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Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
Regardless of how good one’s advertising, public
relations, and other IMC programs are, for many
companies, it is the sales force that is called on to
close the deal—particularly those in the businessto-business
market. As you might imagine, there
is always a need for good salespeople, and companies
do whatever they can to attract and
retain them and to motivate them to continue to
do good work—regardless of the industry.
As the business environment changes, so too
do the needs and wants of the sales force. In the
past, when the salesman was the breadwinner,
money worked well. By providing the sales force
with the opportunity to earn more money by
working harder, motivation was easily achieved.
But now, times have changed. Dual-worker families,
more emphasis on lifestyles, and more
opportunities are just some of the factors that
are resulting in more diversified salespeople and
that explain why money in and of itself doesn’t
cut it like it used to. So companies have explored
a number of options, as seen in the following
examples:
• Jupiter Media Metrix. As the competition
between Jupiter and its number-one rival
18. Personal Selling © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
Motivating the Sales Force—Not an Easy Task
Forrester Research (both provide Internet
research services) intensified, Forrester hung
a sign in its headquarters’ office inspiring
employees to “Beat Jupiter.” In response,
Jupiter initiated a motivation of its own:
leather boxing gloves in the lobby showcase
of its New York offices. Each quarter, the
sales rep who “scores the biggest knockout”
against rival Forrester gets to autograph the
gloves.
• Hobart. The Ohio-based commercial food
manufacturer—whose equipment is in the
White House—outfitted the White House
cafeteria on the TV show West Wing with its
equipment. The product placement was well
received by the sales force, but to add even
more to the punch, the national sales force
meeting was held in Hollywood and topperforming
salespeople got to tour the set
and meet actor Martin Sheen. As noted by
Dean Landeche, vice president of marketing
for Hobart, “It became the buzz around our
campus for quite some time.”
• Guardian Life Insurance. Among the
hardest groups to motivate are the sales
forces of insurance companies. As noted
by one ex-agent, “The industry is unique
in a sense in that we are working with
unmotivated buyers—people who have a
need for what an agent sells, but do not
believe they need to buy it yet. We all
deny we are going to die.” Keeping
salespeople motivated is critical, and
companies have taken various approaches.
Guardian Life Insurance has created an
online “university,” available 24 hours a
day, to provide its sales force with desired