Joint assessment of optimal sales force sizes and sales call guidelines a management-oriented tool

Joint Assessment of Optimal Sales
Force Sizes and Sales Call Guidelines
A Management-Oriented Tool
Rene Y. Darmon*
ESSEC Business School, France

Abstract
Sales force sizing and sales effort allocation methods vary from simplistic rules of thumb to sophisticated analytical procedures. The former methods are easy to understand and implement, but they are typically inaccurate and probably invalid. The latter procedures may provide more accurate and valid results, hut they are more difficult to explain to management and require data collection and analysis that are often quite elaborate.
This paper proposes a method of optimal estimation of total sales effort level and time allocation that combines the advantages of both approaches. For each customer segment, this method accounts for the so far neglected, but relevant, optimal call effort allocation between number of calls per account during a planning period and length of sales calls. A case study illustrates this method.

Resume
Les methodes de determination de la taille et de I 'allocation des efforts de vente vont des regies empiriques les plus simples aux procedures analytiques les plus complexes. Les premieres .sont faciles a comprendre et a appliquer, mais elles sont imprecises et souvent mm valides. Les autres methodes peuvent donner des resultats plus exacts, mais elles sont plus difficiles a expliquer aux managers et necessitent souvent une collecte et une analyse de donnees fort laborieuses. Le present article propose une methode d'estimation optimale de la taille et de Vallocation des efforts de vente qui combine les avantages des deux approches. Pour chaque segment de la clientele, la methode rend compte de I'allocation optimale (souvent negligee, mais pertinente), de Veffort de vente entre le nombre de visites a faire a un client pendant une periode de planification et la longueur des visites. Un eas concret illustre la methode.

JEL Classifications: M 3I0, M510

Mots