When a company encounters either a slowdown in the rate of sales growth, or an actual downturn in revenue, there is a tendency to blame various factors: the economy, the market, the consumer, the marketing department, and other external factors. Rarely do sales departments turn the focus on themselves and consider what they can do differently in order to change the figures. An effective sales manager is able to serve as mentor, coach, counselor and tough parent in order to motivate the sales force; this manager also makes use of the various tools available to help turn sales around. The most important factor that this manager brings to the sales team are the dual concepts of responsibility and accountability. By focusing the sales department's attention on changing those factors over which they have control, the sales manager is able to bring about change in the organization. In my professional experience as a sales manager, I have learned that responsibility for poor sales as well as credit for outstanding sales both rest with the sales manager. By focusing on the selling function and the sales administration function, companies can improve poor sales performance and help maintain strong sales.
Some analysts assert that imagination is nothing short of the most fundamental success factor in selling. In this view, the selling imagination differs from other types of imagination in that it focuses on understanding customers, their problems and how to gain their attention. From this perspective, it can also be inferred that customers do not purchase things or features, but rather solutions and benefits. This is what sets the selling imagination apart from other types of imagination (Levitt, 1986, p. 18).
From this beginning, analysts move on to the idea of differentiation, which is the process of recognizing that there have to be reasons for customers to choose one supplier over another. The process of differentiating ones...