Introduction
Vodafone Qatar is the largest telecommunication group based in Qatar. It holds the a public mobile as well as secure telecommunication network as well as license for offering services in Qatar. In 2009, the company switched on its mobile network, and it began offering customer services with precision together with a variety of different products and services through the help of sales representative (Report, 2015). Vodafone Qatar has expanded its services provision to consumers since it has launched a fiber-based consumer and services related to enterprise fixed line which enhance world class converged IP address. Vodafone Qatar operates in its objective which is exclusive be the most admired brands in the whole Qatar. Moreover, it is dedicated to providing all telecommunication services effectively through the sales representative of the company so that it can support Qatar National Vision 2030 regarding telecommunication infrastructure (Alcacer & Goodman, 2010). The company can support its operations and maintenance through the sales of its product and services to the customers.
Description of the Sales Representative
The Organogram
Every company has a structure which depicts how it is structured regarding how the relationship of the positions in the organization. Vodafone Qatar operates in a hierarchical organogram whereby the Chief Executive Officer acts as the head of the staff. Below the CEO, there are four vice presidents each having various responsibilities to accomplish. The Vice Presidents in Vodafone Qatar are directly responsible to the CEO and have the same rank. Below the Vice President, there is various position which they are responsible for supervising. The following chart highlights the organogram of the Vodafone Company.
Chart 1: A chart showing the Organogram of Vodafone Qatar
Policies/Strategy Marketing and Sales Department
Every company that endeavors to provide quality services to its customers must have well-established strategies in their marketing of the products and services. The sales department acts as sales division as it is responsible for this aspect since it is concerned with the selling what the organization offers. Vodafone Qatar has a well-established marketing strategy which combines all the sales and marketing goals into a complete and comprehensive plan. The organization draws its strategies from the market research. It then focusses on the right product mix which enables the company to achieve the maximum benefit thus becoming competitive in the market in offering telecommunication services.
Through marketing strategy, Vodafone Qatar can identify the best customers, understands their needs as well as implementing the best and effective marketing methods. As a result, customers with Vodafone Qatar are offered with quality telecommunication services. One of the marketing strategies that Vodafone Qatar established is the business world customers whereby the customers can benefit from sequential numbers as well as freedom plans that have built-in discounts on all services offered by Vodafone Qatar. Furthermore, customers can enjoy personal services from sales representatives who ensure that they are set-up with products and services that suit their needs.
Sales Plan Positioning Products/Services and Market Share
It is imperative to tailor the marketing and sales efforts to precisely reach the segment of the population that is need of the product or service. This is known as the sales plan positioning of product or services. To ensure that the sales plan and positioning of the products and services offered, Vodafone Qatar determines the primary market it serves with its telecommunication products and services. Once the company does the sale plan positioning through the knowledge of the product appeals as well as the market analysis, the company evaluates whether the market is enough to sustain the company in delivering its products and services on an ongoing basis. Furthermore, the company ensures that the target market is reachable under all circumstances.
The Competition
Every company has distinct characteristics by which they base their operations. How a company deals with its competitors determines its success in the market. To deal with the issue of competition, Vodafone first identifies all the companies that offer similar telecommunication services. One of the major competitor in this sector is Ooredoo Qatar. Similar to Vodafone, Ooredoo specializes in provision of telecommunication services such as wireline and wireless mibile services. Since Ooredoo acts as the main competitor, Vodafone Qatar performs the SWOT analysis where it identifies the company’s strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. By so doing, Vodafone Qatar can anticipate the moves of the Ooredoo Qatar, and it can develop effective strategies and measures to counteract with them (International, 2007). Once, Vodafone performs the analysis of the Ooredoo Qatar movements and features; it begins to gather information on how it can further outdo the company in market via branding as well as improving their customer relations.
Description of sales person in his function and as a type of person
Description of the Activities
Every company that desires to succeed has to work with the customers to see what they want, create solutions to satisfy their needs which ensure a smooth sales process. This work is left in the hands of the sales representatives. The main activities which the sales representative of Vodafone Qatar is that he works with the customers to identify their preferences and desires regarding the telecommunication services offered by the company. The sales representative makes presentations which promote new product in the market as well as agreeing on the prices, sales and delivery of the telecommunication products and services (Marshall, 2013). Moreover, the sales representative in the company performs other tasks such as keeping in contact with customers before and after sales, recording orders as well as going to conferences to understand the trends in the telecommunication industry.
Support and Evaluation of Sales Representative by the Organization
The sales representative performs the most vital aspect of any business that needs to succeed. Sales representatives can either cause a company to have a competitive edge in the market or cause it to fail. Therefore, sales representative necessities support as well as evaluation by the origination. Vodafone Qatar provides the sale representative with all the support which he may require. They support the sales representative by providing him with funds and resources that enable him to achieve his responsibilities. To ensure that the sales representative performs his tasks in an appropriate way, Vodafone Qatar performs a regular evaluation to check whether the sale representative is working hard to achieve the goals and objectives of the company.
Education and Experience
The sale representative in the Vodafone Qatar has a degree in sales and marketing. In addition to the education, the sale representative has sales skills, negotiation skills, presentation skills as well as the customer service skills.
Agenda of the Day and the Typical Working Week
The sales representative has a tight schedule the whole of his working week. During the day an observed and traveled with him, I was able to observe tasks that he would accomplish. The tasks include making a return on the investment analysis, performing next generation customer lifecycle management campaigns for the postpaid and prepaid markets as well as sales and channel management strategies which encapsulate micro markets. Besides, he was engaged in consumer space which gave him the insight on new media marketing innovation to target the digital consumer.
The Do’s and the Dont’s of the Sale Representative
The work of sales rep can be at times challenging mostly for those who lack the customer service skill. Since sales rep spends most of their times engaging with customers and attending events, there are several do’s, and dont’s that they should observe. The sales representatives should understand the event they are attending is all about; they should practice all the areas before going to the event, they should attend the sessions which seem to have hot prospects regarding customers. For the dont’s. They should not be aggressive and avoid interrupting conversations; they should not have bad booth manners as they should not lean to one some customers as all customers are the same.
Personal Evaluation
On that day, I came to realize the vital role played by the sales representatives. I was able to note that the sales representatives are instrumental as they help in converting prospects as well as closing deals. From these routine, it was evident that while the market platform can make the sales team to be more effective as well as streamlining their workloads, technology lays very minimal role and cannot substitute the human interaction. It evident that for any company enjoys success just like the Vodafone Qatar, the company should note that technology can’t close any deal and this is where the sales representatives come to be of great importance (Mondschein, 2009).
Furthermore, I came to realize the role that sales plays as evidenced by the Vodafone Qatar. Sales improve the efficiency of converting prospects to becoming the customers. The sales representatives approach and interact with prospects, and through this, they can know the concerns of the buyers which is vital to the company. Also, I realized that sales act as a customer retention. This is because the interactive and personal selling nature make it vital component in Vodafone struggles to form long-term relations with the consumers. The sales representatives make follow ups to consumers after purchasing their services to ensure that they have a good experience.
The Cultural Aspect
Vodafone operates by being strongly committed by behaving ethically. Behaving ethically entails that the company believes in its code of conduct and they have no tolerance approach to bribery. The success that Vodafone is undergoing is underpinned by the strong commitment of the company to ethical behavior in the way they perform their business. Vodafone Qatar employees uphold the high standards that are stipulated in the code of conduct. The standards are met by creating a culture whereby the employees understand what is required from them.
Furthermore, there are political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors which acts as the macro environmental framework. PESTLE analysis in Qatar helps the Vodafone to have an understanding of the external factors that may have an impact to the company. Through the PESTLE analysis, the company is able to evaluate the current as well as the future of the organization (Faarup, 2010). It is through PESTLE analysis that Vodafone Qatar develops strategies thus attaining a competitive edge in market.
In summary, sales representatives are the backbone of any company as indicated by the Vodafone Qatar. They perform duties that allow the company to enjoy the large pool of customers. From these experience, I learned a lot which I intended to use uplift my career of being a sales person. First, the most vital aspects that I will develop based on what I learned are skills which include negotiation skills, presentation skills as well as the customer service skills.
References
Alcacer, J., & Goodman, A. (2010). Vodafone Qatar: Building a Telco in the Gulf.
Al-Kaabi, M., Demirbag, M., & Tatoglu, E. (2010). International market entry strategies of emerging market MNEs: A case study of Qatar telecom. Journal of East-West Business, 16(2), 146-170.
Faarup, P. K. (2010). The marketing framework. Aarhus: Academica.
International, B. P. U. (2007). Investment laws in muslim countries handbook. Place of publication not identified: Intl Business Pubns Usa
Marshall, P. S. (2013). 80/20 sales and marketing: The definitive guide to working less and making more.
Mondschein, K. (2009). Advertising, sales, and marketing: [an all-in-one guide to navigating towards a new career]. New York: Ferguson Pub.
Report: Qatar 2015. (2015). Place of publication not identified: Oxford Business.
Uhl, A., & Gollenia, L. A. (2012). A handbook of business transformation management methodology. Farnham, Surrey, England: Gower.
