Impact Of An Effective Sales Force On Organizational Performance (A Study Of Unilever Plc.)

ABSTRACT

Many organizations, including industrial and domestic products firms, no doubt, experience sub-optimal or even poor marketing performance. With the notion that sales force performance positively correlates with marketing performance, organizations view sales force ineffectiveness and incompetence with grave seriousness and concern. The effect of poor sales force performance is not limited to firms alone but also to the economy by extension. This study surveyed the impact of an effective sales force on organizational performance on such marketing performance metrics as sales growth, sales volume and profitability. A total of 144 copies of questionnaire were administered among Senior Sales Managers, Marketing Managers and Marketing Executives, in the frame of respondents. The sample size was drawn randomly and 36 out of 40 were randomly selected as the sample size. The data were analyzed using descriptive tables, Multiple Regression Analysis and Pearson Correlation Coefficient, the interaction between effective sales force variables and marketing performance metrics surveyed was found to be statistically significant. The variables of effective sales force significantly affect sales growth, sales volume and profitability but mentoring exhibits the most significant effects. Therefore, organizations are advised to be strategic and creative in packaging sales force competence development (SFCD) programmes to ensure they relate positively with marketing performance metrics.