Having internal alignment among your old and new sales forces

The case study involves Cannon Associates, which is a sales firm located in Richmond. Rick James is the sales manager who has been in the company for a number of years. His responsibilities involve managing 16 sales associates working on different regions, as well as inside sales representatives. The employed sales representative’s ages range from 20 to around sixty years.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Having internal alignment among your old and new sales forces specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The sales manager has been hiring sales representatives who are young as he believes they have a high potential, motivated and goal oriented. Looking at his career, he got the job while young and inexperienced salesperson, which may be reason, believes in hiring young sales representatives. His opinion is that with training and mentorship, this group of young people will lead the company future. Rick frustration Despite Rick’s efforts to help the company grow despite the age difference between the workers, there has been a gap between the young salesmen and the old sales representatives. This situation has been a serious threat in the running of the company. The older sales representatives claim that the young salesmen are not quick to learn and do not want to accept their failures. The young sales complain that the older generation looks down upon them and do not trust their work ethics. The internal complains in the company has become so remorseful that he spends most of time solving the disputes between the two groups. This is a situation which can lead to loss of accounts. A customer call confirms his situation is worsening. The customer says she has seen the tension created in sales personnel. Rick needs an immediate action so that he can save the firm from impending disaster. Taking action after noticing a problem Having been an employee for 12 years, Rick is an old employee he nce can identify more with veteran sales representatives. He has taken the initiative and tried to make the employees see both sides as equals. He has tried to make his representatives see their way of criticizing one another is not good for the company development. This has failed as both sides are not willing to admit and compromise. Team building exercise occurs in his firm from hired professionals. This  worked in solving the problem  but the relief is short-lived as another complain comes from customer. The customer had noted the wrangles between inside and outside sales representative which had affected her order. Rick tries to make the sales representatives to be more professional with each other as they deal with each other. His first action to unite the workforce has failed Looking for other alternatives After failing to unite the sales representatives, he thinks of a second plan. His second plan must maximize the workers cooperation by minimizing the conflicts. He cons iders the following: admonishing sales team, reorganizing it the team; firing on performance; regular team building as well as shifting corporate culture. Rick after taking time comes up with a new strategy to resolve the problem (Tanner 421-423).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Importance of the case study in business management The case is a momentous one as it shows how to manage workforce in when there is internal conflict. The necessity of an immediate action as well as making follow-ups knows whether the solution provided has worked. In managing the sales team, cooperation is of paramount interest, and once it lacks, it poses a threat which is lack of sales. The case situation is one which shows how one as a sales manager should take the initiative to unite the work force. This can only be achieved by noticing the workers problem and working on a plan to solve it. Divi sion among the workforce has to be addressed by all means possible. To resolve conflict, as seen in this case, it involves understanding the viewpoint of the groups involved. This is one of the key factors in resolution of conflict. When there is a conflict as seen in the Cannon Associate case, there must be a mediation process which occurs in three steps below. Preparing for resolution Acknowledge the conflict- the management has to acknowledge that the conflict exists. If the management does not recognize the problem, the process of resolution cannot start. Rick had to identify the conflict on the sales staff so that he could start looking on how to resolve the problem. Discussing the impact- the management team has to sit down and look at the expected outcome of the conflict on the business performance. Make parties agree to cooperate- the parties involved must be willing to work together so that the means to resolve the conflict can be found. This can be seen in this case study when Rick puts up a workshop to help in team building. All parties participates in team building workshop. Though it fails, the management does not give up. A good sales manager like Rick must be ready to look for all alternatives to resolve conflicts and boost sales. Communication- the resolution process can only happen if the parties are willing to communicate and open to each other. Understanding the situation Rick hears every side of argument before taking the step to resolve. He listens to the young sales representatives as well as old so as to know the true nature of the argument. Search for agreement Making each party understand the position of each other. This then comes after the decision on the decision on what path to take to resolve the situation this appears as Rick looks for solutions in this case. The manager has to look for a solution that favors no side so that it is accepted. It is also crucial to note that conflict in an organization needs to be resolved ins tantly. It is the work of manager in a business to deal with conflicts as soon as they arise as seen in this case. Works Cited Tanner, Jeff. Sales Management. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2009. Print This essay on Having internal alignment among your old and new sales forces was written and submitted by user Neil Guy to help you with your own studies. 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