This non-conventional book provides a human resource perspective to sales force management. It describes sales forces as complex systems of human interactions and shows how a decision in one area is likely to have direct, but also more or less desirable and lasting effects, on other aspects of the sales force. Managing human resources is no simple task, and in a sales force context, the difficulty is compounded by the fact that managers often have limited control and knowledge of what salespeople do once in the field.

The book addresses most sales force human resource decisions by contrasting prevalent industry practices with relevant research findings that could bear on sales force management and by showing how a simple managerially oriented tool can capture much of the sales force systeM's complexity. Special attention is devoted to such questions as how to identify top sales producers; how to generate candidates from the best sources of salespeople; how to select and hire the best sales producers; how to enhance and maintain sales effectiveness over time; how to set up effective compensation and sales quota plans; and how to manage sales force turnover. This book will help sales managers and supervisors to take a more integrated view to sales management. It can also help salespeople to be more effective in their tasks and to prepare them for a career in management.

How should a sales force be managed effectively? Like aircraft pilots, managers must analyse information and make interconnected decisions in order to accomplish their missions. This book provides an integrative vision of a sales manager's function, using the concept of a dynamic sales force management process. This process adds a new dimension to the 'classical' conception of sales force management, showing how sales managers can be more effective when they develop and maintain a holistic vision. The first part of the book describes the key actors and their roles, while the second part examines the tools used to implement the dynamic sales force management process. Rene Y. Darmon shows how this process relies on a clear vision of successive sales missions to be accomplished over time by all members of a sales team, as they develop strategies and tactics which contribute to fulfilling the firm's overall aims.