COOPER PHARMACEUTICALS

INC.
Case Background: Industry
CPI: Manufacturer of prescription drugs
Sales force consisted of 500 detailers governed by 35 district managers followed by 6
zonal mangers and a Vice President
Typical CPI detailer responsible for 200 accounts and expected to make 6-9 calls per day
Bob Marsh
Initially worked as a manager of prescription department in a major drug store
Was considering joining CPI as a salesperson for over a year
Rated very highly by interviewer and subsequent manager John Meredith
Supervised by different managers, who continuously submitted thorough reports to
senior management
Rated low on several factors such as lack of organization & planning, following
companies policy on promotions; even though CPIs customers seemed satisfied with
him
Finally asked to resign when his performance didnt match up to the expectations of
his managers, even after being put on probation multiple times
Marsh left quietly, but mentioned that he was treated unfairly; several clients
complained about the dismissal of such an effective sales representative
Key Concerns
Evaluating & understanding the case of Bob Marsh and the
factors which led to his dismissal
Understanding reasons for doctors disappointment with
regards to Marshs dismissal
Deciding whether to reinstate Bob Marsh or not and, if not,
how to keep the clients satisfied & intact
Bob Marsh
Strengths:
Sincere, enthusiastic, quick learner
Very highly regarded by the customers
Loyal & dedicated to the work & the firm
Didnt leave the firm even after being put on probation multiple times
Willingness to improve
Good working relationship with fellow associates
Weakness:
Non-conformance to management directives, company sales objective &
promotion policies
Inconsistency in maintaining records & poorly organized sample bag
Catch-as-catch-can approach, tendency to prejudge the customers
Lacked in organization, planning and follow up activities
Individual Factors
Territory assigned was his home
territory so he had positive
personal relations with many of
the doctors and other clients
Intensity: Bob worked hard to
increase sales in his territory, the
results speak for him
Persistence: Sales had been
continuously increasing or at worst
remaining same, also he tried to
improve his behavior
Choice of Actions: Bob was set
in his own ways when it came to
dealing with clients & showed
reluctance in following
management guidelines
CHOICE
PERSISTE
NCE
INTENSITY
OUTCOME
Behavioral Factors in Motivation
Proper motivational tools
not being used
Bob didnt seem to be
motivated by salary hikes
alone
Motivational programs
should have some
elements tailored to Bobs
needs by including non-
financial rewards such as:
Job enrichment
Recognition
Opportunity for promotion
Praise & encouragement
from management

Greater
Effort
Rewards are
desirable
Performance
linked
rewards
Effort linked
performance
Organizational Factors
Continuous
manager
churn
creating
pressure on
Bob to
match up
with their
expectation
s
Reactive
approach
followed by
managers,
which failed
to
understand
the reason
for Bobs
behavior
Mangers using
a stick
approach with
a plateauing
problem,
without
understanding
the problem
properly
Bobs positive
Customer
Relationship
Management
skills not
considered in
his evaluation
Managers
failed to
interpret the
impact of
Bobs
dismissal
on clients
Recommendations
In the current scenario, the right set of actions should be
to reinstate Bob because:
Bob maintained a very strong connection with the clients & his
reinstatement would reduce the risk of losing long time customers
He has served the firm with total dedication & loyalty for 12 long
years & knows the selling function inside-out
His experience can be of great use to the firm
To solve the motivational & plateauing problem, the firm
should:
Assign Bob a new territory, where he can start afresh
Give him a new assignment, such as coaching new salespeople,
gathering competitive intelligence, surveying customers for new
product ideas or developing a new territory
Highlight prospects for promotions & higher responsibilities in
future