Caselet of Sales and Distribution Management
1
Promotion to Manager
Subject: Sales Manager
Skymation, Inc. has been experiencing fantastic growth for the past year. The introduction of its new product, StarDuster, has had salespeople working double-time. In fact, the company’s overall sales have jumped an average of 60 percent per month, because of the added exposure StarDuster has given to all of the company’s products.
Lester Mews is the vice president of sales. Lately, he spends most of his time interviewing and hiring new sales reps. After adding 10 people to the sales roster, and shuffling territories, Mews realized he needed to promote one of his senior reps to an area sales manager. Two candidates fit the position. Melinda Curtis is one of Skymation’s best closers. She has been a President’s Club member every year since she was hired five years ago. Her dynamic personality is an inspiration to other reps, and she has had great success with the two rookie reps she has mentored. Her “take-charge” personality has been a boon to Mews, who often asks Curtis to help him plan sales meetings. The other choice is Scott Lanier, who is a six-year veteran of Skymation. Lanier is a solid producer who is looked up to by many of the younger reps. He is great at building customer relationships, and always has supportive words and suggestions for his peers on how to improve their sales techniques. He is surprisingly detail-oriented for a salesperson; his sales reports are always filled in perfectly and turned in on time.
Mews wants to choose the person who will keep sales growth high and keep the reps motivated, but who also can run the territory and keep records and budgets as if it were his/her own business. He doesn’t want to lose one rep by promoting the
Promotion to Manager
Subject: Sales Manager
Skymation, Inc. has been experiencing fantastic growth for the past year. The introduction of its new product, StarDuster, has had salespeople working double-time. In fact, the company’s overall sales have jumped an average of 60 percent per month, because of the added exposure StarDuster has given to all of the company’s products.
Lester Mews is the vice president of sales. Lately, he spends most of his time interviewing and hiring new sales reps. After adding 10 people to the sales roster, and shuffling territories, Mews realized he needed to promote one of his senior reps to an area sales manager. Two candidates fit the position. Melinda Curtis is one of Skymation’s best closers. She has been a President’s Club member every year since she was hired five years ago. Her dynamic personality is an inspiration to other reps, and she has had great success with the two rookie reps she has mentored. Her “take-charge” personality has been a boon to Mews, who often asks Curtis to help him plan sales meetings. The other choice is Scott Lanier, who is a six-year veteran of Skymation. Lanier is a solid producer who is looked up to by many of the younger reps. He is great at building customer relationships, and always has supportive words and suggestions for his peers on how to improve their sales techniques. He is surprisingly detail-oriented for a salesperson; his sales reports are always filled in perfectly and turned in on time.
Mews wants to choose the person who will keep sales growth high and keep the reps motivated, but who also can run the territory and keep records and budgets as if it were his/her own business. He doesn’t want to lose one rep by promoting the