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Conference ilbbak::us_sales_service

Title:US_SALES_SERVICE
Notice:Please register in note 2; DVNs in note 31
Moderator:MCIS3::JDAIGNEAULT
Created:Thu May 16 1991
Last Modified:Tue Sep 03 1996
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:226
Total number of notes:1486

100.0. "AN ADJUSTMENT TO NMS TO INCREASE REVENUE" by SWAM1::FERGUSON_BR () Fri Apr 03 1992 19:18

    This is a suggestion for fine tuning the NMS accounting.
    
    After a ruthless look at the current profit models, and their
    application I propose we change the profit models to the following:
    
    1) Don't run P+L against each deal, we try to make each deal pay for
    	all  overhead, if we're paying for even some overhead it would benefit
    	the bottom line. Let the field have access to the transfer cost
    	only, and measure each deal by cost plus.
    
    2) Apply the overhead, and field overhead to the account/account group
    	year. For Example an account group would have to make $4,000,000 after
   	overhead and expenses a year, the account group would be charged
    	$2,000,000 for overhead, and the field costs would be those budgeted
    	for the personnel, capital expenditure.
    
    This way if we make 200, 000 profit on the sale of one unit with cost
    of 800,000, or 200,000 on two thousand units with a cost of 8,000, even
    if the margin is 20% on one, and 2% on the other the flow to the bottom
    line is covered, provided the transfer costs cover all actual
    incremental costs for that unit.
    
    
    
    This would be a lot easier to handle for managers, be more
    measureable, result in greater revenue, and allow for market share
    growth. 
    
    In addition, along the lines of Tom Peters, we shouldn't have a cap on
    rewards, we should reward high profit obscenely well.
    
    
    Regards,
    
    Bruce Ferguson
    
    PS This system was used by Continental in the early 60's and actually
    saved the company, and has been adopted by all the airlines to make
    decisions of flight route go/no go. Before this system was used Planes
    would sit on the ground building overhead, rather than in the air
    reducing it. The airlines now fly whenever they can fly at an income
    equal to the incremental cost of that flight, at least it denies
    passengers to other airlines, any time it is over the cost of that
    flight, they are helping the company profit. 
    
    
    WE ARE LETTING OUR PLANES PERCH!!!! LETS FLY!!!!f
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100.1Model on YTD P&L!!!!ODIXIE::WALLSBeautiful Atlanta, GATue Apr 07 1992 03:117
    Reading this "worthwhile" idea, I just got another.  In addition to looking
    at a model that would measure a cost +, why not also consider instead
    of giving us a per deal P&L why not also give us a YTD P&L model.  That
    is what we are measured on any way and by using that approach we will
    always be making decisions based on the bigger picture.  
    
    Charlie
100.2I was trying to explain as well as -1 did!SWAM1::FERGUSON_BRTue Apr 07 1992 23:3832
    Dear Charlie,
    
    RE: -1,
    
    I'm glad you liked my idea, I must have been really dense in my
    writing, but the idea that you had of a YTD P&L model was really what I
    was trying to explain. I.E. the YTD budget would be for a real P in
    dollar terms and the L would be corporate overhead, and field cost as
    fixed budget L for the year.
    
    The calculation would be P(YTD)=NOR-( O(c)+O(f)+N(T))
    Where O(c) is corporate cost, o(f) is field cost, N(T) is transfer cost
    of each deal, and NOR is net revenue YTD. P for the year is fixed,
    O(c) is fixed by corporate, T is fixed by incremental cost, The O(f) is
    field cost (personnel, supplies, etc).
    
    The only variables are N, number of deals, and NOR, selling price. This
    way over a year, you can do more deals with lower margin, or fewer with
    higher margin, and still make the same profit for the company. It
    allows the field to be hyper responsive to the market, and pushes
    pricing signals straight back to manufacturing, and engineering,
    requiring them to respond to the rate of N for their products.
    
    I hope this helps..... I think it may make it appear more dense.
    
    Please note, I have heard that this is the way operations will be
    working this quarter(I.E. using a cost + model).
    
    
    Regards,
    
    Bruce.
100.3What About the Service Model???RCOCER::FRASCHMon Apr 27 1992 19:1013
When the U.S. Management Team came to the field, I thought I heard Don Z. say 
that all services would be charged to acount groups "at actual cost!"---!!

That doesn't happen. We get cost plus a traditional 45% margin. If it's sold
at anything less, an allowance has to be processed.

This does not agree with NMS where account group(s) are responsible for margin
decisions and practices (as I understand it). If AGMs have this power, why are 
they constantly asked to CYA for services by allowances? We're simply playing 
the metrics game for services and killing our own allowance line in order to
be competitive and win business.

Don