This week I want you to think about strategy and tactics when your communicating professionally.

Scenario: You are a middle manager for the sales division of a moderate size company (100 employees). You have 15 direct reports composing the entire sales force. Your manager, the VP for Sales/Marketing has told you that the sales force needs to increase sales by 8% in the next FY and he thinks sales quotas are the best way to insure the needed growth. You know the salespeople hate the idea of quotas.

Assignment: Tell me what communication strategy you would use to:

A. what's a way to convince the VP that quotas are problematic and

B. whats the best way to break the news about quotas to the sales force assuming you can't change the VP's mind.

I don't want you to write actual memos for this assignment but rather give me a strategy. Are you going to talk to people or write an email? What arguments are you going to use? What evidence might exist to help your position? Think about the options you have and how you can use them.