Sales Manager Performance Criteria

Sales managers play an essential role in the sales team’s productivity and performance. By accurately measuring the performance of the sales managers, an organization can understand their impact on the firm. Activity metric is the first measure that is used to measure the performance of a sales manager. This type of measure looks at the sales manager’s proactivity that includes the number of “reach outs” the manager has had, phone calls made as well as emails sent by the sales manager (Hulthén, Näslund & Norrman, 2016, pp.823). Besides, an organization can look into the meeting activity that comprises the number of customer introductory meetings, follow-up meetings, as well as the number of proposals sent. The other measure is the pipeline metrics. When using the pipeline metrics, a firm can measure the number of opportunities and the pipeline’s accuracy. The other measure is the results metrics that include revenue, profits, along with the won opportunities. Under this measure, the participation rate is a metric that should be given much attention (Iwashita, 2019, pp.13).

When trying to encourage the team to perform highly, Tim should implement a sales performance appraisal system. This type of system involves monitoring as well as guiding individuals to enhance their ability to sell a company’s products and services. Among the main objectives of this system entails educating and motivating a sales team to set achievable goals along with satisfying customers (Schleicher, et al., 2018, pp.2218). Through the sales performance appraisal system, Tim’s team can set goals and make appropriate plans, and obtain feedback. Nonetheless, the system facilitates the development of skills and enhances performance review. Besides, the system facilitates the tracking of information such as territories, forecasting, sales quotas, and incentive compensation.

A balanced scorecard is a tool applied when identifying as well as when improving different internal business functions including their expected external outcomes. The metric is used when measuring and providing feedback to companies. Collecting data is essential in providing quantitative outcomes. This is important because executives and the managers gather and interpret such data aimed at making informed decisions for the company (Oliveira, Lima-Rodrigues & Craig, 2019, pp.221). This tool is crucial because it reinforces good behavior in a firm by identifying four main areas that comprise of learning and growth, finance, customer perspective, including business process.

As a strategic planning tool, the balanced scorecard offers an organization a strong framework for building as well as communicating strategy. A Strategy Map is used in visualizing the business model that assists the managers to critically think about the cause-and-effect relationship among varying strategic objectives. Consensus is reached through construction of a Strategy Map using several interrelated strategic objectives (Sigalas, 2015, pp.552). This means that the tool helps identify performance outcomes along with the enablers of future performance aimed at depicting the full picture of the strategy. Besides, the balanced scorecard is used in strategic planning to improve strategy execution and communication. Having a single picture of the strategy allows an organization to communicate its strategy both internally and externally. The balanced scorecard aligns a firm’s projects and initiatives with different strategic objectives that in turn make sure that the execution of projects and initiatives is aimed towards delivering the best outcome. As a strategic management tool, the balanced scorecard improves performance reporting by guiding how performance reports and dashboards are designed. As a result, this makes sure that managerial reporting focuses on the crucial strategic issues including assisting firms to monitor how they execute their plans (Valmohammadi & Sofiyabadi, 2015, pp.1179).

Balanced Scorecard for Strategic Planning

At times, organizations appear reluctant in using benchmarks. One reason behind this is that companies consider themselves unique and thus do not need to emulate what other companies are doing. Simply, benchmarking is important to an organization because it helps firms understand the acceptable standards in the industry in which they operate including the company’s position vis-à-vis these standards (Kusserow, 2016, pp.24). Nonetheless, through benchmarking, an organization can remain in sync with the consumers’ needs as well as the market. For instance, hypothetically, in a bank, the turnaround for a customer complaint can be considered to be four hours. As a result, the bank might be tempted to believe that their turnaround time (TAT) of four hours is short without considering other banks’ TAT. However, if rival banks have a TAT of say two hours, customers would prefer the firm that resolves their concerns quickly (Vrchota & Rehor, 2019, pp.302).

Benchmarking is utilized in different HR areas such as the compensation area. Through benchmarking, the HR department can make informed pay decisions, including hiring, promotions, general compensation, as well as internal equity salary adjustments. Besides, it also helps the leaders define costs that are linked to salaries and other compensation components that include profits sharing and bonuses. In the employee engagement area, benchmarking gives a company’s employees a voice by continuously enhancing their experience. In the recruitment and selection area, benchmarking is used to provide a selection criteria by outlining the attributes in a role description. Notwithstanding, it elaborates what should be expected as an acceptable response from an applicant. In the learning and development area, benchmarking is used to reduce challenges faced by professionals to drive efficiency as well as enhance business performance. Benchmarking does this by identifying best practices for training and development to achieve high performance (Stan, 2018, pp.294).

Job description refers to a brief but organized statement that contains the requirements of a job. Besides, the statement provides a summary of the duties and responsibilities that are to be performed by a job holder. On the other hand, job specification is a statement that indicates the minimum qualifications as well as the qualities that are needed to perform a particular job. Job analysis is defined as the process of collecting information that is related to a particular job (Corin & Björk, 2016, pp.17). Such information may include knowledge, ability, along with skills that are possessed by a candidate to effectively perform the job.

Importance of Benchmarking in HR

There are three main methods of conducting a job analysis. The first method is an interview which is conducted by a job analyst on an incumbent to gather information about their duties. Interviews, specifically structured interviews are important because they provide a high level of validity as well as reliability (Smock & Alemagno, 2017, n.d.) However, using this method alone has its drawbacks. For instance, using interviews may result in staff exaggerating or omitting important details. Questionnaires are also used to conduct a job analysis. The method is widely used because it is cheap to create and the distribution of questionnaires can easily be done. However, this method is not good for collecting data because the data collected is not reliable and useful. Besides, there are the issues of misinterpreting questions, the provision of inaccurate information, and high non-response rates. The other method is observation which involves observing the staff do their daily routines. The method is reliable because it is first-hand and facilitates developing a reliable conclusion (Park, Sha & Olmsted, 2016, pp.1392). The drawbacks of this method include distortion of information, not every job role or reaction can be observed, and awareness may result in reduced work output.

Recruitments methods should meet certain standards if they are to remain effective. The first standard is that the recruitment method facilitates recruitment in a manner that respects, protects, as well as fulfills international human rights that include rights child labor and discrimination as well as international labor standards. The methods should ensure that the recruiters adhere to the established regulations, legislations, multilateral as well as bilateral recruitments, including policies that related to staff recruitment (Schnake, 2016, pp.43). The standard prohibits the trafficking of persons, child labor, along with forced labor. The second standard is that the recruitment method should respond to existing needs in the labor market and thus should not target to displace or diminish the current workforce, undermine decent work, lower wages, labor standards, or the working conditions. The third standard is that in case the recruitment is conducted across international borders, the recruitment method should be such that it respects existing national regulations, employment contracts, along with the associated collective agreements from the states of origin. This also includes recognized human rights and the rights to work (González & Rivarés, 2018, pp.96). The fourth standard is that for the recruitment methods to remain effective, they should take into consideration the practices as well as the policies that enhance efficiency, transparency, along with the protection of the staff in the process that comprises of mutually recognizing employees’ skills and qualifications. The fifth and the final standard is that the recruitment methods can remain effective by ensuring that there are policies and processes along with due diligence among recruiters (Slavkovic, Pavlovic & Simic, 2018, pp.132). This makes sure that the recruitment process aligns with all the other recruitment standards and is carried out in a manner that treats all potential employees with dignity and respect and eliminates any form of discrimination or coercion.

Differences Between Job Analysis, Job Description, and Person Specification

Reference List

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