Rethinking Sales Management

About the authorBETH ROGERS chairs the UK National Sales Board and was instrumental in the launch of National Occupation Standards for Sales. She is regarded as a leading thinker on the topic of sales management, and is also sought out for her ability to provoke the thinking of others. Her other roles include Research Director of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management and Programme Manager for Sales Management at Portsmouth Business School. Her extensive practical experience in both sales and marketing in the information technology sector has been supplemented by in-depth consultancy in a variety of organizations, together with research and teaching. She has worked with major corporations in Europe, the US, SE Asia and Australia, but also with small businesses in the South and South-east of England, both in manufacturing and services. Beth’s previous books include co-authorship of Key Account Management: Learning from Supplier and Customer Perspectives. She has written many articles over the past eighteen years for academic journals and trade publications. She has also provided comment for the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Times. Beth works with employers, her alumni, professional institutions and fellow experts to raise the profile of the sales profession.

• Foreword viiAcknowledgments xiiiAbout the author xviiIntroduction xixPart I Strategy 11 The big picture 32 The purchaser’s view 273 The B2B relationship box 51Part II Using the Relationship Development Box 714 Strategic relationships 735 Prospective relationships 976 Tactical relationships: the power of low touch 1177 Cooperative relationships 1378 The end of relationships 153Part III Strategic Focus for 21st-Century Sales Management 1739 Reputation management 17510 Working with marketing 19711 Leadership 21712 Process management 239Bibliography 267Index 281

“…a serious, grown-up book on sales, full of relevant theory and practical examples of how sales can be more strategic and effective.” (The Marketer, September 2007) "an excellent, concise and well-written guide, full of examples and references, based on the author’s deep and sustained experience". (B2B Marketing Online, Friday 7th September 2007)"…helps sales teams become more successful by seeing the deal from the customer’s view." (The Daily Telegraph, Tuesday 25th September 2007)"Rogers uses copious box-outs and diagrams, and sources virtually all the latest evidence on business selling from around the world."  (Salesforce, January 2008)"...Rogers uses copious box-outs and diagrams and, as befits an academic, sources virtually all the latest evidence" (Winning Edge, December 2008)