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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(768)
- News (141)
- Research (541)
- Events (1)
- Multimedia (1)
- Faculty Publications (204)
- December 2012 (Revised August 2020)
- Case
Rodan + Fields Dermatologists
By: Das Narayandas, Michael Roberts and Liz Kind
The case focuses on issues involved in managing the direct multilevel marketing sales consultants who sell R+F skin care products. The company is trying to better manage the inconsistent and highly variable recruitment behavior of the sales force i.e., the degree to... View Details
Keywords: Marketing; Salesforce Management; Recruitment; Compensation and Benefits; Consumer Products Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; California
Narayandas, Das, Michael Roberts, and Liz Kind. "Rodan + Fields Dermatologists." Harvard Business School Case 513-067, December 2012. (Revised August 2020.)
- January 1983 (Revised June 1985)
- Case
Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.: Marketing Communications
By: John A. Quelch
Marketing executives at the company are considering the merits of a variety of communications programs designed to increase the effectiveness of the company's sales force of beauty consultants. View Details
Keywords: Marketing Communications; Salesforce Management; Decision Making; Performance Effectiveness; Management Teams; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States
Quelch, John A. "Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.: Marketing Communications." Harvard Business School Case 583-068, January 1983. (Revised June 1985.)
- February 1980 (Revised June 1984)
- Case
Quaker Steel and Alloy Corp.
By: John J. Gabarro
Lower middle-level manager is faced with the need to bring about a change in the call patterns of the sales force selling her product. Based on an earlier case by P.R. Lawrence. View Details
Gabarro, John J. "Quaker Steel and Alloy Corp." Harvard Business School Case 480-063, February 1980. (Revised June 1984.)
- January 2019 (Revised February 2019)
- Supplement
The a2 Milk Company
By: Benjamin C. Esty, Daniel Fisher and Greg Saldutte
The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and... View Details
Keywords: Judo Economics; Market Entry; Innovation; Barriers To Response; Industry Attractiveness; Advantage Horizon; Sustainability; First-mover Advantage; Scope; Strategy Execution; Strategic Evolution; Biochemistry; Genetics; Branding; Commodity; Milk; Dairy; Infant Formula; Farming; Porter's Five Forces; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Value Creation; Competition; Market Entry and Exit; Disruption; Innovation and Invention; Five Forces Framework; Consumer Products Industry; New Zealand; Australia; China
- March 2014 (Revised September 2015)
- Case
Clef Company: Turnover
The Clef case focuses on the issue of turnover in a firm's sales force. Students must analyze the factors contributing to turnover as well as the role of the field sales force in Clef's profitable business strategy. Among other things, the Clef case illustrates that... View Details
Keywords: Sales; Marketing; Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Retail Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States
Cespedes, Frank V. "Clef Company: Turnover." Harvard Business School Case 814-100, March 2014. (Revised September 2015.)
- March 1998 (Revised December 2000)
- Case
Siebel Systems (A)
By: Michael J. Roberts, Joseph B. Lassiter III and Nicole Tempest
The case describes the early evolution of Siebel Systems, a sales force automation software company, focusing on issues surrounding Siebel's use of systems integrators as implementation partners and the relationship between implementation and the selling function. View Details
Keywords: Marketing; Software; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Sales; Information Technology Industry
Roberts, Michael J., Joseph B. Lassiter III, and Nicole Tempest. "Siebel Systems (A)." Harvard Business School Case 898-210, March 1998. (Revised December 2000.)
- 2021
- Chapter
Digital Transformation and the Salesforce: Observations, Warnings, and Recommendations
Sales is a crucial test for organizational change, including productive use (or not) of new technologies. Changes in selling always have wider organizational implications, because so many other decisions and resource commitments in firms depend upon demand forecasts... View Details
Keywords: Sales; Salesforce Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Transformation
Cespedes, Frank V. "Digital Transformation and the Salesforce: Observations, Warnings, and Recommendations." In Managing Digital Transformation: Understanding the Strategic Process, edited by Andreas Hinterhuber, Tiziano Vescovi, and Francesca Checchinato. Routledge, 2021.
- October 2000 (Revised April 2005)
- Case
Z Corporation
By: Joseph B. Lassiter III, Matthew C. Lieb and Tom Clay
Tom Clay, president of Z Corp., and founder/CEO Marina Hatsopolous must decide between using a direct sales force or using a value-added reseller to begin selling the company's new 3-D printing prototype manufacturing system. View Details
Keywords: Technological Innovation; Salesforce Management; Distribution Channels; Conflict and Resolution; Technology Industry
Lassiter, Joseph B., III, Matthew C. Lieb, and Tom Clay. "Z Corporation." Harvard Business School Case 801-210, October 2000. (Revised April 2005.)
- 02 Nov 2010
- First Look
First Look: November 2, 2010
http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/10-063.pdf Do Bonuses Enhance Sales Productivity? A Dynamic Structural Analysis of Bonus-Based Compensation Plans Authors:Doug J. Chung, Thomas Steenburgh, and K. Sudhir Abstract We estimate a dynamic... View Details
Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
- June 2017
- Case
Magellan Boatworks
By: John A. Quelch and James T. Kindley
Magellan Boatworks is a midsize manufacturer of customized, power "cruising yachts." In the face of economic and political uncertainty in late 2016, Magellan's VP of sales and marketing, Walt Robinson, wonders whether he should request a budget increase for 2017.... View Details
Quelch, John A., and James T. Kindley. "Magellan Boatworks." Harvard Business School Brief Case 917-547, June 2017.
- June 2018
- Teaching Note
Meridian Systems (Brief Case)
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Michael J. Roberts
Teaching Note for HBS No. 918-533. The key issues discussed in the Meridian teaching note concern sales force deployment: decisions about how to focus sales efforts with respect to territories, customers, and products. The teaching note explains the strengths and... View Details
- April 2019
- Teaching Note
The a2 Milk Company
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher
The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and... View Details
Keywords: Judo Economics; Market Entry; Innovation; Barriers To Response; Industry Attractiveness; Advantage Horizon; Sustainability; First-mover Advantage; Scope; Strategy Execution; Strategic Evolution; Biochemistry; Genetics; Branding; Commodity; Milk; Dairy; Infant Formula; Farming; Porter's Five Forces; Market Entry and Exit; Disruption; Innovation and Invention; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Value Creation; Competition; Brands and Branding; Five Forces Framework; Consumer Products Industry; New Zealand; Australia; China
- March 1998 (Revised July 2000)
- Case
InPart
By: Joseph B. Lassiter III, Michael J. Roberts and Jon Biotti
Stacey Lawson, HBS 1996, started a CAD parts representations database company to help designers and engineers with the design process. The company has completed its product and is starting to sell it. The case examines issues involving the organization of the sales... View Details
Incentives versus Reciprocity: Insights from a Field Experiment
We conduct a field experiment in which we vary the sales force compensation scheme at an Asian enterprise that sells consumer durable goods. With variation generated by the experimental treatments, we model sales force performance to identify the effectiveness of... View Details
- March 2015 (Revised December 2016)
- Case
Philips Healthcare Latin America
By: Sunil Gupta
On a beautiful sunny afternoon in October 2013, Daniel Mazon (GMP 15), decided to take some time out of his busy schedule of the General Management Program (GMP) at the Harvard Business School to reflect on his company's situation. Mazon was the Vice President and... View Details
Keywords: Healthcare; Latin America; Organizational Structure; Salesforce Management; Health Care and Treatment; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Health Industry; Latin America
Gupta, Sunil. "Philips Healthcare Latin America." Harvard Business School Case 515-097, March 2015. (Revised December 2016.)
- February 2010 (Revised March 2013)
- Case
Zynga (A)
By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski and David Chen
In January 2010 Mark Pincus is deciding how to double the number of Zynga games' players to 500 million without sacrificing profitability. These ambitious growth plans required changes to product, corporate strategy, and customer acquisition and retention. With regard... View Details
Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Decision Choices and Conditions; Growth and Development Strategy; Distribution Channels; Product Development; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Corporate Strategy; Video Game Industry
Piskorski, Mikolaj Jan, and David Chen. "Zynga (A)." Harvard Business School Case 710-464, February 2010. (Revised March 2013.)
- December 1999 (Revised March 2002)
- Case
Hunter Business Group: TeamTBA
By: Das Narayandas and Elizabeth R. Caputo
The Hunter Business Group (HBG), a direct marketing consulting firm specializing in reorganizing the sales and marketing efforts of industrial firms, uses integrated customer contact technologies (including field sales, telephone, and mail) as a means of... View Details
Keywords: Communication Technology; Marketing Communications; Marketing Reference Programs; Marketing Strategy; Market Participation; Sales; Value Creation; Consulting Industry
Narayandas, Das, and Elizabeth R. Caputo. "Hunter Business Group: TeamTBA." Harvard Business School Case 500-030, December 1999. (Revised March 2002.)
- Research Summary
Current Research
Professor Chung models the effect of incentive compensation to study its impact on the sales force. Using data from a Fortune 500 company, he has developed a dynamic structural model of sales force response to a bonus-based compensation plan and examined how various... View Details
- February 2008
- Case
EFI, Inc. (A)
By: David B. Godes and Lauren Barley
EFI has a unique sales compensation challenge. They cannot allocate sales credit for their core product to individual salespeople. So, they've historically paid the sales force as a team. This has worked out fine, since they've been a near-monopoly seller of a single... View Details
Keywords: Change Management; Compensation and Benefits; Performance Evaluation; Groups and Teams; Salesforce Management; Motivation and Incentives
Godes, David B., and Lauren Barley. "EFI, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 508-044, February 2008.
Motivating Diverse Salespeople Through a Common Incentive Plan
For practical reasons, many companies offer a common incentive plan to an entire sales force rather than offering customised plans for each individual. Doug J. Chung, Thomas Steenburgh, and K. Sudhir address how companies can design a single plan that motivates... View Details