Page 396 - Introduction to Business

370 PART 3 Marketing

departments, where they will check invoices on products received, keep stock
records, and help supervise sales clerks. Buyers will purchase products for their
departments, often by making buying trips to Dallas, New York, or San Francisco,
even Milan or Paris. Merchandise managers supervise a number of buyers and are
also responsible for merchandising. General merchandising managers are usually
located at headquarters and supervise a number of merchandise managers. For
supermarkets, discount stores, and drug stores, the store manager position is criti-
cal. Men and women holding these positions prepared for them by serving as assis-
tant managers, following six months or so of training across a variety of depart-
ments. Store mangers are very well compensated, often earning in excess of
$100,000 annually.
As firms continue to emphasize supply chain management, individuals with an
interest and expertise in logistics will continue to be in demand. Specific positions
available are in traffic management, customer service, cost analysis, warehousing,
and inventory control. Entry-level positions usually involve starting as a supervisor of
a loading or unloading dock. Opportunities can also be found with transportation
carriers—railroads, trucking, airlines, water carriers, and pipelines—and in public
warehousing. Two career paths exist. On the marketing side, specialists are respon-
sible for selling the company’s services to clients, like manufacturers or passengers in
the cases of railroads and airlines. On the operations side, specialists are needed for
scheduling, pricing, information gathering, deliveries, and inventory management.
Logistics personnel are needed by local, state, and federal governments.
Transportation planning, economic analysis, research, urban studies, and acci-
dent investigation are some of the career paths available. Good opportunities in
logistics are also available in the military. Starting salaries in logistics average
about $30,000 to $35,000. The first tier of logistics managers earn about $65,000.
Directors’ salaries are about $90,000, and vice presidents of logistics’ salaries
often approach $150,000.

Summary

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1 dise to be displayed has arrived, sales literature has
Explain the concept of integrated marketing been received, and booth personnel know their
promotion. assigned times and stations; establishing objectives
that the trade show is to achieve; and determining if
Integrated marketing promotion means that a com-
pany will consider the role of all relevant promotion these objectives have been achieved.
alternatives when developing a promotion mix, employ LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3
those that provide the best opportunity for achieving
the company’s promotion objectives, and coordinate Discuss the sales force’s main
responsibilities.
the activities required to put into motion the agreed-on
promotion mix. Sales personnel need knowledge about their company
and its products, markets, and competitors. Their pre-
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2
presentation planning activities include prospecting,
List ways to improve the effectiveness of trade
shows. obtaining and planning the sales interview, and rout-
ing. When giving the sales presentation, they need to be
Trade shows’ effectiveness can be improved by compa- able to handle objections and to close. Post-presentation
nies’ promoting their presence at trade shows before activities include following up and servicing cus-
they are held; generating leads at trade shows for their tomers, doing paperwork, handling key and marginal
products or services; qualifying these leads; following accounts, managing their time, and evaluating their
up on these qualified leads; making sure the merchan- performance.

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