Understanding Principles of Sales Management at Argos

This document provides an in-depth understanding of the principles of sales management at Argos, a retail company. It covers the scope and key aspects of sales management, roles in the sales department, and the consumer buying behavior process. It also discusses sales promotions and the finance of selling at Argos.

Sale
Management
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Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1 ...........................................................................................................................................3
Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of sales management.......................................3
TASK 2 ...........................................................................................................................................9
Covered in leaflet.........................................................................................................................9
TASK 3 ...........................................................................................................................................9
Covered in PPT ...........................................................................................................................9
TASK 4 ...........................................................................................................................................9
Demonstrate an understanding of the finance of selling..............................................................9
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................11
REFRENCES.................................................................................................................................13
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INTRODUCTION
Sales management is considered as business discipline that focuses on the practical
implementation of different sales techniques and management activities of company's sales
operations. It is one the essential business practice which help an organisational to gain high
profitability ratio and market shares (Ahmad and Butt, 2012). Moreover it also determined as
procedure of different practices such as development of sales force, coordinating operational
sales as well as implementing new sales techniques. Through this an organisational able to attain
their sales target as well as increase their profit ratio successfully. Nature of sales management
will include several aspects such as goal oriented, pervasive function, relationship selling,
continuous procedure and many more. Moreover, there are number of advantages gain by an
organization by adopting sales management such as they able to conduct proper planning as well
as it will also help in allocating employees resource effectively. On the other it have some
limitations related to sales direction and discounting scheme.
Organization selected for this report is Argos which is limited Types Company operating in
retail industry. It is founded by Richard Tompkins at 13th November 1972. Its head office is
located at Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom as well as they are
operating at United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The parent company of respective firm is
Sainsbury. Respective company offer wide range of consumer goods according to need, demand
and preference of customers. There are numbers of sub brands of Argos such as Cook works, Pro
Fitness, Grosvenor, Aquarius, Steam works, Opticom, Branstalk, Coolworks and many more.
Topics which are included in this report understand of different principles of sales management,
relative merits through which sales structures are organized and importance of selling through
others. Along with this, it will also include application of principles related to successful selling
as well as report will also develop understanding of finance of selling.
TASK 1
Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of sales management
Definitions of Sales management
Sales management is considered as procedure which include numbers of activities such as
building a sales forces, conduct coordination of sales operations as well as implementation of
sales techniques (Sales Management Definition, Process, Strategies and Resources, 2020).
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Through that technique a company able to conduct their business effectively which leads to
consistently hit as well as achieving sales target successfully.
Principles of Sales management
There are several key principles of sales management which help a company in
conducting their business operations and functions in effective manner. Some principles are
given below:-
 Manage people individually: According to this company need to manage or attain every
individual separately because through that they able to understand their demand need and
requirement which help in decision making process (Principles of Sales Management,
Part 1, 2019).
 Lead through examples: An individual attract through positive nature and environment
so it is necessary for firm management to motivate employees as well as attract customers
through proving positive examples.
 Follow golden rules of sales management: According to golden rule it is essential for
company to treat other as they want to be treated because that will help in developing
effective relationship with customers, employees and other related people (Bimpikis,
Crapis and Tahbaz-Salehi, 2019).
 Always be goal oriented: It is one of the main principle of Sales management according
to which company need to be goal oriented always because that will help them in
conducting their work in effective and successful manner.
Scope of sales management at Argos
There are numbers of scope of sales management which a company implement it at their
workplace, from which some major scope in respect of Argos are given below:-
 Sales forecasting and planning: Through sales management activities respective
company able to determine future sales which help them in conducting planning
accordingly.
 Sales Budgeting: It will help Argos management in developing budget by estimating
expenses incurred in sales practices (Sales Management, 2020).
 Selling and reporting: Through sales management respective company able to develop
proper report related to selling which help them in developing proper decision.
Key aspects of sales management at Argos
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There are major two key aspects of sales management which Argos company may faced
while conducting their business operations and functions, explanation of both aspects are given
below:-
 Deciding sales territory: According to this there is allocation of sales quota for an
individual sales executive which help in determine boundary in respect of their work
profile (What are the key aspects of sales management?, 2016). Through this Argos can
avoid conflict situation which may arise among two sales executives.
 Determine size of sales force: According to this it is depend upon the size of target or
potential marketplace. This will help sales executives of Argos to estimate sales
according to the market size at which they are approaching.
The different tasks of any sales person at Argos to accommodate all types of customers
At Argos there are numbers of task perform by sales person in order to accommodate all
types of customers in successful manner. From which some of the main task performed by sales
person are given below:-
 Sales person ensure that customer will feel high levels of satisfaction through superior
sales services.
 They also drive sales through products and facilities knowledge as well as their market
driven enthusiasm.
 Sales manager will also do and maintain presentable and in stock condition of their
assigned sections at store.
 They will also ensure high level customer service by conducting teaming with co
workers.
Highlighting the different roles involved members of the sales department at Argos
There are different roles are performed by sales department person at Argon, from which
some are mentioned below:-
 Stock and Merchandise sales floor: Sale department member of Argos coordinate with
stock clerk in order to maintain proper record of stocks as well as merchandise at the
store (Bin, Song and Hong-Yong, 2013).
 Process and receive shipment: Sales department members at respective store help stock
clerks in process as well as receive shipment process (Store Assistant Job Description,
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2020). For this staff use scanning guns and inventory software in order to check every
box.
 Conduct store opening and closing task: It is considered as small task but it is duty of
sales member at Argos. They also wash windows, mirror, and sweeping store floor and
organize products properly.
A brief demonstration of the stages of the Consumer Buying Behaviour Process
There are main six stages of consumer buying behaviour procedure which is essential for
Argos to adopt because through that they able to understand behaviour of customers properly
(Eades and Sullivan, 2014). Explanations of all stages are given below:-
 Problem recognition: At this stage customer will conduct evaluation in order to
recognise problem or issues for which they want specific products or service. Information search: After identifying problem customers will conduct gathering of
information as that will help in decision making process. Evaluation of Alternative: At third stage customer will evaluate alternative of their
products or services so that they can buy best product.
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Illustration 1: The Six Stages of the Consumer Buying Process and How to
Market to Them
(Source:The Six Stages of the Consumer Buying Process and How to
Market to Them, 2020)

 Purchase decision: At this customers will explore numbers of products on the basis of
price, availability and other factors through this they can take best purchasing decision. Purchase: In respective phase customer will purchase product according to their
requirement and standard.
 Post purchase evaluation: At this stage customer will evaluate their purchasing decision
in order to determine whether they are satisfy or not.
Some exampled and benefits of technologies
There are various types of technology which are adopted by a company in order to
promote and advertise their business in effective manner. From which some are mentioned
below that can be adopted by Argon:-
 Social Media: It is one of the mostly used technologies because through it firm able to
attract huge numbers of customers. For example if Argos adopt social media like
facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and so on they able to attract customers from both
national and international level (Elliott-Sale, Barnett and Sale, 2017).
 Skype: It is generally used by a company in order to conduct meeting or conference
when two main people are not at same location. For example respective company can
adopt this method in order to communicate with their clients; employees at different
location as well as it can also be used for resolving issues of customers.
 Argos App.: Now a day almost each and every company have their application because
it through it they able to manage their work properly. For example by developing
company application Argos able to save their time, labour and money as well as it also
help in avoiding store damage and mistake.
Two real examples of sales promotions or sales incentives on the Argos website
Argos adopt numbers of sales promotion activities as that will help them in attracting wide
range of customers as well as it will also help in retaining potential customers for the long time
duration (Fox, 2013). Through this they also able to increase their sales which directly lead to
boost in profitability ratio and market shares. Some of the main sale promotions on Argos
website are given below:-
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According to this respective company offer their products with offer which attract customers
and encourage them to purchase immediately.
According to this image Argos also offer discount on special days as their sales promotion
because through it they able to attract customers and increase their sales.
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Illustration 2: Argos sales promotion
(Source: Argos, 2020)
Illustration 3: Argos sales promotion
(Source: Argos, 2020)

TASK 2
Covered in leaflet
TASK 3
Covered in PPT
TASK 4
Demonstrate an understanding of the finance of selling
To grow continuous success in business, it is essential for every company to have
appropriate knowledge of finance of selling (Hendrix and Karson Management Ltd, 2012).
Generally, in selling financial services, enterprises face three common challenges that are – way
to develop effective conversation with potential clients; lead conversation and take business
against the stiff competition; and maximise value of organisation for current customers. In
context with Argos, this retailer uses a number of sales strategies for financial selling like, ask
for referrals by being more proactive; lead with valuable offer to make new conversation with
potential buyers; use LinkedIn and other networking tools to make good impression while
communicating with clients with a professional image (Hu and Chen, 2012). This would also
help in connecting with potential buyers and generate meetings with them. Argos sales strategies
such as FastTrack, Argos Card, Giftcard including usage of promotional codes also results in
high yield of profitability with proper sales management, in following way –
The sales cycle – It refers to a process of undergoing in a business when a product is
selling to the customer, by encompassing with various activities which are associated with
mainly the closing sale (Koster and United Parcel Service of America Inc, 2013). It includes
identifying the best path to reach potential customers and keep track of sales cycle length, for
ensuring that selling process must be efficient. This would help Argos in getting insight into
efficiency of its sales operations. To support its sales process, it has designed the salesforce
features which includes marketing campaigns, opportunities, products and quotes, that enhances
opportunities for finance selling properly (Miller, 2012).
Industry Specific sales cycle management – This process is considered as an act of
optimising the sales cycle by keeping track on its each stage and coming up with key metrics
(Murthy and Shantharam, SWAPBOX Inc, 2014). It would help in measuring the team
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performance as well, at each and every stage which includes sales prospecting, making contact,
qualifying and nurturing the lead, making an offer, handling objections, then closing sales
operations. In context with financial selling of Argos, at first stage of sales cycle, it uses
marketing automation tools that helps in generating leads, identifying potential buyers and
reaching out to such leads (Peng, Kriz and Neish, 2012). After then, its management team
develop contact with leads and qualifying them by analysing their budget via BANT (Budget,
Authority, Need and Time) technique, so that products can be sold them accordingly. While for
nurturing leads, it uses email campaign for offline customers and chatbots for clients who are
active on social media. This would help in demonstrating what is going to offer them as well on
specific price rates (Petrovic and et.al., 2014).
Overall performance management – For managing sales efficiently at each stage,
managers of Argos especially focus on measuring performance at each level also. Under this
process, they outsource the administrative tasks, maintain records without manual interventions
and more, which helps in reducing low-value work also (Saengdow, Pongnoree and Manthong,
2018). They also align sales with marketing team by using CRM software which is integrated
with automation features to improve sales. Along with this, training is also provided to improve
performance of sales team that aid to increase their productivity as well for financial viability.
After managing the performance of team on each stage of life-cycle of sales, managers of
Argos concern on its portfolio management also. In order to increase profitability and a
competitive edge, following two main aspects are fulfilled –
Portfolio management – managing the business portfolio is essential for sustaining the
value creation, which starts with a thesis of investment like identifying the core principles of
business (Shumar, 2013). It gives the clear view on grounds of realities of competitive situation
of business in terms on strengths, risks and opportunities, to ascertain how a company can
allocate its capital and other resources, for competing and creating value over time. In context
with Argos, its managers mainly focus on calculating margins for meeting its strategic goals i.e.
to become an emerging market player by development of a specific set of uniqueness in business
(Šviković and Sale, 2017). This would help in determining pricing strategies and control product
price while nurturing the leads. Along with this, calculating margins also lead to determine how
much production can be raised to increase profitability or marginal revenue of business.
Marginal revenue also helps managers of Argos in identifying the revenue which is generated by
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one additional unit of production. It aid to analyse and maximise profitability more effectively, to
run business successfully in future.
Payment mechanism – A payment mechanism can be defined as the principal means to
allocate risk and incentivise the contractors, for delivering services to required standard i.e.
within a public-private partnership contract (Swift and et.al., 2017). If such standards which
includes service, availability and higher performance, are not met then under this condition, a
company may incur the financial deductions as per service level parameters of contract. In this
regard, making adjustment to payments reflects risk factors to Argos and its performance, as a
means for developing incentive and allocating risks within contract, so that profitability can be
maintained (Takata and et.al., 2012).
Recommendations to improve sales structures and financial viability:
 To improve sales structure, it is recommended to managers of Argos to design its CRM
system adequately, that will help in finding easy way to outsource its administrative tasks
and consolidate the customer data from various points like email, chatbots, websites and
more.
 Developing thick hides and preserving with follow-ups will help Argos in sales reps
before any deal is made. For this purpose, it can use CRM software also, that will help in
following up the reminders and even automating the emails of follow-ups diligently.
 For eliminating the hassle of schedule meetings and streamlining the workflow, managers
of Argos need to use specific software like SAP, CRM and more, that reduces friction
also associated with its sales cycle.
 For increasing financial viability, it is recommended to managers of Argos to focus more
on driving the revenue by increasing customer base; average transaction size; raise prices
on high quality of products and services; and enhance frequency of sales transaction per
customer.
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from overall discussion on sales management that it is most important
of an organisation, which mainly concerns with managing and increases sales of products at any
cost. It helps a firm in increasing its competitive image and identifying ways to improve modes
of distribution for reducing costs, that ultimately leads to increase profitability. In a commercial
and business enterprise, sales management is considered as the most important function without
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which successful growth cannot be achieved. By using a variety of techniques, any firm can
reach its potential buyers and become market leader in its respective sector. It also lead to
improve product development, optimise distribution, make better financial decisions and
improve team performance, for generating high revenue in business.
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REFRENCES
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Eades, K.M. and Sullivan, T.T., 2014. The collaborative sale: Solution selling in a buyer driven
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Elliott-Sale, K.J., Barnett, C.T. and Sale, C., 2014. Systematic review of randomised controlled
trials on exercise interventions for weight management during pregnancy and up to one
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Hypertension: An International Journal of Women's Cardiovascular Health. 4(3).
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Hu, B.Y. and Chen, X., 2012. Supply chain sale-surety option contract with effort dependent
demand and risk preference. Journal of Industrial Engineering: Engineering
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Koster, K.H., United Parcel Service of America Inc, 2013. Systems and methods for detecting
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Miller, W., 2012. Proactive Selling: Control the Process--win the Sale. Amacom.
Murthy, N. and Shantharam, N., SWAPBOX Inc, 2014. Methods and systems for the secure sale
of tangible goods. U.S. Patent Application 14/061,001.
Peng, J., Kriz, K.A. and Neish, T., 2012. Method of sale in the municipal bond market. The
handbook of municipal bonds. pp.51-87.
Petrovic, R. and et.al., 2014. Referred sale system. U.S. Patent Application 14/213,093.
Saengdow, P., Pongnoree, S. and Manthong, K., 2018. Sale management system: A case study of
Neo-Computer shop.
Shumar, W., 2013. College for sale: A critique of the commodification of higher education.
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Šviković, S. and Sale, J.E., 2017. The effects of replication stress on S phase histone
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Swift, J.A. and et.al., 2017. Antenatal weight management: Diet, physical activity, and
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Takata, G.L. and et.al., 2012. Point of sale method and apparatus for making and dispensing
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