The System Management: System Sales Management 2-Day Training was held in a cosy sanatorium near Kiev from 28-29 January. The entire Marketing and Sales Department team participated in the seminar. The Marketing and Sales Department is the newest department at Kernel Group, as well as being its most geographically disparate, working as it does throughout Ukraine. It is quite natural therefore that department personnel sense a regular lack of “social” contact with fellow colleagues both on a professional and personal level. That is why the training aimed primarily to provide the staff with general information in a systematic way, and on the basis of this to organize further exchange of professional tips and secrets, as well as to unite the team working under the Shchedriy Dar brand to an even greater extent. The training schedule was planned to help participants learn about management cycle stages progressively for the purpose of empowering them with the skills necessary to control every section of an organization successfully and effectively. The seminar agenda included the following: 1.Principles of management A manager’s roles and management styles Sales management principles 2.Planning Business-process planning 3.Organization Effective distribution of resources A product and its brand Resources-Clients Brand promotion Merchandising as a tool for sales promotion 4.Co-ordination Co-ordination of traders team work 5.Control Control of business-processes and results assessment The 2-day training was very intensive. Our colleagues were challenged with the difficult task of digesting a huge amount of information in a short space of time. Kernel Group employees passed the tests with honour! Mrs. Elena Ruchko, a sales department analyst, kindly shared her impressions: “The training provided a lot of answers to my questions. First of all, exact definitions and professional approaches to, at first glance, elementary knowledge (what is distribution, a presentation, the work of a trade agent, and so on). Secondly, the interesting concept of a management matrix was introduced. But what especially struck me was one topic: targets designation (wow, even now I constantly found myself re-organizing myself according to this theory!) I liked the trainer. Without doubt, he is a professional. Naturally full of energy himself he kept us on our toes as well (for instance, it was only in the evening that I remembered that I had to call home). I believe that in general the whole package (people, communications and information) ensures the final result. I can say that after the training it is easier for me to communicate with guys over the telephone and to settle various issues”. Trainers wrote in their report: “It is especially pleasant to note a persistence and determination of purpose inherent to this team: despite a tough working schedule, large flow of information, complicated drills, pressure of time and difficult conditions in the auditorium, none of the trainees even hinted at being tired during the 2 days, nor wished to take a break or to postpone a drill exercise. Everybody worked hard and selflessly which contributed to the satisfactory results gained in mini-group activities. Even smokers went to a smoking area only when they had finished their main tasks and returned promptly upon the first call”. To prolong and strengthen the training effect Shchedriy Dar employees were given homework. The work will continue at regional level. Furthermore the trainers worked out a number of recommendations aimed at the professional development and strengthening of the Marketing and Sales Department team in the future.