SALES MANAGEMENT
MKTG 458
Spring 2006
CLASS PERIOD:
MW: 4:00 – 5:50 p.m. Conner 111
Wed: 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. Conner 111
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Douglas Vorhies, Ph.D.
North Holman 327
915-1351
dvorhies@bus.olemiss.edu
OFFICE HOURS:
MW 3:00 – 4:00 pm. (An appointment is recommended). Other times can be obtained by
appointment.
WEB PAGES:
Vorhies:
http://faculty.bus.olemiss.edu/dvorhies
Simulation: http://www.shootformars.com
TEXTS:
Dalrymple’s Sales Management, 9th Edition. by William L. Cron and Tomas E. DeCarlo,
John Wiley and Sons.
Mars Sales Simulation Student Manual Available from http://www.shootformars.com
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed for students interested in a career in professional selling and sales management.
The course is concerned with how to manage a sales force with the objective of maximizing overall sales
performance in terms of both effectiveness and efficiency. The emphasis is on business-to-business (rather
than consumer) sales force management. The class uses a discussion based format and requires active
participation from the student for each class. Prerequisites include MKTG 351 and 354.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The primary goal of this course is to train you in the methods of sales management. To do this, the course is
structured to help students achieve the following objectives.
1. To develop a broad understanding of the tools and techniques used in sales management today.
2. To understand the basic functions of sales force management as well as theories and concepts about
appropriately managing the sales function to attain firm marketing objectives.
3. To improve student communication via in class discussion of assigned readings, cases and preparation of
written assignments.
4. To improve problem solving skills via the application of theories and concepts studied to practical business
situations.
5. To build the student’s ability to work in team-based management systems and to facilitate the team-skills
necessary for success in the sales area.
GRADING:
Grades for the course will be determined based on your performance in the following areas:
Exam I
Exam II
Exam III
Sales Management Simulation Project.
Quizzes, Homework and Class Participation.
Total Points Possible *
* The final number of points may change as assignments are added. See below.
100 points
100 points
100 points
200 points
100 points
600 points *
Final letter grades will be given according to the following points schedule:
A
B
C
D
F
=
=
=
=
=
92%
82%
70%
60%
Below 60%
EXPLANATION OF ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS POLICIES:
1. Grades: The School of Business Administration has set the policy that no more than 10% of the students in
any class will receive an A. Your grades are based on your performance on the tests, project, quizzes and
homework. A small part of your grade is participation (note this is not attendance). No lobbying for grades is
permitted. To do well in the class spend your time working on the class material and not politicking your
professor. Grade Questions: Grade questions can be handled by scheduling an appointment with the
professor. Please note: Grades are not negotiable. Nor do I appreciate students telling me they “need” a
certain grade. Grades are based solely on your performance in class.
2. Workload: A career in selling and sales management is very demanding. To be successful in sales
management requires a high level of commitment. The same is true in this class. The workload is very high
and will require an ongoing commitment of your time and energy. I expect everyone who takes this class to
demonstrate this commitment every class period. In short, you are treated as professionals in this class and
are expected to act in a professional, dedicated and ethical manner.
3. Prerequisites: MKTG 354 (Professional Selling) is a pre-requisite for this class. If you have not had this
class, you should drop the class until you have taken MKTG 354. MKTG 351 is also a prerequisite
4. Exams: Exams cover material from class discussion. This includes the textbook modules, cases, videos,
homework, and all other assignments. The exams are designed to evaluate your individual knowledge of
sales management theory and application. Exams are worth 100 points each. Exam format is multiple
choice and/or true-false.
Missing a Test: Tests must be taken on the day they are scheduled. In the event of a major emergency
(e.g., illness), contact me by phone or email immediately. Failure to notify me prior to the test can result in
you receiving a zero on the test. If I determine a make up test is warranted, the test can include oral
questioning for 1 hour, written essay questions, random questions pulled from the test bank, or some
combination of these.
5. Failure to turn in an assignment on time: Students who fail to turn in an assignment when it is due will
receive 0 points for that assignment.
6. Sales Management Simulation (200 pts): Student teams (5 members each) will perform the sales
management simulation (available through the MARS web site). Each student team will make sales
management decisions and keep a log of those decisions for each period. A portion of the final simulation
grade will be based on your team’s performance. In addition, at the end of the simulation, students will hand
in the decision log. The decision log must also be available during class, must be kept updated and will be
checked for completeness. Failure to keep the decision log updated will result in point deductions from the
final simulation grade. Note: all decision logs must be printed on a letter quality printer, using a 12 point
Roman font and must follow the format provided by your instructor (available from the web page). The cost
for this simulation is $100 per team and is paid directly by the team to the MARS web site. Class time will be
made available to help student teams with their decision making. You may bring your laptop to connect to
the internet and work from the classroom to prepare your decisions and enter them on the web site. For
each decision period, you will have a due date. Failure to submit decisions by the due date will result in your
team forfeiting for the missed period.
7. Class Participation: I use a discussion format in this class (versus the straight lecture format). I place a
premium on your being prepared for class and set the bar very high (this means that participation is not a
give away and you don’t get credit for just showing up for class). My evaluation of your participation during
discussions of assigned material is worth up to 100 points. Class participation is designed to improve your
ability to verbally answer business questions, defend your ideas, and think on your feet. This is an important
skill sales managers need and one that improves greatly with practice.
Participation is more than just showing up for class! You must contribute successfully! This means you
must demonstrate a mastery of the subject and answer questions correctly. Participation is competitively
evaluated with only the top 5% or so of students typically getting 90% or better.
How to prepare for class discussions: Before class - read the assigned Module and/or Case from the book
and print off a copy of the Powerpoint slides from the instructor’s web site. My web site is:
(http://faculty.bus.olemiss.edu/dvorhies). You may find it helpful to use online quizzes. These are available
at: (http://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books?action=index&itemId=0471743194&bcsId=2896). Many students also
find it helpful to outline the chapters and take notes on the cases (these become useful study aids).
What to do in class: Take notes over what we outline on the board (this is 85% of what I test on) and answer
the questions I ask. Raise your hand to contribute to the discussion. Avoid saying an answer out loud without
raising your hand first. This is important so that everyone has a chance to contribute.
Trust in the classroom: To make this class work, it is important to have a high level of trust between you and
me. This means I must create an environment where you can take a chance to answer a question, even if
you aren’t 100% sure of the answer. It’s OK to be wrong some of the time. In fact many times, giving a
wrong answer to a discussion question helps me to uncover a point of confusion (it’s typically not just one
student who don’t know the answer). You are much better off in this class trying to answer a question and
failing, than sitting all class and never saying a thing. Remember, if you don’t answer questions you will get
NO participation points. You will also notice that I seldom say to a student “No – that’s wrong.” I will typically
say “that’s not where I was coming from” etc. Often an incorrect answer isn’t totally wrong – maybe just a
part of it is off base. Or, you may have one concept slightly confused with another. No big deal. You get
credit in this class for trying! You don’t get credit for just showing up.
What not to do in the classroom: Sitting there and not being involved in the discussion is a very bad idea.
You can’t succeed in this class if you don’t participate. Every semester I have several students who did well
on tests but end up missing the grade they were shooting for because they did not participate. It is also
important to not disrupt class by talking to the person sitting next to you, etc. Its ok to ask the person next to
you a question, but I will ask you to leave class if you are disruptive. Also, be aware that I usually keep the
class the entire time.
8. Quizzes: Students must come to class prepared to discuss assigned material. Unannounced quizzes may
be given whenever I feel your preparation for class is not adequate. Quizzes will be added into your class
participation score. Quizzes may NOT be made up. If you miss a quiz, you will receive zero points.
9. Attendance: Attendance is required for all students. If you must miss class, you do so at your own risk.
Missed in-class assignments, quizzes and participation cannot be made up.
10. Other Assignments: I also reserve the right to give you other assignments throughout the course of the
semester. These may include case reports, homework, and any other assignments I feel are necessary. As
assignments are added, the total number of points for the class will be increased. Grading will still follow the
grade format outlined above.
11. School of Business Administration Statement of Academic Integrity: The School of Business
Administration upholds honor and academic integrity in all of its teaching, research, and service
activities. All business faculty, staff, and students are charged with the responsibility to behave with
personal and professional integrity and to refrain from dishonorable conduct.
SALES MANAGEMENT TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE
Week
Day
Topic
Text Readings
Assignments Due
1-16
W
Introduction to Course
Chp 1
Hand Out Syllabus
1-23
M
W
Intro. to Sales Mgmt
Strategy and Sales Program Planning
Chp 1
Chp 2
1-30
M
W
Sales Force Investment and Budgeting
Sales Force Investment and Budgeting
Chp 2
Chp 2
2-6
M
W
Sales Opportunity Management
Sales Opportunity Management
Chp 3
Chp 3
2-13
M
W
Account Relationship Management
Customer Interaction Management
Chp 4
Chp 5
Exam I (Wed)
Review on Monday
Chps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
2-20
2-27
M
W
Recruiting and Selecting Personnel
Recruiting and Selecting Personnel
Chp 7
Chp 7
Decision
Due: 3-2-05
3-6
M
W
Sales Training
Sales Training
Chp 8
Chp 8
Decision
Due: 3-9-05
3-13
SPRING BREAK
Enjoy!
3-20
M
W
Motivation
Motivation
Chp 11
Chp 11
Decision
Due: 3-23-05
3-27
M
W
Compensation
Compensation
Chp 12
Chp 12
Decision
Due: 3-30-05
Exam II (Wed)
Review on Monday
Chp 7, 8, 11, 12
Decision
Due: 4-6-05
4-3
4-10
M
W
Sales Force Organization
Territory Design
Chp 6
Chp 6
Decision
Due: 4-13-05
4-17
M
W
Evaluating Performance
Evaluating Performance
Chp 13
Chp 13
Decision
Due: 4-20-05
4-24
M
W
Leadership
Ethical Leadership
Chp 9
Chp 10
Decision
Due: 4-27-05
Exam III (Wed)
Review on Monday
Chp 6, 9, 10, 13
Decision
Due: 5-4-05
5-1
Log Book
Due: 5-5-05
5-8
Finals Week
NOTE: Decisions are always due on Thursday by 12:00 noon.
No Final Exam