Changing needs of sales force training in India: a call for relationship approach

Today, more and more organisations are recognising their sales force as a strategic resource capable of providing a sustainable competitive advantage. For this purpose, sales force must be equipped to build a strong relationship with customers and develop partnering environment. However, the introduction of 'relationship marketing' has drastically changed the role and responsibility of sales force. Consequently, they will require an excellent training to fit them to meet the changing demands of their job. The challenges facing sales managers in terms of the need for [a] relationship-oriented sales force - a requisite to meet the changing demands of selling jobs - necessitates a change in the importance and role traditionally allotted to the sales training function, a shift that may already be seen occurring in a number of multinational organisations. Unfortunately, most of the Indian firms are not conscious of this development. To remain competitive, they need to realise the importance of developing and implementing specifically designed sales training programs for their sales force. The present paper attempts to provide a framework that would help Indian marketers to make an effective use of sales training.

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