EXPRESS: Onboarding Salespeople: Socialization Approaches

The effective training of salespeople is crucial to a firm’s success; there is arguably no more critical type of training than a salesperson’s onboarding. In this study, the authors leverage a natural field experiment in which a firm’s newly hired salespeople can undergo onboarding through either a decentralized program or a centralized program to examine the relative impact of each program. Drawing on organizational socialization theory, the authors consider whether an onboarding program that incorporates both individualized and institutionalized socialization tactics (the decentralized program) can develop salespeople into higher performers by encouraging them to take a more innovative and adaptive approach to different facets of the sales role. The findings reveal that salespeople who underwent the decentralized program achieved approximately 23.5% higher sales performance than those who underwent the centralized program. The performance benefits of the decentralized program were amplified for salespeople whose managers had a narrower span of control. In addition, these performance benefits were appreciable for those salespeople transitioning from another job but negligible for those transitioning from school. A scenario-based experiment enriches the field experiment’s findings by showing evidence of the theorized mechanism underlying the sales performance benefits observed: the fostering of an innovative role orientation.

Impact of supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic to micro, small and medium enterprises in Davao Region, Philippines

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of supply chain disruptions on the operations and sales performance of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the adoption of “green” technology during the COVID-19 pandemic in Davao Region, Philippines. Design/methodology/approach A business impact survey was conducted among 113 MSMEs in Davao Region through the Regional Inclusive Innovation Center participated by the industry, government and the academe from October–December 2020. The impact of supply chain disruptions on the status of business operations was determined using ordered logit regression, while the impact on sales performance during the lockdown and new normal periods were modeled using logit regression. The technology upgrading plans of the MSMEs, including the adoption of “green” technology, were also determined. Findings This study found that the extent of disruption in processing the goods and services resulted in a negative impact on business operations, and the disruption of the availability of raw materials negatively affected the sales performance during the lockdown period. Moreover, around 20%–33% of MSMEs experiencing heavy supply chain disruptions had a plan to upgrade their business processes by adopting “green” technology. Research limitations/implications MSMEs need to establish strategic collaboration among the different stakeholders through public, private, non-government institutions and academe collaboration to enhance the capabilities of MSMEs in handling supply chain disruptions and pursuing technology upgrading. Originality/value This paper is among the early studies of the impact of COVID-19 to supply chains in the Philippines focusing on the MSMEs.

DESIGN OF SALES PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD BASED ON SALES FUNNEL & SALES FORCE AUTOMATION THEORIES: A CASE OF AN INDONESIAN ISLAMIC BANK

One of the bank management concerns related to sales performance is ensuring sales people perform the sales process correctly. Unfortunately, most sales people have problems in the sales process, which causes their low performance. Islamic banks in Indonesia also experienced this situation, so a strategy needs to overcome this problem. For instance, using surveillance tools such as Sales Force Automation (SFA) with sales funnel theory. An SFA tool is a sales system connected to computers and internet networks. It monitors sales processes and results, manages contacts, forecasts sales, and analyzes sales performance daily and monthly. Additionally, it helps sales forces to measure the ability to achieve targets, plan sales strategies and customer approaches, and increase work motivation. Also, raise awareness of developing skills, and provide up-to-date information to supervisors about sales force performance to determine the proper training. Therefore, the use of SFA tools is expected to increase the productivity of sales people in optimizing the fulfillment of deposit targets in Islamic banking. This paper reports the SFA design in the form of a dashboard model with a visual sales to funnel that shows the function of the salesperson in conducting the sales process ends with the results.

The correlates of energy management practices and sales performance of small family food firms in Turkey

PurposeWhile pursuing energy management, firms simultaneously strive to boost sales as a path towards economic performance. Also, the literature suggests that family firms exhibit greater environmental commitment than their non-family counterparts. To examine these contentions, this review espouses contingency theory to interrogate the correlations of (1) energy consumption targets, (2) energy efficiency enhancing measures, (3) energy consumption monitoring and (4) the domestic sales performance of small family firms in Turkey's food sector.Design/methodology/approachData were sourced from the World Bank Enterprise Survey. A sample of 137 family firms in food production, processing and retail was analysed using non-linear structural equation modelling. Path coefficients were determined to estimate the extent to which energy management practices predict domestic sales.FindingsThe path analysis revealed that although energy consumption targets do not directly increase sales performance, they stimulate firms' energy efficiency enhancement measures and energy consumption monitoring to produce this effect by 21%.Research limitations/implicationsThe contingency lens espoused leaves room to capture further antecedents in small family food firms' technical, managerial, ownership, operational and architectural configuration that may also interact with or predict the propensity for energy management.Practical implicationsFor practitioners, the inherent findings demonstrate that there are firm-specific material benefits arising from adopting energy management practices. And, although small firms such as family food businesses may have low energy intensities, they can improve their sales performance by setting energy targets, installing energy efficiency enhancing measures and embarking on energy consumption monitoring.Social implicationsPublic stakeholders in Turkey such as the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the General Directorate of Energy Affairs and affiliate institutions can reflect on these findings to develop a coherent national energy management policy for small firms. Such initiatives are especially relevant to Turkey and its ambitions to join the EU which requires member states to set up a national energy efficiency action plan.Originality/valueThis inquiry is one of the first to examine energy management in the food sector at the family firm level through the contingency lens. Theoretically, the results draw attention and shed new light on disparate energy management practices and their discrete yet substantial contribution to sales performance.

Proposed Business Strategy for PT Futura Land (Real Estate Developer) to Compete and Grow Successfully in the Future

Recovery from economic downturn caused by COVID-19 is still considered slow, despite of all the hard work from private sector and stimuluses being issued by central government. Futura Land as one of real estate developer, is not an exception. Facing the fierce competition and challenges in the future, the Company needs to assess and enhanced business strategy in order to prepare for the future of property market and adapt with the possibility of COVID-19 being an endemic. This research wants to uncover the reason of unrecovered sales performance, the effect of several government initiatives on property market and also recommend business strategy including the implementation plan for the Company. This research used qualitative methodology by utilizing both primary and secondary data. Based on data analysis, the root of problem is coming from lack of evaluation system in the Company, low brand awareness among potential customer, low initiatives from sales person, low level of product development and collaboration. From external point of view, low purchasing power caused by endless case of COVID-19 new variant has brought a huge influence of the unrecovered sales performance. In addition, the stimuluses in property market is issued by government a year after the pandemic taken its toll. To win competition and grow further, the Company should increase and shifting their marketing communication activities to online platform while revisit the content of marketing materials, develop product development team to bolster the current product design, intensify the role of banks relationship officer in order to help customer eligible for their mortgage financing and bringing wide variety of banks to propose their financing to. Last, the Company should start develop an enhanced and structured evaluation system within the Company to review the effectiveness and continuity of any program being proposed to the management.