Managing your Sales Force

You  are the regional sales manager for International Herb Express (IHE)  which is a large, US-based spice & herbs supplier. IHE sells to  other businesses that purchase bulk spices and spice blends for use in  their end products. The primary customers are baking and soup mix  corporations that sell to other businesses, for example, bakeries,  restaurants, other food-service, and regional grocery chains. IHE is  launching a new spice blend that reflects a more diverse cultural &  ethnic flavor profile than IHE's traditional offerings.

The  abridged marketing strategy for this new spice blend is to target both  current customers, but also to reach new customers that are target  regions with higher ethnic diversity and/or the more adventurous  "foodies" market. The marketing efforts will focus on taste testing,  sampling, and on-site promotion. IHE is launching this marketing plan to  help create a product offering that is not as commodity-driven (as most  spices and herbs are the same quality no matter where they are  purchased) and can potentially offer higher profit margins.

It  is important to note that spices and other ingredients are raw goods  and traded as commodities. The raw price for these goods changes on a  day-to-day basis. Pricing is based on classic supply and demand, though  nature is a key contributor to the supply–extreme weather as well as  health of crops have a direct impact on the supply chain and access to  the raw goods.

Instructions

With  the launch of the new product offering, it has been determined that a  new sales team dedicated to the new product line will be the best  approach. You will need to select current sales representatives from the  company as well as hire new sales representatives to create the final  sales team of 8 professionals.

The  new sales force will be given the assignment of connecting and  educating current customers on the new spice blend offering. The sales  force will also be responsible for identifying the top, new potential  customers and educating them. The goal after one year is to have 10% of  the current customer base also ordering the new products as well as  having at least one new customer per sales professional.

To prepare for the new team, you need to create the following documents and submit as one, unified document:

• The  formal job description for this new sales team which should include a  brief description, list of required skills, and qualifications as well  as a list of desired (but not required) skills.
• An  organizational chart highlighting how the 8 sales representatives are  organized (by regions, by customer industry or size for example).
• An  email to the Vice President of Sales and Marketing recognizing and  recommending the need for her to spend time with this new sales team as a  motivational tool.
• Supporting paragraphs used to explain each piece to further clarify and rationalize the choices made.