Russ Chapman was right

Since sales organisation change constantly, the task is to achieve and maintain a “dynamic balance” where we adopt to market conditions, but also meet internal, corporate expectations. Sales activities should be organised, effective and efficient. I entered the FMCG sector in the early 90’s. After starting in the chemical-household products business, I worked in the tobacco industry as a sales and later as a marketing manager. Our philosophy was simple: to sell as much as we could. At that time, domestic wholesalers dominated the market. Manufacturers tried to be present in as many retail outlets as possible, spending a lot on trade marketing and BTL activities. We began working in big and complex sales organisations. We believed that we were doing our best and relied on enthusiasm instead of sound professional expertise. Then came Russ Chapman, the new boss of RJR in Eastern Europe and completely transformed the ideas we had about running sales organisations. One of his favourite quotes was “ Trust is based on constant supervision”. It was not easy to accept, but I have to admit now, he was right! We have become acquainted with many new methods and tools in recent years. Paper-based sales reporting systems have been replaced by digital ones. PDA technology is not however, accessible for everybody, as a result of its cost and white spots still remain in fields where PDA systems are already used.