Recommend a sales force strategy and compensation structure.

Overview: A key aspect to meeting your business goals is the development of an effective sales force. In order to have an effective sales force, you need a clear plan for recruitment, compensation, training, and motivation.

Action Items

Lay out your sales force plan in a one page brief. Use the information on page 245 in your textbook as a guide.

In the first section, describe the qualities of your perfect salesperson. There are any number of important characteristics you can mention here. Are there desired qualities that may be unique to a salesperson for the hospitality industry? How will you identify individuals who possess these desired characteristics?

In the second section, describe how these individuals will be compensated. Many salespeople work on commission. What kind of rates would you offer? Would you offer additional compensation, such as a bonus for sales above a particular goal? If so, what form would these bonuses take? What would the sales goal be?

Next, describe how you would train these individuals. What sort of information do they need that they do not already have? What medium would you use (e.g., a physical meeting, training videos, synchronous webinars, etc.)? Are there aspects to the job that you would need them to do that would place restrictions on appropriate media?

Lastly, it is widely accepted that keeping a sales force motivated involves frequent communication and recognition of efforts. How will you address these for your business? How will you keep in contact with your salespeople? What forms of recognition will you employ when acknowledging the efforts of your sales team? For what kind of efforts will you recognize your salespeople?