Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach

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Selling is Key to Strategic Success

The New York Time's number one hardcover business book this week is Daniel Pink's To Sell is Human. At first glace, one would assume that a book on sales has little to do with the art of strategic management. However, the important message of the book is that 'one in nine Americans works in sales, but so do the other eight' (Pink, 2012). Ultimately, sales are the core to running a business and managing strategic decisions for competitive advantage. This includes the ability to make decisions based on strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and threats. It also means selling oneself, one's employees and one's customers to increase business.

Daniel Pink's newest book points out that whether we are employees pitching colleagues on a new idea, entrepreneurs fishing for investors to fund the business, or companies trying to change employee behavior, salesmanship is a key behavior. Mr. Pink uses social science to demonstrate that sales do not merely exist at the traditional level of selling product to consumers. He does this by showing examples of a small company, Brooklyn Brine in New York, which sells artisanal pickled vegetables. As Jones and Hill (2012) point out in our text, a small business must rely on sales skills to influence employees so that they do their jobs with zeal and skill. A small business like Brooklyn Brine must convince retailers to stock their pickled vegetables by evaluating Brooklyn Brines strengths in comparison to their competitors, and capitalizing on opportunities. The company must also be constantly vigilant of threats to their small business. To do this, Mr. Pink suggests that Brooklyn Brine must constantly be selling, working to improve their offer and adjust to the market place. Mr. Pink emphasizes that strategic leadership through sales is critical whether you are operating a small business like Brooklyn Brine or a conglomerate like Wal-Mart.

Mr. Pink gives tips to improve strategic management of companies through sales enhancement. He points out that the world is changing through the deluge of information on the Internet. Used car buyers used to walk onto lots looking for guidance from salespeople. Now, used car salespeople are often faced with customers carrying complete price information downloaded from the Internet or displayed on their smartphones or iPads. In response to this, many automobile dealerships have faltered. Mr. Pink points out that the CarMax auto superstore chain has prospered by undoing the conventional method of buying a used car. The company makes sure that every customer is shown a complete report on each vehicle's condition and history and it offers complete information transparency. Even the way the store is laid out is a testament to this, with each salesperson having their own desk upon which a computer is positioned, facing outward, in a manner that ...