Describe some of the methods used to supervise salespeople and help them work more efficiently

What will be an ideal response?

Through supervision, or helping salespeople "work smart," companies can help salespeople do the right things in the right way. This includes helping salespeople identify target customers and manage their time. A weekly, monthly, or annual call plan is used in many companies to show salespeople which customers and potential customers to call on within a given time period and which activities to carry out. Companies often use time-and-duty-analysis. In addition to time spent selling, the salesperson spends time traveling, waiting, taking breaks, and doing administrative chores. Companies are always looking for ways to save time—simplifying administrative duties, developing better sales-call and routing plans, supplying more and better customer information, and using phone, e-mail, or Internet conferencing instead of traveling. Many firms have adopted sales force automation systems: computerized, digitized sales force operations that let salespeople work more effectively anytime, anywhere. Companies now routinely equip their salespeople with technologies such as laptops or tablets, smartphones, wireless connections, videoconferencing technologies, and customer-contact and relationship management software. Armed with these technologies, salespeople can more effectively and efficiently profile customers and prospects, analyze and forecast sales, schedule sales calls, make presentations, prepare sales and expense reports, and manage account relationships. The result is better time management, improved customer service, lower sales costs, and higher sales performance. In all, technology has reshaped the ways in which salespeople carry out their duties and engage customers.