Rosario Rosone

Professor Rafael Soltero

Individual Assignment #3

Introduction

My name is Rosario Rosone, and my teammates for this simulation were Emely,
Chinatsu, and Mya. Together we managed Team 7 in Game 2 of the Sales Management
Simulation. The simulation placed us in a developing market where demand increased
very fast across the ten periods. This matched the developing market forecast that the
simulation manual describes, where sales grow aggressively as the industry expands.
Our overall goal was to use what we learned in class to manage a real sales force,
make decisions under pressure, and try to outperform our competitors. By the end of
the game we finished in second place with two hundred fifteen million nine hundred fifty
five thousand three hundred two dollars in cumulative profit. We ended with a market
share of twenty eight point fifty seven percent, a company reputation score of ninety
two, and a Net Promoter Score of one hundred four.

Decision Making Process

Our team used a very group centered decision process. We talked about every choice
each period and shared ideas before the acting manager submitted anything. The main
thing we focused on was building a strong group of salespeople. The simulation manual
explains that salespeople drive most of the growth in a developing market. Because of
this, we hired the strongest candidates every period. We also offered them very
generous salaries so they would accept our offers and stay motivated. In the simulation
candidates only accept jobs when the offer meets or beats what they expect, so we
made sure our offers were high enough.

We also spent time thinking about where to place people. In the beginning we put them
in their home regions because the manual says that people do better and are happier
when they work close to home. Later on, when we wanted to grow our market share, we
expanded into more regions even if it meant moving people out of their home area. This
helped us reach more customers and increased our market share and Net Promoter
Score because more customers had access to our salespeople.

We kept our commission rate fair and used high base salaries as our main motivation
tool. In the middle and late periods we started using contests. We noticed that even
though our market share was strong, our sales had slowed down. Contests helped
boost motivation during these times.

Why We Ranked Second

We ranked second because we made many strong decisions, but we were also too
careful in some areas. Our best decisions came from hiring top quality people,

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Rosario Rosone
Professor Rafael Soltero
MAR4403 U01 1258
30 November 2025​ ​
expanding our territory coverage, and keeping our compensation competitive. These
strategies helped us sell more units and stay strong throughout the game.

The main mistake that held us back from first place was our pricing strategy. We were
nervous to raise prices. We were worried that customers would buy less if the price
increased. The simulation manual explains that in a growing market, companies can
raise prices a bit without losing many sales because customers focus more on product
access and customer service. Looking back, our prices stayed too low for too long and
other teams made more profit because they adjusted their prices earlier and earned
higher margins.

Another area we could have improved was training and replacing weaker salespeople.
We did not retrain our original group apart from the required first training. Extra training
could have raised their productivity later on. Also, we waited too long to replace low
performers. This limited how much revenue we could generate in the regions they
worked in.

Results by Period

Our performance increased a lot over time. We lost money in the first period with a
negative profit of one hundred fifty four thousand five hundred ten dollars. By the third
period we were already at eight million nine hundred seventy two thousand nine
hundred thirteen dollars in profit. We kept growing from there. By period five we were at
thirty one million six hundred fifty eight thousand six hundred thirteen dollars. In period
seven we reached sixty one million nine hundred ninety one thousand nine hundred
twenty seven dollars. In the last three periods the growth was dramatic. By period nine
we were at one hundred sixty one million six hundred sixty seven thousand five hundred
sixty seven dollars. We finished the simulation at two hundred fifteen million nine
hundred fifty five thousand three hundred two dollars. This growth matched the pattern
of a developing market where demand rises fast and rewards strong early decisions.

Suggestions I Made and Decisions Implemented

I gave several suggestions that influenced our results. I recommended that we recruit
the strongest people every time, even if they cost more. I also suggested that we
expand into new regions after the first few periods to increase market coverage. I
encouraged the team to use higher base salaries to keep salespeople motivated. I also
suggested replacing weak performers once we had a large enough team, but we did not
move as quickly on that. I also recommended that we raise prices once our market
share and reputation grew, but we stayed more cautious than I expected. Some of my
ideas were used and helped us, and some were only used a little or not used enough.

What I Would Do Differently

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Rosario Rosone
Professor Rafael Soltero
MAR4403 U01 1258
30 November 2025​ ​
If I had the chance to do the simulation again, I would increase prices sooner. Our sales
numbers stayed strong even when we made small changes, so I believe we could have

raised prices and still kept our customers. I would also spend more money on retraining
so we could raise the skill level of our entire sales force. I would fire and replace low
performers earlier to avoid losing sales opportunities. I would also buy more market
research so we could react faster to what other teams were doing. If we had one more
round, I would raise prices, clean up the bottom part of the sales force, and lean into
training. Based on our trend, this would probably increase our profit by another five to
eight percent.

Concepts Learned

This simulation helped me understand many ideas from our lectures in a much more
realistic way. I learned how important sales force productivity is and how early hiring
decisions can affect results many periods later. I saw the impact of compensation
decisions on motivation and retention. Forecasting and planning became clearer
because we had to match our production to the expected demand every period. I also
learned how important territory management is for customer access and satisfaction.
Finally, pricing was a huge lesson for me because I saw how even small changes in
price can dramatically increase profit in the long run.

Team Dynamics

Our team worked well together and communicated often. Scheduling was hard
sometimes, but everyone responded quickly and gave useful input. We respected each
other and listened to every idea. Working as a team helped me understand the material
better because I was able to hear different opinions and discuss the best options before
making decisions. The team added a lot of value to my individual understanding and
made the experience more enjoyable.

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Rosario Rosone
Professor Rafael Soltero
MAR4403 U01 1258
30 November 2025​ ​