Caselet 2: Teamwork?
The Walnut Creek Gazette started out as a small-town California newspaper. However, as the town of Walnut Creek, California, grew over the years, the paper’s circulation grew, too. Nina Fong had worked her way up in the Gazette’s advertising department. Fong had started out as a sales assistant, became a customer service rep, followed by a team leader, and finally a sales manager. In her position she is responsible for seven, 4-person teams. The Gazette’s sales assistants spend most of their time on the phone identifying and developing new accounts and then turning them over to account managers. Each team has two account managers who work in the field and personally contact clients. Customer service representatives make sure the Gazette’s clients are satisfied with their published ads. Team members are compensated based both on their individual performance and the productivity of their teams as a whole.
The sales quota deadline for Nina’s teams is fast approaching. Nina has just received a phone call from Bruce Nygen. Nina knows Bruce. He is the manager of a new store moving into the far edge of the Gazette’s southwest sales territory. He had previously e-mailed Nina to check into buying some ad space. He was considering several advertising options to help him achieve certain promotional objectives, and he wanted to see how the paper could assist him. Bruce has just explained to Nina in his phone call to her that no one from the sales department at the Gazette has contacted him. Nina is surprised. Lindsey Newman is a competent, senior account rep in the Gazette’s southwest territory. Morgan Hendricks is a newer, less experienced representative who is still developing. Nina is wrestling with the decision as to which account manager she should hand the lead to. She feels that someone as experienced as Lindsey should have already contacted Bruce as a potential new client. But Morgan has recently lost two of her accounts because her clients were not satisfied with their ad buys and the customer responses they generated. Nina knows a large sale in this territory will push this particular team over its sales goal and add to everyone’s bonus, including her own.
Questions
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of handing the lead to Morgan, the newer account manager?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of handing the lead to Lindsey?
3. How would you make this decision?
4. How do you think your decision would affect the rest of the members on Lindsey’s and Morgan’s team?