Publications

24 Nov 2008
Research & Ideas

Harvard Business School Discusses Future of the MBA

For the school that so boldly launched the MBA 100 years ago and went on to become the bluest of blue-chip brands in business education, it seemed only fitting that Harvard Business School should mark its centennial year by examining the... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson & HBS Bulletin; Education

22 Apr 2019
Research & Ideas

Why Salespeople Struggle at Leading

says Harvard Business School’s Frank V. Cespedes, the MBA Class of 1973 Senior Lecturer of Business Administration. “Every company has examples of people who persist in their behaviors as salespeople, and as... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

21 Nov 2016
Research & Ideas

It Matters That Your CEO Doesn't Know Much About Sales

senior executives specializing in everything except sales. “The number of executives reporting to the CEO in the average S&P 500 company has doubled in the last 20 years,” says Frank V. Cespedes, a senior lecturer in the... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

18 Feb 2013
Research & Ideas

Breaking Through a Growth Stall

identify your core customers and build a scalable platform for growth around them. That's the message from Frank V. Cespedes, the MBA Class of 1973 Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

03 Mar 2009
First Look

First Look: March 3, 2009

challenges involved in developing and executing the new service model and offers students opportunities to discuss the evolving challenges the company faces looking forward. Purchase this case: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=809099... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

26 Oct 2010
First Look

First Look: October 26, 2010

PublicationsSelling to Many Countries—Within the U.S. Authors:Frank V. Cespedes and Michael Wong Publication:MIT Sloan Management Review 52, no. 1 (fall 2010) Abstract In pursuing growth, many companies have plans to sell to emerging markets like the so-called... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

October 1989 (Revised November 2006)
Background Note

Deployment, Focus, and Measuring Effectiveness

Written for a module in the Marketing Implementation course (second-year MBA elective). Offers a framework for considering relevant factors that affect sales force deployment and criteria for measuring sales effectiveness and the conduct of field marketing efforts. View Details

Keywords: Performance Effectiveness; Sales; Marketing

October 1989 (Revised November 2006)
Background Note

Managing Selling and the Salesperson

Written for a module in the Marketing Implementation course (a second-year elective in the MBA program). Provides a brief introduction to common issues involved in recruiting, training, compensating, and evaluating field salespeople. Also offers questions to consider... View Details

Keywords: Salesforce Management

October 1989 (Revised November 2006)
Background Note

Channel Management

Written as an introduction to a module concerning channel management for the second-year MBA elective in Marketing Implementation. Discusses: 1) reasons for the growth of multichannel systems in marketing efforts, 2) key components and choices in channel management, 3)... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Channels

Teaching Interest

Overview

By: Frank Nagle

Prof. Nagle has taught a wide variety of topics to various types of students including everything from computer programming and e-commerce for undergraduates to cyber security for the FBI and HBS Executive Education participants to innovation and technology management... View Details

October 1989
Background Note

Managing Major Accounts

Written as an introduction to a module in the second-year MBA course, Marketing Implementation. Discusses issues encountered in the selling and management of major accounts. The topics covered include: 1) reasons for the increasing importance of major account... View Details

Keywords: Accounting Audits; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Market Participation; Relationships; Salesforce Management

10 Aug 2010
First Look

First Look: August 10

Frank V. Cespedes, and Kerry HermanHarvard Business School Case 709-441 In 2008, concert producer and promoter Live Nation faces a decision about its strategy in light of the tumultuous changes in the music industry and the increasing... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 May 2024
What Do You Think?

Have You Had Enough?

response posed to students in Harvard MBA classrooms who ask instructors for their opinions on the case studies under discussion. As instructors, we constantly remind ourselves that we are the ones who ask the first questions. Students... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

August 2018
Teaching Note

IguanaFix

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Thomas Eisenmann

Teaching Note for HBS No. 817-056. IguanaFix, based in Argentina, is a platform business that connects consumers with home improvement contractors. The founders are evaluating growth options and an investment offer. The case focuses on scaling issues for a venture... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Marketing; Home Improvement Services; Marketing Management; Scaling; Entrepreneurship; Marketing; Sales; Digital Platforms; Growth and Development Strategy