALESMEN AND CUSTOMERS ? 36. — DO I, FROM TIME TO TIME , HOLD INFORMAL CONFERENCES WITH THE i SALES DEPARTMENT EMPLOYES , CALLING ATTENTION TO PRINCIPLES 1 OF BUSINESS ETIQUETTE AND PERSONAL SELLING, AND SHOWING HOW THEIR COOPERATION PUTS THEM IN LINE AND ADVANCES THE BEST | INTERESTS OF “THEIR" FIRM ? 37. — DO I SHOW A SPIRIT OF COOPERATION MYSELF SO THAT CONDITIONS WILL ADJUST THEMSELVES TO A HIGH DEGREE OF EFFICIENCY AS THE ORGANIZATION WORKED OUT BY MYSELF AND OTHERS BEGINS TO RUN i SMOOTHLY? 38. — DO I EXPLAIN TO THE EMPLOYES I DIRECT WHY COOPERATION IS I HELPFUL TO THEM , PROVE WHY IT IS IN NO WAY HURTFUL , TO THE $ END THAT EACH EMPLOYE WILL HANDLE DETAILS IN A WAY TO EX- * PEDITE ORDERS AND BUILD SALES; AND IMPRESS UPON EACH INDIVID - % UAL IN MY DEPARTMENT THE IMPORTANCE OF HIS OR HER WORK IN \ THE ORGANIZATION SCHEME? 39 —DO I STIMULATE AND MANAGE THE EMPLOYES I DIRECT, TO THE END ■ THAT THEIR ENTHUSIASM WILL EASILY BRING COOPERATION IN HAN- DLING SALES DEPARTMENT ROUTINE AND CREATIVE WORK? 40 —DO I PERCEIVE THAT I WILL BE FREE FOR CREATIVE PLANNING ONLY BY MAKING THOSE I DIRECT RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR PARTICULAR DUTIES , AND HOLDING MYSELF IN A POSITION TO DIRECT AND ADVISE AT THOSE TIMES WHEN DECISION AND INITIATIVE OF A HIGHER ORDER IS NEEDED? 41—2)0 I MEASURE MY ABILITY AS AN EXECUTIVE BY THE TEAM SPIRIT f OF THOSE I DIRECT, AND BY THE EXTENT TO WHICH I AM ABLE TO 1 GET THE COOPERATION I NEED AND WANT? 42 —DO I KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT IN ORDER THAT \ DELAYS AND MISTAKES IN SHIPPING GOODS MAY BE AVOIDED? 43 .— DO I APPRECIATE THAT THE STANDING OF THE SALESMEN I DIRECT SUFFERS WHEN THEIR DEFINITE PROMISES OF DELIVERY OF MER- CHANDISE ARE NOT CARRIED OUT BY THE FIRM, AND THAT THIS TO A . DEGREE LESSENS THEIR CONFIDENCE IN ME, CAUSING THEM TO THINK THAT I AM NEGLECTING OR IGNORING THEIR INTERESTS? 44— DO I HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING WITH THE SALESMEN I DIRECT , , AS TO HOW LONG AN ORDER CAN BE “ STORED " BY THE HOUSE, SO THAT THERE WILL BE NO MISUNDERSTANDING WITH CUSTOMERS OVER GOODS SHIPPED AHEAD OF TIME? 45 . —WHEN GOODS CANNOT BE SHIPPED AT THE PROMISED TIME, DO I NOTIFY BOTH SALESMAN AND CUSTOMER, SO THAT NO CAUSE FOR COMPLAINT WILL BE GIVEN EITHER PARTY? 46. — DO I KNOW THAT A SALE IS ONLY A SALE WHEN THE HOUSE CAN SHIP THE GOODS EXACTLY AS ORDERED AND ON TIME, AND THAT A CUSTOMER DOES NOT FEEL OBLIGED TO HOLD UP HIS END OF THE AGREEMENT, UN- LESS THE HOUSE ALSO SHOWS AN APPRECIATION OF ITS RESPONSIBILI- TIES? 47. — DO I COOPERATE CLOSELY WITH THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT SO THAT THE SALESMEN I DIRECT WILL NOT HAVE CAUSE FOR A “SLUMP" OF CONFIDENCE IN THE HOUSE, BUT WILL FIND THAT THEY CAN DEPEND UPON CUSTOMERS RECEIVING GOODS IN DUE SEASON FOR RE-SALE OR GENERAL UTILITY? 48. — DO I UTILIZE THIS SET OF BROCHURES AS A MEANS OF OBTAINING VIEWPOINTS AND SUGGESTIONS, CONSIDERING THIS FIRST BOOKLET AS A GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE SEVEN DEFINITE FACTORS THAT I, AS A SALES MANAGER, MUST TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION IN HANDLING THE SALES OFFICE FORCE, THE SALESMEN I DIRECT AND THE TERRITORY?