Sales force management in undergraduate education the case of FPT University = Quản lý đội ngũ bán hàng trong lĩnh vực giáo dục đại học và nghiên cứu trường hợp của Trường Đại học FPT

29 2.2.2 Implementation of sales force management at FPT University .... Objectives and aims In order to study an overview of sales force management in education in Hanoi and analyze th

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

TA THI MAI LOAN

SALES FORCE MANAGEMENT IN UNDERGRADUATE EDUCAITON

THE CASE OF FPT UNIVERSITY

Major: Business Administration

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEGEMENT i

ABSTRACT ii

TÓM TẮT iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIGURES, CHART ix

INTRODUCTION 1

1 Problem background 1

2 Objectives and aims 2

3 Research Question 2

4 Scope of work 2

5 Data collection 3

6 Methods 3

7 Significance 3

8 Limitation 3

9 Expected results 4

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1.1 Definition and Importance of Sales force management 5

1.2 Formulation of a strategic sales program 7

1.2.1 Set goals and objectives 7

1.2.2 Forecast sales 7

1.2.3 Determine sales force size and structures 9

1.2.4 Design sales territories 11

1.2.5 Set sales quotas 13

1.3 Implementation of the Sales program 14

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1.3.1 Recruiting sales personnel 14

1.3.2 Selecting sales personnel 16

1.3.3 Training the sales force 18

1.3.4 Motivating sales personnel 22

1.3.5 Compensating sales personnel 24

1.3.6 Sales meetings and sales contests 25

1.4 Special considerations of sales force management in education sector 25 CHAPTER 2: ANALYSIS OF FPT UNIVERSITY SALES FORCE 27

2.1 Introduction about FPT University 27

2.1.1 History of FPT University 27

2.1.2 Organization structure 28

2.2 Sales forces management at FPT University 29

2.2.1 Model 29

2.2.2 Implementation of sales force management at FPT University 31

2.2.3 Measuring sales force productivity 36

2.2.4 Customer satisfactions 40

2.2.5 Some overview on Education market and Sales force management in some other Universities and Institutions 42

2.2.6 SWOT analysis 44

CHAPTER 3: RECOMMENDATIONS 48

3.1 Restructuring sales department 48

3.2 Building Compensation and Promotion policies 50

3.3 Improving recruitment and training 54

3.4 Applying CRM software 64

3.4.1 What is CRM? 64

3.4.2 Why should FU apply CRM in sales activities? 65

3.5 Improving customer satisfactions 65

REFERENCES 68

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1: Staff’s satisfaction 35 Table 2.2: Sales Volumes at FPT University 37 Table 2.3: Percentages of remain students 39

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LIST OF FIGURES, CHART

Figure 1.1: The Forecasting Process 8

Figure 1.2: Question To Answer To Improve Chances Of 9

Figure 1.3: Line Sales Organization 10

Figure 1.4: Line and Staff Sales Organization 10

Figure 1.5: Functional Sales Organization 11

Figure 1.6: Factors to consider when designing territories 13

Figure 1.7: A selection System 16

Figure 1.8: A Sales Training Model 18

Figure 1.9: Maslow's hierarchy of needs 24

Figure 2.1: FPT University structure 30

Figure 2.2: Sales department structure 31

Chart 2.1: Number of Training Cource 33

Chart 2.2: Bonus rate 34

Chart 2.3: Staff’s Satisfaction of Promotion 35

Chart 2.4: Work Love 35

Chart 2.5: Quit Reasons 36

Chart 2.6: Sales Volumes at FPT University 38

Chart 2.7: Percentages of Remain Students 40

Figure 3.1: Sales Structure Recommended 50

Figure 3.2: Recruitment Process 59

Figure 3.3: New Staff training Process 60

Chart: 3.1: Staff’s Training Course Required 63

of training, which cannot be satisfied by the state owned University system, is very high The appearance of the private high standard Universities like FPT University, Dai Nam University, Van Xuan University, Chu Van An University… is more and more, especially the corporate training programs in Vietnam like Troy, Latrobe, Grigg, RMIT, North Central… In which FPT University is one of the model of University of company in Vietnam To compete and survive, FPT University has considered the university like an invisible product to sales and organized its sales force At the first time, the university had a certain success because of the high appreciation on sales as well as the way it sales in undergraduate education However, after some years of operation, the competitors has quickly copied the way it sales and it seems that the university has some difficulties now

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The thesis “Sales force management in undergraduate educaiton the case of fpt university” is aimed to study and propose solutions to improve sales force management at FPT University as well as it can be applied in other undergraduate institutions in Vietnam

2 Objectives and aims

In order to study an overview of sales force management in education in Hanoi and analyze the case of FPT University, the study aims to achieve the following objectives:

 Summarizing basic theory about sales force management

 Showing an overview of sales force management in education sector

 Analyzing FPT university activities in sales force management

 Giving the conclusions and recommendations to improve the sales force management at FU

3 Research Question

To fulfill the objectives of the study, the following research questions need to

be answered:

 How is the sales force management in undergraduate institutions?

 What FU has done so far?

 What FU can do to improve the sales force management?

4 Scope of work

The thesis studies on sales force management in undergraduatie education in Hanoi, focusing on private universities and corporate programs which have high tuition fee and need so much effort to sales Base on the study on the overview of sales management in undergraduatie education in general the thesis also point out some recommendations for FU sales force management

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5 Data collection

The data is collected from textbook of sales force management, human resource management and some websites related to this topic It is also collected from the experiences when I worked for sales department of FU for two months

6 Methods

This study applies the two following methods:

 Reviewing of related literature

 Interviewing relevant people

Reviewing of related literature: This will examine the multidisciplinary theories of sales force management and compare between theory and practical activities

Interviewing: Questions will be developed and structured interviews are conducted for those who are professors in this field and who are people in charge of FU’s sales force

7 Significance

In the perspective of increasingly high competition and sales pressure, the study focuses on analyzing and recommending useful solutions to enhance the effectiveness of sales force management and competitiveness of FU Besides, this study also gives the overview of the sales force management in education- the conception has been recognized but not yet mentioned directly

8 Limitation

The limitations of the study lay on analyzing only FU Date sources are not rich enough to have a bigger picture of this industry Moreover, most information collected from inner operation therefore it has been hard to

- Definition by Wikipedia, it is defined as follow: “Sales management

is a business discipline which is focused on the practical application of sales techniques and the management of a firm's sales operations It is

an important business function as net sales through the sales of products and services and resulting profit drive most commercial business These are also typical the goals and performance indicators of sales management”

- Definition by the American Marketing Association [1] “The

planning, direction, and control of the personal selling activities of a business unit, including recruiting, selecting, training, equipping, assigning, routing, supervising, paying, and motivating as these tasks apply to the sales force.”

- Definition by Richard R Still; Edward W Cundiff and Norman

A.P Govoni [2] :“Sales management originally referred exclusively to

the direction of sales force personnel Later, the term took on broader significance – in addition to the management of personal selling, sales management meant management of all marketing activities, including

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advertising, sales promotion, marketing research, physical distribution, pricing, and product merchandising.”

- Definition by Charles M Futrell [3] “Sales management is the

attainment of sales force goals in an effective and efficient manner through planning, staffing, training, leading, and controlling organizational resources”

In general, sales force management which is referred to personnel-related responsibilities, involves a number of key areas including: performance measurement, selection and training of sales people and motivational methods

Sales force management involves three different tasks Firstly, it is the methods for selling and managing a sales territory There are no prescriptive methods for doing this and is anything, an adaptive approach to selling is probably best Secondly, it is the supervision by management which should include valid performance measurement and suitable motivation methods The third task is concerned with the setting up of a sales force in terms of its organization The organization and structure of the sales force depend on several factors Different business scenarios require different types of sales force organization It may be possible to increase sales productivity by attempting new methods of sales allocation The new models of sales allocation are: Segment-based sales force, Functional sales force, Consultative sales force, Enterprise sales force, Transactional sales force, Hybrid/Queuing sales force A highly motivated sales force is instrumental in increasing the sales productivity of the organization

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1.2 Formulation of a strategic sales program

1.2.1 Set goals and objectives

Goal setting methods are rooted in approaches for identifying market potential and other key drivers that impact performance Goals are based upon three key factors: Marketing’s view of customer potential, the sales organization’s view of what is possible and management’s insights and expectations Sales force management creates a top-down, bottom-up analytical approach and develop goals that link to the company’s expectations as well as gain the buy-

in of all key stakeholders A typical goal setting will consist of an in-depth analysis of customer base, followed by a rigorous analytical development of potential estimation

1.2.2 Forecast sales

In sales management, sales forecast is very important because inaccurate demand estimation can be costly The firms not only need to identify market opportunities but they also need to produce accurate estimates of demand for products, the result from this activity

Market opportunity analysis involves:

Figure 1.1: The Forecasting Process

There are several methods for sales forecasting as follows:

 Users’ expectations: This method is also known as the buyers’ intentions methods because it relies on the answers of customers about their expected consumption or purchases of the products

 Sales force composite: This method requires every sales people to estimate their expected sales These estimations are discussed revised, and then pooled to other levels of the sales organization hierarchy

 Jury of executive opinion: this method is also called expert opinion method It pools the top executives of the company to assess the sales possibilities for the next period The forecast may be done by average the individual judgment or by group discussion Besides, Delphi

Forecast Objective Determine dependent and

independent Variables

Develop forecast procedure

Select Forecast Analysis Method

Total Forecast Procedure

Gather and Analize Data

Present Assumptions about Data

Evaluate Results

versus Forecast

Make and Finalize

Forecast

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technique is also used in this procedures each one in the group submits

a forecast to the group coordinator The estimation summary is prepared by coordinators and distributed to the ones who submit forecasts Then their estimates are revised by them if necessary The process continues until a reasonable consensus is reached

 The market test: It is a controlled experiment where product is placed

in several representatives cities to see how it performs and then the result are projected to the area in which the firm operates

 Time series analysis: The analysis of historical data is used to develop sales forecast

 Statistical demand analysis: Relationship between sales and the important factors affecting sales is determined to forecast the future Depend on the business field of the firm, sales manager will choose the most suitable methods to apply Don’t Just Do One Sales Forecast!

Figure 1.2: Question To Answer To Improve Chances Of

Hitting The Forecasting Bull’s Eyes

1.2.3 Determine sales force size and structures

Organizing the sales force makes the company to achieve the sales objectives

in a more effective way It helps to realize sales targets smoothly and ensures

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sales productivity for long time A sales force should be built in specialized groups and make the sales increasing stably and continuously There are many factors influence to the sales force’s organization and structure Different business scenarios require different types of sales force organization

Basic types of sales organizational structures consist of: (1) Line; (2) Line staff; (3) Functional; (4) Geographic; (5) Product; (6) Market

Assistant sales manager Division 3

Sales people Sales people

Sales people

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Figure 1.5: Functional Sales Organization

Besides the sales organization, the decision on sales force size is also a key on personal selling strategy The sales manager needs to determine how many are required to meet the sales volume There are three basic methods are used: (1) The work load method

(2) The sales potential method

(3) The incremental

The work load method the basic assumption is that all sales personnel should shoulder equal work loads Management first estimate the total work load involved in covering the company’s entire market and then divide for individual sales personnel handle Companies applying this approach generally assume that the interactions of three major factors : customers size, sales volume potential, and travel load – determine the total work load involved in covering the entire market [4]

1.2.4 Design sales territories

A sales territory is a group of potential customers assigned to salesperson to contact and sales products The customers and geographic boundaries are the

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key to design sales territory but the key is distinguishing component is customers Good sales territories are made up of customers who have money and willing to spend it Good sales territories design can positively influence individual’s interest and morale, it also can improve market coverage and evaluation and control selling field of the firms

Sales force is a productive asset of the firm what brings most profit but it is also costly Increasing salespeople will increase sales volume and cost relatively It is necessary to decide sales force size before design territories for sales people There are three popular methods for determining the size of sales force:

 Breakdown method: this method relies on estimation of sales volume per one salesperson and sales forecast to determine sales force size Number of Salespeople = Sales forecast/Estimation of sales volume per salesperson

 Workload method: this method rests in assumption that all sales personnel should responsible for an equal work amount Management estimates total work required to serve the market; calculates the number

of customers, total time to contact them and the time available for one salesperson Base in this forecast, manager determine total number of sales force

 Incremental method: This is the most difficult method to implement because this method bases on basic premise underlying the incremental method It means that sales representatives should be added so long as the incremental profit produced by their addition exceeds the incremental cost

Once the number of the territories is determined, the sales manager can design the individual territories The general process might be expected to follows:

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Figure 1.6: Factors to consider when designing territories

1.2.5 Set sales quotas

A sales quota is the sales goal assigned to a marketing unit in a specified period Sales quotas may be high or low depend on customer, product and market situation The quota plan is a full set of quota assignments

Sales quotas are used to motivate salespeople, evaluate their performance and control their efforts For a quota plan to produce its potential benefits, the quotas must be attainable with normal effort, easy to understand and complete

Quotas setting process includes:

 Select types of quotas: This choice entails determining whether the firm will use quotas that emphasize:

 Sales or some aspect of sales volume

 The activities in which salespeople are supposed to engage

 Financial criteria such as gross margin or contribution to overhead

 Determine relative importance of each type: Most firms seek some mechanism for combining the individual quotas in to a single summary measure that serves as the standard for each representative’s performance Often a linear combination or weighted average is used in

Select Basic Control

Unit

Customer Contact Plan

Assign to Territories

Analyze Workload Determine Basic

Territories

Evaluate, Revise if

needed

1.3 Implementation of the Sales program

1.3.1 Recruiting sales personnel

Fielding the sales personnel needed to service the company’s customers and prospects is a key responsibility of sales executives Discharging this responsibility requires that the sales executive implement personal-selling strategy in terms of both the kind and number of sales personnel Implementation is by no means a simple process Having determined the desired kind of sales personnel, implementation requires job analysis, the writing of job descriptions, and the deriving of job specifications so that recruiters will know the qualifications they should look for in prospective sales employees and sales trainers will know what additional qualifications they should aim to provide newly recruited sales personnel

Recruiting and selecting sales personnel is an important part of implementing personal-selling strategy, but it is not all that involved Initial sales training is required to bring new sales personnel up to expected productivity levels, and continuing sales training is needed to maintain more experienced sales personnel at high levels of productivity Motivation and supervisory efforts help in stimulating sales personnel to apply their skills effectively It is one

The organization for recruiting and selection of sales personnel varies from company to company Company size, executives’ personalities, and the departmental structure all influence the organization used Where the sales manager has a personnel staff assistant, recruiting and selection usually is handled entirely within the sales department

Sources of sales force recruits includes:

 Sources within the company

 Company sales personnel

 Company executives

 Internal transfers

 Sources outside the company

 Direct unsolicited applicants

 Employment agencies

 Salespeople making calls on the company

 Employees of customers

 Sales executives’ clubs

 Sales forces of noncompeting companies

 Educational institutions

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1.3.2 Selecting sales personnel

Selection systems for the sales personnel range from simple one-step systems, consisting of nothing more than an informal personal interview, to complex multiple-step systems incorporating diverse mechanisms designed to gather information about applicants for sales jobs A selection system is a set of successive “screens”, at any of which an applicant may be dropped from further consideration

Figure 1.7: A selection System

Pre-interview screening and preliminary interview

This step is in order to eliminate obviously unqualified applicants The preliminary interview can be handled by a low paid clerk or secretary

Formal applicant form

Formal applicant form is used for collecting the information after a preliminary interview which indicates that the job candidate is promisingly a company salesperson It is filled out by the applicant personally or by an interviewer who records the applicant’s response

Interview

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Interview is most widely used selection step and in some companies it comprises the entire selection system No other method is quite so useful for evaluating candidate’s abilities in oral communication, personal appearance, attitude toward selling and life in general, reaction to obstacles presented face

to face, and personal impact on others

The recruiter involves in one interview should probably be several persons to interview and evaluate each applicant Usually in large company, branch sales managers or their assistants and human resource executive handle the initial formal interview and then home office involves in subsequent ones

There are several interview techniques such as: patterned interview (using a prepared outline of questions designed before the interview); nondirective interview (the candidates have chance to talk freely about his or her experience, training, and further plans and no fixed or standard answers will

be given); interaction interview (providing cases which show stresses the applicant would meet in actual selling and see how his or her reactions to them); and rating scales (the interviewer rate the candidate via many criteria such as appearance, experience or ability and so on, then make the selection)

Reference and credit check

References provide information on the applicant not available from other sources The excellent references should be considered are: present or former employer, former customers, reputable citizens and mutual acquaintances

Testing

Test is also a useful way that many companies used to select the best candidate For sales person position, some tests is related to psychological such as tests of ability, of habitual characteristics and of achievement

Physical examination

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As good health is crucial to a salesperson’s success, most companies require physical examination It is usually the last step because of the relatively high cost

In short, an appropriate selection procedure and its skillful execution result in greatest selling efficiency Good selection puts the right persons to the right job and in the right time, therefore increasing job satisfaction and reducing the cost of personnel turnover

1.3.3 Training the sales force

Sales training program is necessary in each sales department This helps to improve the job performance In the absence of training, job performance improves with experiences but it takes time In most companies, the rate of sales personnel turnover is higher for new personnel than for experienced people – often new sales personnel find themselves unprepared to perform their jobs satisfactorily, become discouraged, and leave the company If sales training help new sales personnel to perform their jobs satisfactorily, the rate

of sales personnel turnover declines, recruitment and selection cost falls, and overall efficiency of the personal-selling operation climbs

Figure 1.8: A Sales Training Model

Building Sales training programs

There are several types of sales training programs The most comprehensive and longest is the training program for newly recruited sales personnel More intensive and shorter programs on specialized topics as well as periodic refresher courses (collectively known as continuing sales training), are

Planning

Phase

Organizing Phase

Evaluation Phase

Staffing Phase

Directing Phase

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presented for experienced sales personnel In addition, many companies offer sales training programs for the sales personnel of their distributor/ or dealers Some programs are designed to develop individuals as sales trainers or as junior-level sales executives Each type of program serves a different purpose, and its content reflects that purpose

Building a sales training program requires 5 major decisions The specific training aims must be defined, content decided, training methods selected, arrangements made for execution, and procedures set up to evaluate the results [5]

Defining Training aims

In order to get a successful sales training program, defining the aims of the course is the first step If this step stops as general aims, it is not enough and sufficient For example, we may want to increase the sales force’s productivity through training We must identify what must be done to achieve increased productivity General aims should be translated into specific aims phrased in operational terms

Specific aim definition begins with a review of general aims and the means currently employed to attain them The process cannot be completed until sales management perceives the training needs from which specific training aims derive directly Training needs, then, must be defined

Identifying initial training needs

- Job specifications: The qualifications needed to perform the job are detailed in the job specifications Few people possess all these qualifications

at the time of hiring The set of job specification needs scrutinizing for clues

to the points on which the new personnel are most likely to need training Other questions related to job performance need considering: How should salespeople apportion their time? Which duties require the greatest proportion

of time? Which are neglected? Why? Which selling approaches are most

is not practical to adjust training precisely to individual differences

- Sales-related marketing policies

To determine initial sales training needs, sales-related marketing policies must

be analyzed Differences in products and markets mean differences in selling practices and policies, which in turn, point to needed differences in training programs

Identifying continuing training needs

Determining the specific aims for a continuing sales training program requires identification of specific training needs of experienced sales personnel Basic changes in products and markets give rise to need for training, as do changes

in company sales-related marketing policies, procedures, and organization But even those products and markets change little and company policies, procedures and organizations remain stable, sales personnel change, in some aspect for the worse (as they develop, for example, careless or sloppy working habits)

Deciding training content

The content of a sales training program, whether an initial or continuing program, derives from the specific aims that management, after analyzing its training needs, formulates Initial training programs are broader in scope and coverage than are continuing programs Initial programs provide instruction covering all important aspects of performance of the sales-person’s job;

Selecting training methods

There is a wise variety of methods but the program content often limits those that appropriate If, for example, the content is new policy on vacations and holidays, the training methods almost certainly will the lecture, supplemented, perhaps with visual aids In this instance, such methods as role playing and the demonstration would be ruled out It is important to select those training methods that most effectively convey the desired content

There are the following methods that are the most applied in sales training programs:

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 Correspondence Courses

 Group versus individual training methods

Media use in sales training: Classroom with instructor (77%); Workbook/manuals (54%); Role plays (44%); CD-ROM (39%); Audiocassettes (34%), internet (32%) [6]

Executing and evaluating sales training programs

At the end of each training session, the sales people will be asked by interview or survey if they are satisfied with the course (perception of training, course evaluation and instructor evaluation) Based on these evaluations, the corrective action will be taken for future improvement Every six months, all sales people will be tested on product, competitor, customer knowledge and selling skill The score will be compared with the previous test and benchmarked against peers This presents a reality check for both manager and identifies areas where each salesperson needs more training

1.3.4 Motivating sales personnel

Definition by Del I Hawkins, Roger J Best and Kenneth A Coney: Motivation is the reason of behavior A motive is a construct representing an unobservable inner force that stimulates and compels a behavioral response and provides specific direction to that response [7]

Sales motivation is an important factor It makes sales success because the salesperson’s efforts to their job activities related closely to job motivation The following reasons show why the sales personnel need more motivation:

 Inherent Nature of Sales Job

Although sales jobs vary from one company to the next, sales job are alike in certain respects Every sales job is a succession of ups and downs, a series of experiences resulting in alternating feelings of exhilaration and depression In the course of a day’s work, salespersons interact with many pleasant and courteous people, but some are unpleasant and rude and are difficult to deal

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with They are frustrated, particularly when aggressive competing sales personnel vie for the same business, and they meet numerous turndowns [8]

 Salesperson’s Boundary Position and Role Conflicts

There are boundary positions for sales in the company They have to satisfy the expectations of people both within the company and in customer organizations It’s existing the linkage between the four group: Sales management, The company organization, the customers and other company sales personnel Each group imposes certain behavioral expectations on sales personnel and in playing these different roles, sales man faces role conflict such as: conflict of identification; advocacy conflict and conflict is inherent in the salesperson’s dual role as an advocate [9]

 Tendency Toward Apathy: After a long time working, salesperson tend

to become apathetic They need motivation for changes to get better result in work

 Maintaining a Feeling of Group Identity: It is a fact that nobody wants

to be worse than their colleagues, therefore, creating for them a feeling

of group identity is important to improve the effectiveness of sales The impacts on motivation are: Salesperson’s personal characteristics, environmental conditions and organizational variables

Each salesperson with personal characteristics has different perceptions of the link between effort and performance (expectancies), and between performance and rewards (instrumentalities) They are also likely to have different valences for the rewards they might obtain through improved job performance The personal characteristics that affect motivation include: (1) individual’s satisfaction with current rewards, (2) demographic variables, (3) job experience, and (4) psychological variables-particularly the salesperson’s personalities trait and attributions about why performance has been good or bad

Figure 1.9: Maslow's hierarchy of needs

1.3.5 Compensating sales personnel

The compensating sales plan is an essential part of the total program for motivating sales personnel It is aid to, rather than substitute for, effective motivation

A good sales compensation plan meets seven requirements First, it provides a living wage, preferably in the form of a secure income Individuals worried about money matters do not focus on doing their jobs well Second, the plan fits with the rest of motivational program and does not conflict with other motivational factors Third, the plan is fair It does not penalize sales personnel because of factors beyond their control Within the limits of seniority and other special circumstances, sales personnel receive equal pay for equal performance Fourth, it is easy for sales personnel to understand Fifth, the plan adjusts pay to changes in performance Sixth, the plan is

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economical to administer Seventh, the plan helps in attaining the objectives

of the sales organization

1.3.6 Sales meetings and sales contests

Sales meetings are very important for communication and motivational purposes

Sales contests are special campaign offering incentives in the form of prizes

or awards beyond those in the compensation plan It is to provide extra incentives to increase sales volume, to bring in more profitable sales volume

or to do both

1.4 Special considerations of sales force management in education sector

Different from other sectors, education is a special industry With the diversity and richness of curriculum, university and price, students have many more choices This means that the enrollment of universities and institutions are more difficulty As a result, education is socialized and existing competition between universities and institutions This is more difficult for private universities and institutions because of high tuition fee, young brands

as well as the Vietnamese do not believe in quality of private education However; this difficulty creates stage for the premise of sales force in education

Pro Pham Phu, who has many research and writing about Vietnamese education, has considered education like a product [11] And it is universities and institution facing with enrollment pressure and financial autonomy should have a thought of building a sales team However, the phrase “sell – buy” in education has always been avoided The Vietnamese has always considered education as a social welfare thus although the universities and institutions are aware of necessary of a sales team but did not actually appropriate investment

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Significant changes in building sales team is the attitude of consultants with students more courteous and considerate in comparison with the cold and plugged in the past Not stop at providing information when asked, universities and institutions also actively provide enrolling information to pupils thought various forms such as seminars, presses, internet, television There are about 68 universities in Hanoi at present in which 10 ones are private and there are also 30 corporate high school training programs [12] The stated-own universities and institutions still easily attach student while the private ones are on the contrary

Education is a specific industry that so different from other ones because of some reasons:

- Job title: Consultant instead of sales man We cannot say that we employ a salesman if that employment from a university because Vietnamese people do not accept this and that university can be boycotted and doubted about the quality if they think that there is existing of buying and selling relationship

- Approach: Only information sessions and consultants only, cannot make the sales calls or other promotion policy

- Typical customer: Not only the pupils decide what university they will attempt but the parents also play an important role because they are peoples to decide the payment

- Performance appraisal: difficult to give the sales man performance appraisal because customers come from many ways: brand, marketing plan, certification, job opportunity, training major…

 Address: Number 15B, Pham Hung streets, Cau Giay, Hanoi

 Mission: To become a new age university in the field of informatics

technology and other fields on the basis of IT foundation, has modern education philosophy on the basic of composing international standard training program, integrating the training with the practical needs, the research with the implementation of research achievements of modern technology… to aim to train high quality human resources for the organizations / enterprises in Vietnam and all over the world

 Vision: FPT University provides an innovative and creative training

environment of the era of knowledge to help learners achieve maturity in personalities and capabilities, to overcome challenges, to gain success, contributing to the prosperity of the country and speeding up the process of

the knowledge era

 Core principles of FPT University

FPT University is built upon the following 5 consistent principles:

 Job-oriented Education

 Free individual and talent development

 University of Soft skills and Personal development

 Internationalization

 Modern facilities

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 The training major at FPT University consist of: Information technology,

Business Administration and Financial and Banking

At the moment, the immediate objective of FPT University is to train and provide high quality human resources specialized in IT and other groups of industry that relate to FPT Corporation as well as IT Corporation worldwide and IT enterprises in Vietnam

The vital point that differs from the other universities is the training program with such an industrial manner In here, programmers are trained with a specialized program closely linked with the IT Enterprises' need, in the association between training, practice and research-deployment In order to achieve all those complex requirements, the most advanced technologies in the world are used In addition, with the modern educational philosophy and methodology, students are comprehensively trained in harmony Programs used for education are updated and comply with international standard and technologies, with the focus on the skills of using languages Furthermore, with the training enhancement in the organizational process of production as well as teamwork skills and personal skills, students are ensured with the best qualifications to have good jobs in FPT Corporation and other leading enterprises

2.1.2 Organization structure

According to structure of a private University, FPT structure consists of:

 Board of directors: The board of directors is the highest management

organ, which is responsible before the law for the activities of the University Board of Directors is also responsible for strategic decisions, orientation activities, and nomination for the position of Principal as well as other important positions of the University CEO of FPT University is Professor,

Dr Truong GiaBinh

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 Board of Management: consist of 6 members

Managing board of the University has the responsibility of operating the activities of the University

Under Board of management and Board of directors, there are 5 main departments at FPT University: (Figure 2.1)

1 Admissions Department

2 Office Department

3 Research and Development Department

4 Academic Department

5 International Relationship Department

2.2 Sales forces management at FPT University

2.2.1 Model

Sales force at FPT University is divided into 3 parts with different duties: Direct marketing, consultant and sales online (Figure 2.2: Sales department structure)

 Consultants have the duties to provide customers enrolling information as

well as help them to fulfill the application form and other admissions activities at FPT University

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Figure 2.1: FPT University structure

 Marketing people have duties to contact high schools to open the

information session events to provide high school pupils the application information directly

 Online sales personnel have the duties to consultant online and provide

the needed information through the internet

 The Vice president who is in charge of admissions is responsible for

strategic decisions, orientation activities, while the chief of sales department is responsible for management activities and provide direct supports for sales personnel

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Figure 2.2: Sales department structure

2.2.2 Implementation of sales force management at FPT University

2.2.2.1 Research methodology

The writer has interviewed all the sales men at FPT University, sales managers and admission assistant of FU BOD and delivered questions for 395 students

The questions for sales managers are:

- What is FU’s sales organization?

- What is the sales evaluation system?

- What is compensation policy?

- What are the difficulties in sales management at FU?

The questions for students and parents are:

- What are your satisfactions with FU sales force?

- What are your disappointments with FU sales force?

For 395 students questioned, 11 were failed because of wrong email; 103 students sent feedbacks The writer will have detail analysis for these results

in the next part

2.2.2.2 Training

Training demand identification

Annually, training staff sends training request to sales manager Sales

manager will base on the business plan as well as the real demand of the sales staffs to order training courses

Training implementation

In fact, training sales personnel at FPT University is not focused Every two year, sales department has only one guest speaker talk or a short training course Most of the training courses focus on sales skill

For the new sales, 80% answer that they were trained from 1 to 2 week before starting the work at the sales department

1 - 2 year 2 - 3 years 3 - 5 years

Number of training cource

Chart 2.1: Number of Training Cource Training evaluation

There is no evaluation after any training course No certification, no test or any form to evaluate

2.2.2.3 Motivation and Compensation

Compensation

FPT University applies combination of salary and bonus for compensation plan The higher number of students is, the higher bonus sales personnel have This policy was applied from 2010 In the previous years, bonus is considered

at the end of the year Depending on the dedication of each sales personnel, he/she would receive from 2 to 6 month salary at the end of the year The bonus is also different from the duties in sales department, for example the mount of bonus for consultant occupies 30% of bonus budget, 70% left is for marketing personnel who have to move frequently Besides, FPT also have the check point system quarterly Every three months, manager will have a check point to each member of the department in order to point out what are good and bad personally From that, there will be a bonus, too