Question

Sales Management

British Gas Engineers are potentially the largest source of qualified leads for the salesforce and with the highest leads conversion rate. Historically however, engineers and salesforce do not communicate with the result that potential business is lost. The requirement was to ensure that engineers and salesforce communicate. Engineers to pass on leads and salesforce to confirm conversions back to engineers. Further, to markedly increase sales as a result.
Target audience 4,500 British Gas Engineers (linked to 450 salespersons).
The strategy
• Create (or borrow) a memorable internal theme
• Produce a video tutorial of the communication behaviors and interaction required
• Launch the programme on a face-to-face basis to Regional and District management, providing them with identical tools for cascade presentation to their front line Engineers
Provide each engineer Patch Manager with a K.I.T. (Keep in Touch) Box containing:
- Tutorial Video
- Launch Brochures
- Presentation Crib Sheets
- Presentation Check List
- Phone Prompt Cards containing names and contact numbers of engineers / salespersons in
The Patch
- Priority Appointment Cards
• Mirror league (leads and conversion) performance back to engineers on a monthly basis
• Peer pressure increased by ensuring that at least one salesperson presents the sales
Conversions back to the engineer in the Patch (who has generated the lead).

Answer the following questions:
1. Analyze what you understand by the term sales force of British Gas. And explain why is controlling between engineers and sales is required for sells.
2. Demonstrate the importance of different selling strategies made by British Gas. And illustrate why motivation is essential for sales force.

Answer 1

Solution –

1. The term sales force here means the sales executives which are responsible for closing sales with customers of British Gas. It is important for a control mechanism between the engineers and the sales force to ensure increase in sells as engineers are proving to be the highest source of qualified lead for the sales force and if the engineers contribute with the sales leads and the sales force latches on the leads in a focused manner then this can lead to sure increase in sales and revenue.
2. The importance of different selling strategies of British Gas is as below –

• To get maximum leads from the engineers by keeping them in touch with the sales force and also educating them on the program and have all the engineers provided with the message and tools for communication so that all engineers work along with sales people and cover the whole engineers under the umbrella of this program
• The other aspect of this strategy is to ensure that the sales force does not work on half - baked leads but full qualified leads so that they are able to close the sales quickly.

It is necessary to keep the sales force motivated because the sales executives need to close the sales deals and if they are demotivated then the closure of deals becomes more of a challenge. The other reason why sales executives need to be kept motivated is to avoid attrition. A sales executive working for a longer time on the field can gain on the expertise and control in that area and leverage it for better sales and start to get leads in individual capacity. This all will contribute to the increased sales and hence sales force needs to be kept motivated.