years after introducing its new stimulators, the firm is doing $200 million in domestic
sales. How has Advanced Bionics been so successful? Its success can be attributed to its
outstanding products and to three aspects of its sales approach. First, Advanced Bionics
hired the right talent for its sales force. Companies tend to use experienced sales
repsoften hired away from competing companiesto sell new medical devices. This can
be very expensive since experienced reps generally expect as much as $200,000 in
annual income. So when Advanced Bionics brought its medical device to market, it
hired people with no experience selling medical devices and turned them into sales
reps. Hiring inexperienced salespeople created some problems, however, and the
company experienced high turnover rates during its first two years in operation.
Second, Advanced Bionics provided salespeople with a rigorous training program.
Third, Advanced Bionics allowed salespeople to plan their own activities while
managers monitored their progress and pushed them to improve. In short, the company
has been able to succeed by selecting good people, training them well, and managing
them carefully.
Refer to Advanced Bionics. Medical Education Training Associates (META) handles
the training of new Advanced Bionics sales reps. One of META’s advanced courses
focuses on building networks among the company’s various stakeholders. Networking is
often discussed as an approach for developing:
a. new product ideas.
b. potential new clients.
c. strategic resources.
d. sales force morale.
e. cost reduction strategies.
Answer:
A driving force that causes a person to take action to satisfy specific needs is called
a(n):
a. instigator