Constructing a Route

In this chapter, we first explain how to construct a route, and then how to monitor its performance. How to Construct a Route Which resources are most effective for each of the five steps of the sales cycle, to get the best route to the customer? This is the key question to keep in mind when constructing a route. As we explained in Chap. 1, the sales cycle is the sequence of steps that vendors follow to connect with customers throughout their buying cycle, as shown in Fig. 6.1. Several different resources are available for each step of the sales cycle. A route is constructed by selecting resources for each step and tasking them with performing specific activities to move customers in a target market segment from the beginning to the end of the sales cycle for a product or service. In most companies, the marketing organization manages the resources selected for steps 1 and 2, and the sales organization is responsible for the resources in step 3. In some companies, some of the resources selected for step 2 are managed by marketing and others are managed by sales. The resources used in step 4 are often spread across sales, administration, logistics, indirect distribution channels, and customer services, depending on the characteristics of the product or service and on the mix of internal and external distribution channels. The customer service organization is typically responsible for step 5, but, as in step 4, external distribution channels may play an important role in step 5.