DSSM-04-934

THE SALES FORCE

Student Details
Registration Number: DSSM-04-933
Examination: December 2022

KDC Academy of Management - Sri Lanka

DSSM-04-934

Student Declaration

Date: 08th (D)/ September (M)/2022.(Y)

Dear Examiner
Diploma in Strategic Sales Management
KDC Academy of Management

Student Confirmation
I hereby certify that the assignment/project of (Full Name of the program and Relevant Stage if
Any) is the result of my own independent work unless otherwise mentioned specifically under
referencing guidance.

Thank you

Student Number - DSSM-04-934

Signature -

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Contents
I. Acknowledgment ................................................................................................................................
II. Executive summary ............................................................................................................................
III. List of figures ...................................................................................................................................
1. Introduction to Organization ........................................................................................................ 1
1.1. Industry ...................................................................................................................................... 1
1.2. Business Type .......................................................................................................................... 1
1.3. Product portfolio........................................................................................................................ 1
1.5. Customer type........................................................................................................................... 1
1.6. Market segments ...................................................................................................................... 1
1.7. Available resources .................................................................................................................. 1
1.8. Stakeholders ............................................................................................................................. 2
1.9. Competitors and their market share....................................................................................... 2
1.10. Financial summary ............................................................................................................... 2
2. Sales organization structure ........................................................................................................... 3
2.1. Roes of the Sales force ........................................................................................................... 3
2.2. Span of control ...................................................................................................................... 3
2.3. Gaps in the sales force ........................................................................................................ 4
3. Leadership and Motivation .......................................................................................................... 5
3.1. Leadership Styles suitable for sales management .............................................................. 5
3.2. Best suitable Leadership style for the organization ............................................................. 6
3.3. Sales motivational techniques ................................................................................................ 6
4. Conclusion......................................................................................................................................... 6
5. References ........................................................................................................................................ 7

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I. Acknowledgment

I wish to express my sincerest gratitude to my instructor for providing me with the marvelous
opportunity to complete this excellent project on the subject customer behavior and personal
selling that also assisted me in conducting extensive study and learning about many new
experiences. I am extremely grateful to them.

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II. Executive summary

The Argyle is a boutique star class hotel in Sri Lanka. The company was founded in 2018 and the
head office is located in Colombo. The Argyle is operating in hospitality and tourism industry The
Argyle Villas (Pvt) Ltd is a Sri Lankan private limited company which serves only (B2C)
consumers. Main customer types are Families, Special customers, Tourists, Travelers, Business
class travelers, Luxury and Eco-friendly travel guests. Their marketing segments included
Transient, Corporate guests, Groups and Wholesale. Main stockholders in this business are Hotel
owners, Hotel guests, online travel agencies, Manager and Employees, Destination management
offices, Suppliers and Government organizations.
There are main 12 competitive hotels in the region and the company stands at 2nd place. There
is an average 3% - 5% growth rate per year. The sales team consist of Director of Sales and
Marketing who is in charge of sales teams, Sales and Marketing Manager, Sales Executive and
Assistants. When considering the commanding line senior manager of sales and marketing in
hotel sector has two subordinates and their performance is closed monitored by this senior sales
and marketing manager. According to the sales and marketing team structure, there seems to be
no gaps between the Senior Sales and marketing manager and her subordinates. But there is a
gap in between the sales managers and the director.
Most recommended two type of leadership styles are transactional and situational leadership.
When considering the nature of the business, the most effective style of leadership would be the
transactional leadership. Since the sales team is constantly goal/target focused, and if they do
well, they will be rewarded more. In order to motivate the sales personnel and get the best output,
the organization can get well organized, take decisions based of statistics as well as establishing
the short term and long term goals. When it comes to the motivational techniques for the sales
force, Team building sessions can be used to motive the sales team as well as strengthen the
interpersonal relationships. Stay and Think Positively should be practiced within the
organizational context just like through the activities such as recognize salespeople's concerns
and losses, but don't repeat them. Also it is really important to recognize difficulties, but maintain
the focus on personal objectives and organizational values by using constructive language and
ideas. Providing incentives is one of the common method of motivating the sales staff.

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III. List of figures

Figure 1: Product Folio ................................................................................................................... 1

Figure 2: Market Segmentation ...................................................................................................... 0
Figure 3: Revenue Growth............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 4 : Sales organization Structure .......................................................................................... 1

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1. Introduction to Organization
The Argyle 1.1. Industry of operating
The Argyle is a boutique star class hotel in The Argyle is operating in hospitality and
Sri Lanka. The company was founded in tourism industry
2018 and the head office is located in
1.2. Type of the Business
Colombo. The company has group of
The Argyle Villas (Pvt) Ltd is a Sri Lankan
businesses under the mother company
private limited company which serves only
Apolo Holdings.
(B2C) consumers.

1.3. Product portfolio

The Hotel provides different kinds of products to
honeymoon its customers. Most highlighted packages are
packages
day outings, functions, honeymoon packages,
Other food
commercial
commercial packages, special tours and other
and
beverages
packages type of food and beverage sales. Other income
earned though the bar and the Ala cart
Products restaurant. Hotels revenue is generated from
the direct room selling, Beverage sales, spa,
functions
special tour excursions, rent out the facilities, laundry, food
packages,
sales as well as income from the bar.
Day outing
packages

Figure 1: Product Folio

1.4. Achievements
The company has been awarded for be best garden
and landscape in 2019. Also number one rated hotel
in Trip advisor in the region of Central Province.

1.5. Type of customers served by the organization

Families, Special customers, Tourists, Travelers, Business class travelers, Luxury and Eco-
friendly travel guests.

1.6. Recognized Market segments

Transients are visitors who travel alone and are
not affiliated with any firm or organization. They
make separate reservations on their own. They
Transient Groups obtain better hotel discounts since business
clients receive lower company rates. Hotels
typically enable groups of visitors to use their
facilities at contracted prices that are variable
and dependent on the needs. Corporate guests
Corporate
Wholesale are where the market sector that works with
guests
booking agencies and tour operators that
purchase large quantities of tickets at reduced
prices. (The Argyle, 2022)

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1.7. Available resources

The important hotel resources are Physical capital, financial means, people assets, technological
and promotional resources, expertise, informatics, reputation, and trademarks. (Trip advisor, 2022

1.8. Stakeholders Identification

Internal Stakeholders
Hotel owners: The chair person is Mr.Mariadas Manager and Employees: There are 8 Managers and 76
Linus and there are another 5 Directors who employees in the organization are they are responsible to
supported to incorporate the company. They provide expected service for the incoming guests. There are
are always in alert about the hotel’s profitability well established Key performance indicators and standard
and their return on the investment. operating procedures for each of the department.
External Stakeholders
Hotel guests/ customers Online travel agencies
The Customers come to the hotel from the Hotels is dealing with Booking.com. Agoda, Expedia which are
travel agents and also through the word of web-based platforms that connects customers with travel
mouth communication. In addition they attract suppliers to explore and book travel-related products and
customers through the digital marketing efforts. services such as hotel, airlines, vehicles, tours, cruise,
Hotel is depending on the customer reviews excursions, and much more.
and bad reviews really harmful for the Destination management offices
reputation. So that it is really important to attend The company has their own Destination Management sub
each and every customer and give them a company with the name “HOLIDAY PLAN DESTINATIONS
personalized service. MANAGEMENT”. A destination management firm is a
Suppliers business that oversees a range of products and services at a
The hotel has a reputed and most commonly renowned tourist attraction. At the same time they are working
used suppliers by similar hotels in the region. with some other reputed companies.
They provide amenities, linen, food and Government organizations
beverage to the hotels. The supply network Hotels is located in city limit of Hatton so that it is locally
consist of multiple supplies for each single registered at the Pradeshiya Sabha and registered at Sri
product so that supply chain’s stability is Lanka Tourism Development Authority. In order to operate the
secured. bar they have taken the bar license from Excise department in
Hatton.

1.9. Competitors verses the market share

There is a competition in between hotels situation within the region of Nuwara Eliya. From 12 competitive
hotels, The Argyle stand as the 2 nd place from the guest reviews. The main competitors are Hotel Grand,
Araliya Green Hills, La Grande Villa, Jetwing St Andrew's. The Company is having 12% from the market
share in the region.

1.10. Financial summary

The revenue generate from rooms packages such as Bread and Breakfast, Half Board and full board. The
food revenue generated through the restaurant outlet Ala Carts, beverage sales from the main bar and juice
bars and other income is generated from the hotel spa, vehicle hires, excursions, functions and photo
shoots. According to the statistics, the total have been increased continuously until 2019 and thereafter
have decreased due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. There was an average 3% - 5% growth in each
year. The company is projected their revenue to be above the brake even after the November 2022.
Revenuw Growth
100000000
80000000
60000000
40000000
20000000
0
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Rooms Revenue Food Sales Beverage Sale Other

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2. Sales Department structure

Director of Sales
and Marketing -
Group

Senior Manager
Sales & MKT Sales & MKT
Sales &
Executive Assistant
Marketing

Figure 3 : Sales organization Structure

The head of sales & Marketing is the Director of Sales & Marketing. There is a senior manager of
sales and marketing and under her, there is one executive and assistant. Since this is a group of
company, Director of sales and marketing directly responsible for other the other sub companies
as well. But senior manager and other sales personnel’s are directly responsible for the hotel’s
business growth.
2.1. Roes of the Sales force of The Argyle Hotel
Sales and marketing are critical elements in the hotel sector since they directly connect to a
company's success. The Marketing and Sales team has the responsibility of increasing a hotel's
income by establishing revenue-boosting tactics and business strategies. Profits through
business domains like as hotel occupancy, conference halls, recreational facilities, restaurants,
and so on are expected to be generated by the team.
Director of Sales and Marketing
A hotel's director of sales is in charge of increasing revenue. Utilizing sales and marketing
methods, they create a successful revenues management plan to assure the hotel's sustainability
in any market situations. They should develop and fulfill budget as well as revenue objectives,
oversee the work of several teams, assist in marketing and customer engagement, and
sometimes even negotiate deals. In addition, the director of sales and marketing establishes
pricing and discounts, develops marketing plans for extending their customer base, as well as
manages a team of qualified experts to enhance revenue and boost customer satisfaction.
Sales and Marketing Manager
The hotel Sales Manager is in charge of canvassing for new business as well as retaining and
cultivating existing clients and relationships. They create objectives for their activities every week
or month based on the sort of activity. They might, for instance, establish a target of making calls,
and travel agent visits in that week. The manager will then monitor their progress and the
outcomes of such calls (The Argyle, 2022).
Sales Executive / Assistant
As according The Argyle hotel, hotel sales assistants collaborate with sales managers and
perform a number of clerical and administrative tasks. Forwarding emails, typing, picking up the
phone, arranging meetings, and making travel plans are all examples of clerical responsibilities.

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Many sales assistants contribute to a company's sales. For example, at The Argyle hotel, the
sales assistant is in charge of marketing as well as selling rooms, conference rooms, and many
other hotel facilities. Customers that have inquiries or concerns frequently contact the sales
associate. Sales assistants spending the majority of their time in office settings performing clerical
work. Sometimes assistant travel with sales executive to meet with customers or sell services
given by the hotel wherever they operate. Sales people often work 40 hours each week. During
peak seasons, individuals may work 50 hours more than. Stress can be severe for sales
assistants who are under pressure to retain proper paperwork and make sales (The Argyle, 2022).
2.2. Span of control
A span of control is a notion that specifies how many people somebody manages. It is a line of
command concept in which the number of followers is accurately recognized in order to
comprehend a manager's reach. When considering the commanding line senior manager of sales
and marketing in hotel sector has two subordinates and their performance is closed monitored by
this senior sales and marketing manager. Sales and marketing director has the responsibility to
keep the observation on other sales managers in the group. So that the director of Sales and
marketing need to take a clear responsibility to review the progress of each revenue source of
the business in overall.
2.3. Gaps in the sales force
According to the sales and marketing team structure, there seems to be no gaps between the
Senior Sales and marketing manager and her subordinates. But there is a gap in between the
sales managers and the director. Because sales director seems to be not pushing and closely
following the managers to generate more business to the group of company. There seems to be
no ways established to monitor the performance of sales managers. The key to reducing the skill
gaps is identifying what company best salespeople execute better compared to everyone else.
What is the secret element that allows them to meet and surpass their targets? How are they
going to locate and close potential avenues? How do they cultivate more lucrative relationships?
Allowing the majority of company sales staff to observe the behaviors of the best players will help
to improve overall performance. Not only can formal training be used to up skill the employees,
but so should new habits and mannerisms (Zoltners, Sinha and Lorimer, 2012).

3. Leadership and Motivation

3.1. Recommended Leadership Styles

Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership bases incentives and penalties on the achievement of the members.
The leader sees the manager-subordinate relationship as a return that is focused on giving
something in return based on the outcome. Whenever subordinates do admirably, they are
rewarded. They will be penalized in certain way if they do poorly. Transactional leadership
requires rules, processes, and standards. Members are not motivated to be innovative or to solve
issues in novel ways. According to studies, transactional leadership is best successful in
instances when challenges are basic and well-defined. It may also be useful in emergency
situations in which the emphasis must be on completing certain tasks. Leaders may guarantee
that things are accomplished by delegating clearly defined tasks to specific personnel.
Transactional leaders are concerned with the group's structure. They are responsible for
informing group members regarding what is anticipated of them, communicating the benefits of

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executing jobs successfully, explaining the penalties of failure, and providing feedback aimed to
keep employees on target (Atiq, 2022).

Situational Leadership
According to the situational leadership theory, no particular leadership style is superior. Rather, it
is determined by the style of leadership and techniques that are most appropriate for the position.
The best leaders, based on this concept, are those who can adjust their approach to the
circumstance and consider cues like the type of work, the makeup of the team, as well as other
things that may help them get the task accomplished. The situation leadership concept enables
managers to employ their leadership style flexibly dependent on the circumstance, resulting in
successful results. Their technique has an influence on the organizational motivating degrees
both at the middle management level, wherein leaders deal directly with individuals and the upper
level managers, where leadership is accountable to a variety of individuals. A leader must be
continually aware of his or her employees' motivating requirements; among the simple success
criteria identified in firms is a motivated staff. Situational Leaders are Telling, Selling, Participating
and Delegating (Atiq, 2022).

3.2. Best suitable Leadership style for the organization

When considering the nature of the business, the most effective style of leadership would be the
transactional leadership. Since the sales team is constantly goal/target focused, and if they do
well, they will be rewarded more. If someone fails to meet the requirements of the business, he
or she is punished. As a result, this would be an inspirational type of leader that provides
employees with a clear grasp of what is expected of them.
3.3. Sales motivational techniques
Building the team work
Team building sessions can be used to motive the sales team as well as strengthen the
interpersonal relationships. Day outing activities and programs will be really useful to set up the
mindset of the marketing team. Their leadership skills also can be taken out with proper training
programs.
Stay and Think Positively

Anyone in the sales business experiences rejection, rage, and bewilderment on a monthly, if not
everyday basis. It's challenging to rise over all of the obstacles and remain motivated on a daily
basis. Sales executives must act as cheerleaders in this situation. They can recognize
salespeople's concerns and losses, but don't repeat them. Also it is really important to recognize
difficulties, but maintain the focus on personal objectives and organizational values by using
constructive language and ideas. on the other hand Recognize obstacles and worries, but persist
in taking and encourage chances.
Provide incentive options

Every salesman is driven in a unique way. Some individuals would be persuaded by one
advantage while others are driven by some other factors. One bonus will attract the majority,
whilst the other incentive strategy will pique the interest of a select few.

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Get organized
One of the most important variables in enhancing sales effectiveness is being focused on the
appropriate job at the right time. If we are not taking the necessary steps to devote time to finish
tasks, such as scheduling time on the calendar, we may be neglecting some important obligations.
Long-term sales performance might suffer as a result of inefficiency. (Jungert, Van den Broeck
and Haug, 2020).

Set concrete goals

Sales often attracts high-energy, enthusiastic individuals who seek to exceed their targets and
keep their efforts going thereafter. And establishing lofty goals might be a great aid in enhancing
sales success. It keeps everyone working really hard and gives us some leeway if they fall short.
Setting objectives that are both feasible and aspirational is critical to boosting sales growth, but
there is a distinction to be made among goal-setting versus daydreaming. When it comes to
influencing sales performance, clear objectives are actually written, as well as tractable fantasies
are hazy, unmeasurable, as well as eventually ineffectual. To stay on track and responsible, one
must clearly identify what want to accomplish, make strategies for how intend to do it, and discuss
the goals with supervisors and peers. This type of individually developed coaching will provide
with clear direction and, as a consequence, increase sales effectiveness.
Make decisions with performance metrics
Most firms now understand the importance of making data-driven choices. The difficulties occur
when it comes to evaluating the information: most of us are overwhelmed in statistics. It can be
hard to determine where chances for development or weakness emerge and how to maximize
them without specific displays for monitoring or key performance indicators (Jungert, Van den
Broeck and Haug, 2020).

4. Conclusion

For a hotel the most important stakeholders are guests, travel agents, suppliers and the owners.
Hotels has different packages to attract their customers. Market segmentations of the hotel
includes corporate guests, individual travelers, groups and other type of guests. Most significant
resources of a hotel are Physical capital, financial, people assets, technological and promotional
resources, expertise, informatics, reputation, and trademarks.
Sales department of a hotel consist of different personnel such as directors, senior managers,
executives and sales assistants. All of their target is visiting travel agents, promoting hotel
packages and keep communication and good relationship with the business partners. In this hotel
the span of control is limited so that the performance of the subordinates can be effectively
monitored. The main gap of the sales and marketing seems to be lack of tracking the performance
of senior managers. The leadership is important for the sales organization to achieve the targets.
Most common types of leadership are transactional leadership and situational leadership. But we
can highly recommend transactional leadership for a sales team. On the other hand, sales people
can be motivated through proper goals, take decisions based on metrics as well as being well
organized.

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5. References

1. Atiq, A., 2022. Leadership, Teamwork, and Motivation of Football Player. International
Journal of Social Science And Human Research, 05(06).
2. Jungert, T., Van den Broeck, A. and Haug, H., 2020. Does managers' motivation matter?
Exploring the associations between motivation, transformational leadership, and
innovation in a religious organization. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 30(4),
pp.569-589.
3. The Argyle, 2022. The Argyle. [online] Theargyle.lk. Available at: https://www.theargyle.lk/
[Accessed 7 September 2022].
4. Zoltners, A., Sinha, P. and Lorimer, S., 2012. Breaking the Sales Force Incentive
Addiction: A Balanced Approach to Sales Force Effectiveness. Journal of Personal Selling
& Sales Management, 32(2), pp.171-186.
5. Blaskova, M. and Trskova, K., 2017. Creative leadership and motivation of university
employees. New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences,
3(4), pp.23-34.
6. Pencheon, D., 2000. Leadership and motivation. BMJ, 321(7256), pp.2-2.