Page 148 - International Marketing

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150 International Marketing BRILLIANT'S

 Out-Sourcing of Sales: Outsourcing has become a feature in
global organizations wishing to make their operations more effi-
cient. Outsourcing the selling function is no exception. Activities
such as complaint handling, scheduling sales calls, and prepar-
ing sales presentations are increasingly being outsourced which
releases time for the sales force to concentrate on important
activities like building relationships.
Categories/Types of Sales Persons

The sales managers must organize a global sales force by under-
standing the needs of current and potential customers, the targeted mar-
ket, competitors and the firm's strengths. They also have to decide which
category or type of salespersons would be more beneficial for the com-
pany. There are basically three categories of salesperson.

1. Expatriates: The expatriates are those salespersons which move
from the home country to overseas market. For example, a British citi-
zen who worked for a British firm was reassigned to Narobi, Kenya, to
oversee the sales efforts in that African nation.
The benefits of employing an expatriate salesperson is their knowl-
edge of the product line and familiarity with the company's policies. A
disadvantage is that he is having lack of cultural and market knowledge
and cost.
2. Local hire salespersons: These salespersons are those which
resides in that country in which the business is being conducted. For
example, Proctor and Gamble (P&G) could hire a salesperson from Shang-
hai, China, to work in the local market place.
The advantages of local hire salespersons are lower costs and higher
knowledge of the culture and market. The disadvantage is poor knowledge
of the product and the company.
3. Third country salespersons: These salespersons are those which
are not from the company's home market and targeted market. These are
hired from a third country. For example, Japanese firm might hire a sales-
person from the Philippines to work in America.

These salespersons normally possess a higher understanding of the
market place and the culture than expatriates. They are also willing to
work for a lower salary. The disadvantage is they have less influence in the
home country as well as the targeted country.