Send Him with Todd!

Author
Donald A. Carpenter, Kay A. Hodge
Region
North America
Topic
Strategy & General Management
Length
7 pages
Keywords
corporate structure
management
management decisions
decisions
subordinates
Copyright Holder
Journal of Case Studies
Student Price
$4.00
Target Audience
Undergraduate Students
Executive Education

Grey is a relatively new zone sales manager in the Colorado Springs sales branch of a mainframe computer company. His boss is branch manager Clint, who is very frustrated with Grey’s view of his job responsibilities and his ineffectiveness. The case opens with Clint recommending that Grey send the non-performing sales trainee, Sam, on a three-day sales trip with highly-successful but fairly new salesman Todd. The purpose was to enculturate Sam into the work ethic of the Colorado Springs branch. As their conversation unfolds, Clint realizes that the person that needs the enculturation trip more is Grey.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify sales motivational theories that are applicable to field sales personnel particularly those that Grey and Clint are referencing.
  2. Explain the role and types of training in sales force management, emphasizing the type of sales force training that Clint prefers Grey conduct. 
  3. Analyze whether good sales people automatically make good sales managers.
  4. Analyze the impact of social style of interactions in a sales organization.
  5. (Optional) Analyze the differences in the effectiveness of the two sales time/territory management techniques explained in the case.