Swot Analysis of "Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version" written by Thomas Steenburgh includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Motivates Salespeople facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Managing people, Sales and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version casestudy better are - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, geopolitical disruptions, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy,
competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing transportation and logistics costs, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Motivates Salespeople, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Motivates Salespeople operates in.
According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.
SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix
SWOT analysis of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Motivates Salespeople
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Sales & Marketing field.
4. Making a Sales & Marketing topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Motivates Salespeople
Strengths Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Motivates Salespeople in Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version Harvard Business Review case study are -
Highly skilled collaborators
– Motivates Salespeople has highly efficient outsourcing and offshoring strategy. It has resulted in greater operational flexibility and bringing down the costs in highly price sensitive segment. Secondly the value chain collaborators of the firm in Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Diverse revenue streams
– Motivates Salespeople is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Motivates Salespeople has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Motivates Salespeople has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version Harvard Business Review case study comprises – understanding the underlying the factors in the industry, building diversified operations across different geographies so that disruption in one part of the world doesn’t impact the overall performance of the firm, and integrating the various business operations and processes through its digital transformation drive.
Strong track record of project management
– Motivates Salespeople is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Motivates Salespeople are driving operational speed, building greater agility, and keeping the organization nimble to compete with new competitors. It helps are organization to ideate new ideas, and execute them swiftly in the marketplace.
Organizational Resilience of Motivates Salespeople
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Motivates Salespeople does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Ability to lead change in Sales & Marketing field
– Motivates Salespeople is one of the leading players in its industry. Over the years it has not only transformed the business landscape in its segment but also across the whole industry. The ability to lead change has enabled Motivates Salespeople in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Motivates Salespeople in the sector have low bargaining power. Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Motivates Salespeople to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Motivates Salespeople has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in, as mentioned in case study Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Motivates Salespeople is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
High brand equity
– Motivates Salespeople has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Motivates Salespeople to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version are -
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version that the firm needs to have more collaboration between its sales team and marketing team. Sales professionals in the industry have deep experience in developing customer relationships. Marketing department in the case Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Motivates Salespeople is planning to shift buying processes online.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version, it seems that the employees of Motivates Salespeople don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.
Need for greater diversity
– Motivates Salespeople has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Motivates Salespeople is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Sales & Marketing segment. Motivates Salespeople needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Motivates Salespeople to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Motivates Salespeople, firm in the HBR case study Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Thomas Steenburgh suggests that, Motivates Salespeople is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Motivates Salespeople has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Motivates Salespeople has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Motivates Salespeople has some of the most successful products in the industry, this business model has made each new product launch extremely critical for continuous financial growth of the organization. firm in the HBR case study - Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Motivates Salespeople has a very deliberative decision making approach. This approach has resulted in prudent decisions, but it has also resulted in missing opportunities in the industry over the last five years. Motivates Salespeople even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.
High dependence on existing supply chain
– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of Motivates Salespeople supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Motivates Salespeople vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Opportunities Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version are -
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Motivates Salespeople to increase its market reach. Motivates Salespeople will be able to reach out to new customers. Secondly 5G will also provide technology framework to build new tools and products that can help more immersive consumer experience and faster consumer journey.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Motivates Salespeople can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.
Developing new processes and practices
– Motivates Salespeople can develop new processes and procedures in Sales & Marketing industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.
Reconfiguring business model
– The expansion of digital payment system, the bringing down of international transactions costs using Bitcoin and other blockchain based currencies, etc can help Motivates Salespeople to reconfigure its entire business model. For example it can used blockchain based technologies to reduce piracy of its products in the big markets such as China. Secondly it can use the popularity of e-commerce in various developing markets to build a Direct to Customer business model rather than the current Channel Heavy distribution network.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Motivates Salespeople in the consumer business. Now Motivates Salespeople can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Sales & Marketing industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Motivates Salespeople can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Motivates Salespeople can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Buying journey improvements
– Motivates Salespeople can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version suggest that firm can provide automated chats to help consumers solve their own problems, provide online suggestions to get maximum out of the products and services, and help consumers to build a community where they can interact with each other to develop new features and uses.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Motivates Salespeople is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.
Identify volunteer opportunities
– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. Motivates Salespeople can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Motivates Salespeople has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in the sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled, as illustrated in the Harvard case study Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Motivates Salespeople to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Motivates Salespeople has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Motivates Salespeople to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version case study. Motivates Salespeople can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Motivates Salespeople to expand its talent hiring zone. According to McKinsey Global Institute, 20% of the high end workforce in fields such as finance, information technology, can continously work from remote local post Covid-19. This presents a really great opportunity for Motivates Salespeople to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Threats Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version are -
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Motivates Salespeople has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Sales & Marketing industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Motivates Salespeople needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Sales & Marketing sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Motivates Salespeople can face downward pressure on margins from increasing competition from international players. The international players have stable revenue in their home market and can use those resources to penetrate prominent markets illustrated in HBR case study Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version .
Regulatory challenges
– Motivates Salespeople needs to prepare for regulatory challenges as consumer protection groups and other pressure groups are vigorously advocating for more regulations on big business - to reduce inequality, to create a level playing field, to product data privacy and consumer privacy, to reduce the influence of big money on democratic institutions, etc. This can lead to significant changes in the Sales & Marketing industry regulations.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Motivates Salespeople is facing in Sales & Marketing sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Motivates Salespeople demand
– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.
Backlash against dominant players
– US Congress and other legislative arms of the government are getting tough on big business especially technology companies. The digital arm of Motivates Salespeople business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Motivates Salespeople can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Motivates Salespeople high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version, Motivates Salespeople may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Sales & Marketing .
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Motivates Salespeople with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Increasing wage structure of Motivates Salespeople
– Post Covid-19 there is a sharp increase in the wages especially in the jobs that require interaction with people. The increasing wages can put downward pressure on the margins of Motivates Salespeople.
Capital market disruption
– During the Covid-19, Dow Jones has touched record high. The valuations of a number of companies are way beyond their existing business model potential. This can lead to capital market correction which can put a number of suppliers, collaborators, value chain partners in great financial difficulty. It will directly impact the business of Motivates Salespeople.
New competition
– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Motivates Salespeople in the Sales & Marketing sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version Template, Example
Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants.
We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –
First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.
Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.
Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Portuguese Version is to provide strategic recommendations includes – joining likelihood of external strategic factors such as opportunities and threats to the internal strategic factors – strengths and weaknesses. You should start with external factors as they will provide the direction of the overall industry. Secondly by joining probabilities with internal strategic factors can help the company not only strategic fit but also the most probably strategic trade-off that Motivates Salespeople needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
