DEVELOPING YOUR COMPETENCIES 1. Strategic Action. As the marketing manager, you are very excited about a new product that R&D has developed that will eventually take your company in a new strategic direction. You know it will sell because you have tons of market research data to back it up. You are also painfully aware that the product and its benefits are complex to the customer, so that it will take significant sales force backing to make it successful. No matter how often you tell the sales department how great this product is, you know that their instinct for selling won't automatically translate into a passion for selling this product. You decide to present your product to the sales force at the next sales training meeting. You are nervous because you realize that sales support is absolutely critical if the product is to succeed. The sales force must put significant time behind it. What directions would you give the marketing manager in preparing for the training session? What are the alternative training approaches (e.g., lecture) that you could use in this training session? What will salespeople want to know about the new product? 2. Team Building. It is estimated that about one-third of the nation's major firms have formal mentoring programs, with senior managers providing personal counseling and career guidance for younger employees. However, a mentoring program is difficult for salespeople who spend a lot of time on the road. Georgia Pacific has tried to resolve this problem by using the salesperson's immediate superior as the mentor for the new salesperson. The company has also created some literature that offers advice that is sent directly to the field reps. What do you think of this program? Do you see any problems? Would you like to see anyone else in the mentoring position? For more information about Georgia Pacific, see its Web site at www.gp.com