This chapter includes two sections: the introduction profile of the case company, at the same time profile of the interviewee and the last but not the least discussion of data analysis.
The introduction of the case companies was developed through the data retrieved from companies’ websites and some research findings. While for the discussion of data analysis was built on the research findings of interviews.
Introduction to the Company Profile and Interviewee Profile
Company A
Company A is a foremost provider of joint-design, joint-development, manufacturing, assembly and after-sales services to global computer, communication and consumer-electronics (3C) leaders. It was founded and an anchored company during 1974 with US$7500. Their expertise for mechanical and electrical parts and last but not the least the uncommon concept to provide the lowest “total cost” solution to increase the affordability of electronics product for all mankind. They focus on fields of nanotechnology, heat transfer, wireless connectivity, material sciences, and green manufacturing process, Company A has over 15,000 patents granted worldwide by 2005 made it a recognized leader of innovation and technical know-how in ranking such as MIT’s patent scorecard.
Interviewee A
D is the Sales Manager in Company A, he serves this company for more than 20 years of seniority. Before entering to this organization, he had been working in a small enterprise as Sales. From the past experiences of being independent in dealing and
negotiating businesses, furthermore starting with a title of project manager and had been promoted for three times, until today in Company A. He is the highest sales manager in Taiwan sales division. With his professionalism, he is now responsible for thousand millions of operations at the same time he hold lots of accounts including desktop, notebook, consumer, communication and mobile phone.
Company B Profile
Company B was founded in 1918 and is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacturing of digital consumer products, including LCD TVs, network-connected devices and home appliances. They provides system integration services and has well engaged in the heavy industrial business such as wire and cable, and industrial products like optical fiber cables, gas insulated switchgears, motors, generators, and transformers.
They make use of the supply of key components such as flat-panel displays and digital tuners from its many subsidiaries located across the globe. In order for Company B to sustain strong, long-term growth, they focus particularly on the development of advanced technologies and global network of operations. With its overseas branches expanding into 12 countries, company c is in a solid position to deliver products more efficiently and render customer service more effectively.
Interviewee B
B interviewee, he has a took up chemical engineering during his undergraduate degree, a graduate of Information Technology/Computer Science, and last but not the least the Ph.D. of Business Administration major in marketing. He worked as a professor in University of San Francisco. During his period of studying masters, he was also a business development consultant of a certain company. Went back here in Taiwan and
been hired as a Sales Manager in a Display Business Unit in Company B. Serving this company for about a year and had helped this company to look and take good customer relationship for a long-term business buyer.
Company C Profile
Company C was established in 1997, their primary business is the design and research and development of electric circuits, semiconductors, digital communications products, computer peripherals, and other related products. Company C specializes in high speed I/O technology, specifically USB 2.0 and PCI express chip technology development. They are one of Taiwan’s most outstanding companies.
Company C has excellent team R&D, and its various diverse products are all based on its core technology, including high-speed USB 2.0, PCI express, SATA transfer interface and flash memory interface, allowing for the shared use of R&D resources. IC developed and sold by Company C are key components of information product. They has accumulated many years of design experience, has the lead position in the market, and its products have received recognition by world-class companies. Most of Company C’s products enjoy shared sales channels with great product sales. They are also developing new products and at the same time expanding its overseas market and establishing comprehensive sales channels, achieving timely sales and technical support, and can simultaneously collect market information and respond quickly.
Interviewee C
Mr. J. is the sales manager of company C, responsible for the OEM Sales Department in the main head office. He has a technical background and being sales for 10 years and above, in company C he offer 8 years of time. He had a great sales
experienced in his last job in a Japanese company and transfer to this company with a starting position of project manager which is the basic-level manager and went promoted for three times.
Recruiting New Sales Personnel in the Organization
In every organization, there is a need for recruiting new talented person to help the organization for receiving new ideas and at the same time to help to organization to earn more income. The source of recruit new sales, usually the agency type for recruitment includes: traditional agency (headhunters), outsourcing, designated school and placement office. Actually, from headhunters and outsourcing, agency can be the recruiter and they seek out candidates for the company. While from designated schools and placement office, organization or company seeking for candidate they can just find through their related schools for fitting their vacancy.
1. Designated school and placement office
Fresh graduates from universities tend to have chances to apply job from their school placement office, this process is for company to search and recruit easily when they used to coordinate with the university placement office.
We used to recruit from some universities with courses that are related with our field. (Interviewee C).
2. Headhunter and outsourcing
Headhunter like 104 and 1111 in Taiwan is a good source for organizations to find talented person that would fit the vacancy of the company. Some big company may use outsourcing to fit their vacancy for meantime. Outsourcing occurs when an organization contracts with another company to perform work that it previously performed itself.
Outsourcing is intended to reduce costs and promote efficiency. Costs can be reduced through outsourcing.
3. In-house recruitment
Some used In-house recruitment to find the best person to fit in the vacancy. Human resource department will try to select inside the organization, hire personnel or managers who can handle targeted functions and populations.
Like for example, you have good performances in certain task, but at this moment, no vacancy for you to placed (AQ501). Or maybe you may place and hired in other department (AQ501-2). In-house recruitment is also a way for us to recruit new sales, a lady from our reception have been hired in our sales department being the sales assistant (interviewee C).
4. When is the need to recruit of new sales personnel
The economy right now is improving; actually the sales vacancy is always needed.
Sales personnel is needed everywhere, it is just that no person wants to challenge. The organization is that big. It’s just that there is no right person to fit in this vacancy, one of the interviewee said,
Sales personnel in our company is always needed, it’s just that there is no right person to fit in this job.
Some might think that too much challenge for them to face, and lots of pressure. But economy right now is improving, there is no right not to hire new sales to join the team, don’t worry it will improve then.
(Interviewee C).
5. Characteristics or concerns of a sales
There are lots of characteristics of being sales are like characteristics of: (1) Thinking global, internationalization, (2) Sales style, (3) Ability to fit in, (4) Responsible, (5) Perseverance, (6) Determination, (7) Emotional Intelligence, (8) Double face, but most important characteristics of sales are Good communication skill, sensitivity/ alertness, good in observation, passion and how they present their company.
For me, the educational background is not that important, there is this instinct of being sales personnel.
Just one look, you can sense that this person will do the work well done. For instance, some of these characteristics are like the passion of doing his job, alertness and observation, the ability to fit in, and
his emotional intelligence. You can easily vision these characteristics that even cannot hide. (AQ301)
6. Method of being compensated
For sales, there is the stable wage and also reward when they got certain amount of Quota in selling, there would be a commission of certain percentage as a reward for them. With their performances, they will also get bonuses annually and stocks with the performance evaluation.
We used KPI to measure the sales performance annually, from last years’ sales forecast evaluation, we set the quota sales for this year, at the end of this year, you should achieve the quota or the other thing that we can refer to is the speed that you discover new market and buyer. (AQ601) With the performances, there is cash and there is also stocks share will be given. (AQ601-2)
Different level has different pay. As for reward, we have sales performance evaluation every year, we will used the quota last year to use as the base and at the end of this year, if you achieve the quota or not.
(CQ601). We used money to reward sales personnel for them to be motivated.
I believe that every organization have the same process of method, we used to evaluate sales annually with their performances. There is quota. (BQ601)
As where, when, and what are the characteristics that the organization is looking for their needs of talented person was shown in Table 4.1.
Table 4.1.
Coding of where, when and what the concerns of sales
Issue/Theme Category Item Concept
1. Recruiting
Issue/Theme Category Item Concept
2. Compensation 2-1 Type 2-1-1 2-1-2
Stable wage Quota
The Main Roles and Competencies of the Sales Managers in MNCs
The sales managers’ roles are to lead the team and being the coordinator of higher management and lower management. They are the key person to give ideas and suggestions to the higher management. The skills and competency are the things that a sales manager should and need to have that would lead them to be successful in the future as shown (Table 4.2.).
1. Skills of a sales
Based from different managers’ perception, most of them link to have same view point of sales should have the skills of being a critical thinker, they have the ability to make judgment – whether what are the things that will benefit the company and at the same time will not loose money. Self management and communication for them is also important, because communication leads to the success of the business, negotiation is the way to success.
Like if you are in technology field, you need to have some technical background, you need to know the specification of the product. Actually, I think in every business, sales should need to know the product well.
Then you know how to promote and push the product. (CQ301)
Sales personnel should obey and respect their subordinates. Being sales, they usually have their own time, their time is very flexible. Because they regularly have to visit their buyers and or attend some related seminars for them to improve. But then, some might not used to do their task, maybe they used those times to watch movie and even an early dismiss from their work. Self management is very important, they can also report to their managers what they have had followed during the day. (AQ301-2)
2. Skills of a sales manager
There is skills needed for sales, there will be skills for sales managers. For sales managers, they have to double the skills of sales. Listening skills, it is important to pay attention when people communicate facts, details, and ideas orally. It takes even more important for higher levels of management because most executives are totally dependent on others to bring them
information about situations, problems, and future directions. They need to lead the team at the same time will also have to coordinate with their upper level management, to make decision.
Being as the manager, you should encourage your sales to face the challenge of the sales quota every now and then. Give them support when facing difficulties. In my position, if you were just give orders or just signing documents, then, everyone can sit in this position. Because the problem that comes to you is not the simple problem but it needs to decide for the company’s profit. (AQ201-1)
Keep good relationship inside the company and outside the company. Think how to help the customer and at the same time you will win the rest of your next transaction in business. Successful manager or sales managers in the company, the first priority you have to looking for help this world. Help who, the first one is help your customer, and then your customer will help you in return. (BQ202-1)
Table 4.2.
Coding of sales and sales managers’ skills
Issue/Theme Category Item Concept
3. Skills 3-1
Ability to make judgment Communication
The responsibility or roles of the manager is to lead the team and give training to his subordinates. The sales manager should also be the coordinator between the sales or the employee and the top management. Different managers have their own points but it also link them together. As sales managers, they have to be confident enough to solicit feedback from direct reports on how they feel things are working.
Being a sales or sales manager, for me, it is just a temporary position or job. When I entered this organization, my mission and roles is to start from the beginning and to find new buyers that would have longer business relationship with our company. (BQ501)
Being as the manager, you should encourage your sales to face the challenge of the sales quota every now and then. Give them support when facing difficulties. (AQ201-1)
Table 4.3.
Coding of sales and sales managers’ roles
Issue/Theme Category Item Concept
4. Roles 4-1
New product for market New market
The Approach of Training and Development of the Sales Managers in MNCs
Sales and sales managers do have sales training, but it also depends on the organization itself. But mostly for new sales personnel, they tend to have the mentorship style of training. Mentoring is a low cost way of passing on valuable knowledge gained by an experienced mentor and to teach the culture of an organization to new employees. Usually, new sales personnel learn from their subordinate or colleagues, self-learning are also one way of training. They have their subordinates to coach and trained on-job. Mid-level managers are responsible for coaching their direct reports on motivating their employees.
During my time, I was the one who is learning from the engineer. No body taught me on the process and the technical knowledge, even some professional terms, I just learn step by step by self leaning. Even your boss will not know how to teach you, because he is also busy. (CQ401) But then right now, we usually train new sales by means of asking them to have a product or company brief presentation. With the presentation they will gain knowledge on how to present the product in front of the buyer.
As sales, you should know the basic concept of sales and marketing. Paper work and everything, you need to know what are the things inside this document. As manager, in this middle position, I don’t think I have to know those things but the like the concept, because as managers, you only have to lead and solve those problems that need to be solve. (BQ401)
Our company also used the mentorship as the medium of training, mostly the managers or the boss itself will try to push his sales to join in the project and visit the buyer together. Then will handover the responsibility to the new sales to continue to serve the buyer. Our company required sales to attend 114 education training courses, training courses contain lessons, like product management, culture, sales skills and others. (AQ401-4)
Table 4.4.
Coding of sales and sales managers’ training
Issue/Theme Category Item Concept
5. Training 5-1 Sales
3-2
Sales Manager
5-1-1 5-1-2 5-1-3 5-1-4 5-1-5
5-2-1 5-2-2 5-2-3 5-2-4
Training courses Mentorship Coaching Self learning Presentation
Inner training courses Outside training Attending seminars Sharing experiences
The Development Need of the Sales Managers in MNCs
In this section, training leads to development is being discussed. Through the used of the information and data given by the interviewee, they all have mentioned that if they wish to promote or to have any job rotation to other fields or business units of the company, training is the best way to have job rotation and to be promoted. Of course, their performance is also a big credit for them to promote.
Interviewee A have expressed that,
Being a sales manager, I should and need to share my all experience with my Sales or subordinate. For them to grow, as of present time, I want to work and who knows what will happen tomorrow. For Sales or subordinates, for meantime, they want to have work and wish to grow in workplace. (AQ401-5) Our company required to attend training courses. There are some qualifications also when you are in certain level that you wish to promote, the training courses will also be a part of the qualification whether you can promote or not. (AQ401)
As of now, at present time, my mission is accomplished! I would like to find other job to do, nevertheless, in the near future, maybe the company will placed me in other location to face new challenges. The company will decide. (BQ501)
Table 4.5.
Coding of sales managers development
Issue/Theme Category Item Concept
6. Success and
Summary
Connect all the information given to the purpose of the study,
The roles and competencies of the sales managers
The roles and competencies of the sales managers is very important, sales managers’
roles are to lead the team and being the coordinator of higher management and lower management. For sales managers, they have to double the skills of sales. They need to lead the team at the same time will also have to coordinate with their upper level management, to make decision. The responsibility or roles of the manager is to lead the team and give training to his subordinates. The ability to make hard decisions, to delegate, to trust , to inspire, to select good sales and to build effective teams are the key elements for the business to be successful. The sales manager should also be the coordinator between the sales or the employee and the top management. Different managers have their own points but it also links them together.
The approach of training and development of the sales managers in MNCs
The approach of training and development of the sales managers in MNCs