One manager and one salesperson square off on issues facing sales organizations today
At Issue: Should salespeople be given the freedom to set their own hours?
Manager: "Salespeople have to have some outline of structured hours that can be flexible within the timeframe, as long as the work is getting done and sales goals are being exceeded. If a salesperson is not exceeding his goals, he must be required to work assigned work hours. Flexibility is a benefit that comes with trust and accomplishment. In addition, salespeople are on duty for the clients and must cover the hours and days the clients work and need them to work. For example, if a salesperson chooses to work Saturdays instead of Mondays, that doesn’t make them available to most of their clients. Hours must be built around the client’s needs."
—Laura Kreutzer, regional sales and marketing manager in Orlando, Fla., for Hard Rock International, operator of cafes, hotels and casinos
Salesperson: "A salesperson's hours are defined by clients' needs, so ultimately our clients dictate our schedules. I believe the nature of a great salesperson is to have a strong commitment to customer service, to be stellar at customer responsiveness, and to work in a culture of excellence. I work in an industry that operates twenty-four hours a day; customers expect flexibility and accessibility from their sales representative. Today's technology, such as BlackBerries, allows a great salesperson to meet her customers' needs and manage her time effectively. Excelling in meeting those needs builds strong ustomer relationships. That's at the heart of eSpeed's fundamental pledge to its customers, and it’s my personal credo, which is why being part of the eSpeed team is so professionally rewarding."
—Maria Ramirez, futures sales representative for eSpeed, a New York-based technology provider for financial electronic marketplaces
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