Consumer Tastes and Preferences: A Key to Unlocking Sales Success

The assignment content revolves around changing consumer behavior and the mission to offer high-quality products at affordable prices with ethical services for achieving customer satisfaction. The aims and objectives include enhancing customer retention by 80% within 18 months. The content also focuses on the leader's personal values, motivations, and limitations in leadership and management, highlighting the need for mentorship and self-development.

Running Head: Leadership and management in sales
ISM Model assignment U602 Leadership and management in sales

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Leadership and management in sales
Contents
Task 1: A report on leadership and management skills in sales......................................................2
Task 2: A development plan for the learner to acquire the appropriate leadership and
management skills for use in their organisation..............................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................9

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Leadership and management in sales
Task 1: A report on leadership and management skills in
sales
 Definitions of leadership and management
Leadership can be defined as the ability of an individual to guide a group of people successfully
in achieving the overall organisational objectives and not just the attainment of individual aims
and objectives. Leaders are the people that have the charisma and the attributes to inspire and
motivate their subordinates and take the organisation ahead towards the path of growth and
success. Leaders create future leaders. On the other hand, management refers to the activities
where a manager assists or guides a team of subordinates and controls them for achieving their
individual as well as business objectives. Managers who do not have power of vision, forecasting
the future and the quality to aspire the subordinates so that all can work together towards the
growth and development of the business, cannot be considered as leaders. Hence, all leaders are
managers but all managers cannot become leaders in an organisation (Gairola, 2017).
 An evaluation of the relationship between leadership and management within sales
There is a strong relationship between management and leadership within an organisation.
Leadership cannot succeed without effective management and coordination of the employees
working in any department or in all the departments of an organisation. This relationship is also
highly significant in the sales department of an organisation. In my workplace I have observed
that the sales personnel need to be managed and inspired at the same time for which the sales
managers should play the roles of leaders as well. The sales functions of an organisation need to
be effectively and ethically undertaken and for this reason there is the need for the sales
managers to demonstrate effective managerial leadership such that the sales activities are
performed effectively within the organisation. In my organisation, effective leadership is
demonstrated by the sales managers which is the reason of success for the business over the past
few years.
 An evaluation of leadership styles and their impact on the sales team and
individuals

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Leadership and management in sales
Within my organisation I have observed that there are several sales managers who demonstrate
diverse styles of leadership like autocratic, democratic, transactional and transformational.
Autocratic leaders just give orders to the sales people to do certain tasks without considering
their perspectives. This style of leadership is not favourable for generating employee motivation
and commitment and many ales personnel have shown dissent to the management for such
leadership behaviour. Democratic leadership is where the sales managers take the suggestions
and opinions of all the team members before taking final decision. This style of leadership is also
preferred by the sales personnel. Transactional leadership is having rewards for good
performance and punishments and penalties for poor performance. This is also not highly
preferred by the sales people. Transformational sales managers inspire and guide the sales people
by leading from the front and setting examples. This form of leadership is most supported by the
sales personnel as it inspires and motivates them.
 A discussion of why leadership styles need to be adapted in different situations
Leadership is a function that should be based on the situation at hand. It cannot be the same
under all circumstances. I have observed this within my organisation as a sales manager that
employees need to be guided and motivated through diverse leadership techniques depending on
the situation. For instance, when there is a lot of time to achieve a sales target for a team, then
transformational leadership can be demonstrated by the sales managers. If the target is steep and
has to be achieved within a very short time then transactional leadership can be more effective to
encourage the employees strive hard for achieving the targets by alluring them with incentives
and at the same time reminding them that poor performance will lead to penalties. This often
ensures the maximum possible productivity of the employees within the sales department. I have
been a follower of situational leadership on several occasions because it yields the best possible
outcomes for the sales department (Sinha, 2018).
 A comparison of transformational versus transactional leadership
Transformational leadership drives a leader to mi well with the subordinates and then inspire and
motivate them to achieve something that was previously not thought to be achievable.
Transformational leaders inspire people to achieve the most challenging objectives and targets by
leading from the front and leading by example. A transformational leader is empathetic toward
the subordinates and believes in the holistic development and success of the organisation as

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Leadership and management in sales
compared to individual achievements. In contrast, a transactional leader is the one that does not
demonstrate sufficient empathy toward the subordinates and mix with them from up close in
order to attain a holistic growth and development of the organisation. Transactional leaders
function on the basis of rewards for high level of performance and penalties or punishments for
not performing up to the desired level of expectation. Within the sales department of my
organisation the more successful sales managers are the ones that demonstrate transformational
leadership as compared to those that demonstrate transactional leadership (Management Study
Guide, 2019).
 An evaluation of different leadership skills with reference to at least one of the
leadership theories
Kouzes and Posner have developed the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) based on the five
practices of exemplary leadership that are as follows:
o Modelling the way- A leader creates the standard of excellence and sets
examples for the others.
o Inspiring a shared vision- A leader should envision the future and develop an
idea and image as to what the organisation should achieve in order to be
profitable.
o Challenging the process- A leader must be open to change management policies
and strategies and he should be able to have the capacity to alter the current
status-quo.
o Enabling others to act- One of the most important functions of a leader is to
build teams and form collaboration with the subordinates in achieving the
organisational objectives.
o Encouraging the heart- A leader must encourage and reward good performances
of the subordinates so that they feel the encouragement to work more ethically
and in a dedicated manner (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2019).
This leadership model can be utilised by any leader whether he is a follower of transformational
or transactional leader style. The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) is used in my organisation
by the sales managers to evaluate their leadership skills (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2019).

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Leadership and management in sales
 An evaluation of management styles and their impact on the sales team and
individuals
Management style of an organisation needs to be effective in achieving the desired impacts on
the sales team and the sales personnel within the organisation. Some of the popular styles of
management that are observed within the sales department of the organisation are visionary and
coaching management styles. The visionary approach encompasses the sharing of a purpose of
objective along with direction in which the subordinates have adequate belief in achieving. This
drives the sales personnel to achieve the vision and the objectives set by the visionary manager.
The coaching management style encompasses the role of a sales manager as a coach of the sales
personnel that is driven towards achieving a long-term professional development of the sales
executives. The visionary approach and the coaching approach to management that are
demonstrated by the sales managers in my organisation is responsible for creating effective
employee motivation within the organisation.
 A thorough evaluation of possible tools of management with recommendations for
those most suitable to your organisation
After conducting an analysis of the current level of managerial leadership demonstrated by the
sales managers in my organisation I believe that though the overall quality of leadership and
management is satisfactory yet, there are several areas which need to be improved in the domain
of leadership of the managers in order to make them successful in achieving more respect and
trust of the employees. There should be effective training and development programs for all the
sales executives on leadership and managerial skills. This will nurture the leadership qualities in
them and will enable the sales department to produce more effective leaders and managers in the
future. Coaching style of management can also be effectively demonstrated by the sales
managers such that they are able to develop the sales personnel with more empathy and
contribute toward their long-term professional development. Lastly, the sales managers including
me should develop personal development programs for honing their managerial and leadership
skills in order to achieve more success in the future (Ionescu, Meruì, & Dragomiroiu, 2014).

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Leadership and management in sales
Task 2: A development plan for the learner to acquire the
appropriate leadership and management skills for use in
their organisation
 An evaluation of the ways that you can contribute to the organisation’s vision,
mission, aims and objectives
As a sales manager I will continuously develop my leadership skills by learning from several
theories and gathering practical insights from my seniors within the workplace so that I have the
confidence and the attitude to contribute significantly to the decision-making of the sales
department. I will take the responsibility as a leader to undertake discussions with my superior
and the management personnel and share with them my own ideas and experiences such that the
vision, mission, aims and objectives of the sales department can be effectively restructured with
an outlook towards the future trends. I will be open and empathetic towards the ideas and
perspectives of all my subordinates and superiors.
 A statement of your own vision, mission aims and objectives for your department
I will redesign the following:
o Vision- To be more future-oriented in terms of analysing the consumer tastes and
preferences and offering the products and services based on the changing
consumer behaviour.
o Mission- The mission of the business will be to offer high quality of products to
the consumers at affordable prices and through offering ethical services for
achieving the maximum possible customer satisfaction.
o Aims & Objectives- The aims and objectives of the business will be to achieve
an enhanced customer retention of 80% from the current retention rate of 65-70%
and this is to be achieved in the next 18 months.
 A critical evaluation of your own values, motivations and limitations in leadership
and management
I believe that I am a democratic leader who is aspiring to become a transformational leader
within my organisation. I support the engagement and empowerment of my subordinate in

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Leadership and management in sales
decision-making but I feel that I do not have the required knowledge and experience to be
considered as a transformational leader as yet. I need to enhance my skills of listening and
convincing power through leading by example. I am motivated by the value of being honest and
ethical toward my subordinates, superiors and also the organisation as a whole. I believe that
taking mentorship from my superior who I follow and consider to be a prudent transformational
leader will help me become one such leader few years down the line (St. Thomas University
Online, 2018).
 Examples of the required (and various types) of development you will undertake
and why
Being a sales manager and a leader in my organisation I will look into bringing certain changes
and developments within the sales department managerial and leadership strategies. Firstly, I will
request the management to start a leadership development program for all the departments
including the sales department of the organisation. This will help to develop and nurture young
and budding talents within the sales department such that they can become the future sales
managers. I will encourage all the sales personnel to read theories and practical experiences on
managerial leadership such that they can be highly effective in understanding the essence of
good leadership within an organisation and more specifically, within the sales department.
 A timetable of arranged development and training over the next 18 months
Development Activities Actions to be taken Timeframe
Building and improving my
listening skills as a leader
 Reading several articles
and books by eminent
authors on the essence of
good listening power in
leadership.
 Taking mentoring sessions
on listening skills from
my superior.
6 months
Enhancing my convincing power  I will participate in mock
sessions of role plays with
my superior to test my
12 months

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Leadership and management in sales
convincing skills.
Learning to become a
transformational leader
 I will take several self-
assessments that are
available online to assess
my leadership skills
frequently.
 I will mix with my
subordinates and take their
feedback on how I am
able to inspire them and
how much do they trust
my decisions and actions.
12-18 months
 Pro-formas for capturing your learning and your progress towards goals
My learning and progress towards achieving the leadership goals will be recorded in weekly
journals that I will keep and record each day’s activities and learning with the positive and
negative outcomes. This will help me track my growth and progress in leadership.
 A format for two way feedback and appropriate forms
I will encourage my subordinates to offer their genuine feedback on me as a manager and a
leader and will request them to share their honest feedback. I will also do the same with my
superiors so that I can understand the most common traits of my strengths and weaknesses as a
manager and a leader (Jahromi, Tabatabaee, Abdar, & Rajabi, 2016).
 Ideas for self-reflection and evaluation notes
Self-reflection is indispensable for achieving success as a manager and a leader within an
organisation. Reflection will help me analyse several situations in my profession where I have
performed well and also in those cases where I was not able to demonstrate the desired level of
performance. Reflective practice is indispensable in modern sales management and I will also
maintain regular notes of my key achievements and mistakes that I have done on a regular basis.

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Leadership and management in sales
This will definitely make me more accountable as a leader within my organisation (Wagner,
2006).