Linkages Between Sales Management Tools and Practices: Some Evidence from British Companies

Abstract

This article investigates the interactions among sales management tools and practices used in six key areas of managerial responsibility, namely: organization, selection, training, remuneration, supervision, and evaluation. The results are based principally upon a mail survey of 113 U.K. manufacturing companies. Our data suggest that the sales management tools and practices used by the sample com panies in the aforementioned managerial areas tend to be in terrelated. Specifically, the practices pertaining to the organization and selection of the sales force are linked with the training practices employed. Also, the selection and the training practices used by manufacturing companies tend to be linked with the evaluation practices. Finally, the remuneration practices and policies are linked to the prac tices pertaining to the supervision and evaluation of the sales force.