SALES AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT

Course Outline and Session Plan

Introduction: Understanding marketing, selling and
customer retention Session 1-2
Part I Sales Management: Evolution of sales management over the last few
decades in the developed world and the emerging world
The selling process, necessary selling skills
The sales organization
Recruitment and selection of the sales force
Sales force compensation
Motivation of sales force
Sales Information systems, managing the information
Evaluation of sales force performance
The Indian scenario what needs to be noticed, what needs to be done in the
short and medium term and in the long term Session 3-4

Part II: Distribution Management

Understanding distribution channels
The critical role of the distribution channel in connecting the firm with its
primary and secondary customers
Activities of a typical distribution channel
Distribution channel strategy
Distribution channel management
Management of Channel partners
The retail element in the distribution chain Session 5-6

Part III: Understanding the peculiarities of the Indian Distribution scenario

Traditional role of intermediaries
Extremely high cost of logistics
Lowest Margins in the world
Expectation of low prices by mass market Indian customer further squeezes
margins and profitability
Challenge of working with low inventories, small product portfolios
Further challenges of poorly organized and managed distributor and retail
operations. Company operated distribution and retail formats have not really
changed the efficiency variable
Continuous pressure on company sales personnel to achieve unrealistic
targets aggravates the situation Session 7-8
Prevailing mindsets about sales and distribution has to undergo drastic
change both from the firm’s side and the channel partners side as well
Session 9- 10

Suggested Text: Sales and Distribution Management By Tapan.K. Panda

and Sunil Sahadev : Oxford Higher Education