Sales Management Theory and Practice

Thoroughly updated and expanded, the second edition of this highly successful text continues to provide a lively analysis of the many questions that apply to selling and sales management. Selling is the largest item in most companies' marketing budget and this text seeks to debate some of the key management questions as they apply to the sales function. This edition incorporates several important changes occurring in both the theory and practice of sales management. These changes include issues which reflect appropriate organisational responses to rapidly changing markets and ever-increasing competition, such as key account selling, direct marketing and telesales. There is now more emphasis on managing sales operations than of the management of sales personnel. This is reflected in the importance of information technology as it affects sales operations, in particular, database marketing. Further, more coverage has been given to the creation and maintenance of relationships between buyers and sellers and how this should be handled and managed. Finally, a more cosmopolitan and international perspective has been adopted to take cognisance that, for many companies, operating in European and global markets is now an imperative, not an option. Lecturers using this book as a course text may request a free Instructor's Manual. Please contact our Lecturer Helpline on +44 (0)1256 302794, email lecturerservices@palgrave.com.