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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,075)
- People (1)
- News (142)
- Research (814)
- Events (7)
- Multimedia (4)
- Faculty Publications (218)
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- November 2021
- Article
The Comprehensive Effects of Sales Force Management: A Dynamic Structural Analysis of Selection, Compensation, and Training
By: Doug J. Chung, Byungyeon Kim and Byoung G. Park
This study provides a comprehensive model of an agent’s behavior in response to multiple sales management instruments, including compensation, recruiting/termination, and training. The model on agents’ behavior takes into account many of the key elements that... View Details
Keywords: Salesforce Management; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Compensation and Benefits; Resignation and Termination; Training; Behavior; Analysis
Chung, Doug J., Byungyeon Kim, and Byoung G. Park. "The Comprehensive Effects of Sales Force Management: A Dynamic Structural Analysis of Selection, Compensation, and Training." Management Science 67, no. 11 (November 2021): 7046–7074.
- September 19, 2014
- Article
How to Focus Your Sales Team on the Right Effectiveness Metrics.
Keywords: Sales
Cespedes, Frank V. "How to Focus Your Sales Team on the Right Effectiveness Metrics." ChiefExecutive.net (September 19, 2014).
- Article
Sales Managers Must Manage
A common complaint from C-level executives about their sales colleagues concerns the latter’s ability to manage, not sell. Nearly every firm has examples of successful salespeople who are poor managers because they persist in their behaviors as reps rather than... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V. "Sales Managers Must Manage." Top Sales Magazine (February 2019).
- 30 Jun 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The Comprehensive Effects of Sales Force Management: A Dynamic Structural Analysis of Selection, Compensation, and Training
- Research Summary
The Effects of Firm Size and Sales Growth Rate on Inventory Turnover Performance in the U.S. Retail Sector
We review and extend recent academic literature on the inventory turnover performance of public-listed U.S. retailers using firm-level financial data. Past research has shown that there is a large variation in the inventory turnover performance of retailers across... View Details
- December 2017
- Article
Discordant vs. Harmonious Selves: The Effects of Identity Conflict and Enhancement on Sales Performance in Employee-Customer Interactions
By: Lakshmi Ramarajan, Nancy Rothbard and Steffanie Wilk
Across multiple studies, we examine how identity conflict and enhancement within people affect performance in tasks that involve interactions between people through two mechanisms: role-immersion, operationalized as intrinsic motivation, and role-taking,... View Details
Ramarajan, Lakshmi, Nancy Rothbard, and Steffanie Wilk. "Discordant vs. Harmonious Selves: The Effects of Identity Conflict and Enhancement on Sales Performance in Employee-Customer Interactions." Academy of Management Journal 60, no. 6 (December 2017): 2208–2238.
- 2024
- Working Paper
Fire Sales of Safe Assets
By: Gabor Pinter, Emil Siriwardane and Danny Walker
We use trade-level data to study price pressure effects in the UK gilt market from September to October 2022. During this period, forced sales by liability-driven investment funds (LDIs) led to price discounts on the order of 10%, accounting for roughly half the total... View Details
Pinter, Gabor, Emil Siriwardane, and Danny Walker. "Fire Sales of Safe Assets." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 25-015, September 2024.
- September 2024
- Article
Sales Coaching and Value Creation
Despite the prevalence of “coachability” in firms’ stated hiring criteria, managers over-estimate the amount of time they actually devote to coaching their people. For example, research indicates that only 15% of sales managers even spend as much as 25% of their time... View Details
Keywords: Competency and Skills; Employee Relationship Management; Management Practices and Processes
Cespedes, Frank V. "Sales Coaching and Value Creation." Top Sales Magazine (September 2024), 20–21.
- 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
Cespedes, Frank V. "Deployment, Focus, and Measuring Effectiveness." Harvard Business School Background Note 590-044, October 1989. (Revised November 2006.)
- October 1988 (Revised November 2006)
- Background Note
Aspects of Sales Management: An Introduction
Discusses certain general issues that affect sales-management requirements in most companies: 1) the nature of the salesperson's "boundary role" in the organization, and 2) the relevance and limits of compensation policies as a key means of affecting the salesperson's... View Details
Keywords: Salesforce Management
Cespedes, Frank V. "Aspects of Sales Management: An Introduction." Harvard Business School Background Note 589-061, October 1988. (Revised November 2006.)
- 20 Feb 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Where Should We Build a Mall? The Formation of Market Structure and Its Effect on Sales
- May 3, 2023
- Article
What Top-Performing Sales Managers Do Differently
By: Mike Schultz and Frank V. Cespedes
Sales managers hire reps, influence their training, provide (we hope) feedback and so reinforce good selling behaviors, and are key in the execution of growth and change initiatives. In a study of more than 1,000 sales managers and sellers across industries, we found... View Details
Schultz, Mike, and Frank V. Cespedes. "What Top-Performing Sales Managers Do Differently." TrainingIndustry.com (May 3, 2023).
- Article
Four Ways to Build a Productive Sales Culture
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Steven Maughan
This article distinguishes sales efficiency (SE) initiatives (e.g., CRM, training, and KPI dashboards) from sales optimization (SO) decisions (e.g., aligning sales tasks with business strategy, customer selection, and deployment of sales resources across... View Details
- November 2006 (Revised December 2006)
- Module Note
Personal Selling and Sales Management
Develop a better understanding of what salespeople do, what motivates them to succeed, and how to effectively manage their efforts. View Details
Keywords: Salesforce Management
"Personal Selling and Sales Management." Harvard Business School Module Note 507-039, November 2006. (Revised December 2006.)
- July 2012
- Case
El Paso's Sale to Kinder Morgan
By: John Coates, Clayton Rose and David Lane
On October 16, 2011, El Paso agreed to sell itself to Kinder Morgan for just over $21 billion. Shareholders filed suit, arguing that the process was tainted by conflict and that a higher price could be obtained. Delaware Chancellor Leo Strine agreed with the plaintiffs... View Details
Keywords: El Paso; Kinder Morgan; Goldman Sachs; Leo Strine; Conflicts Of Interest; Corporate Governance; Relationships; Lawsuits and Litigation; Energy Industry; Banking Industry; United States
Coates, John, Clayton Rose, and David Lane. "El Paso's Sale to Kinder Morgan." Harvard Business School Case 313-021, July 2012.
- March 1990 (Revised October 1999)
- Case
Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A)
By: Robert L. Simons and Hilary Weston
Describes the incentive system by which Mary Kay Cosmetics motivates the sales force of 200,000 independent agents who comprise the firm's only distribution channel. Illustrates the powerful effect on sales-force behavior that results when creative types of employee... View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Cost Management; Salesforce Management; Distribution Channels; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States
Simons, Robert L., and Hilary Weston. "Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A)." Harvard Business School Case 190-103, March 1990. (Revised October 1999.)
- 06 Jul 2015
- Research & Ideas
Money and Quotas Motivate the Sales Force Best
bonuses were equal in amount—500 rupees (about $7.80) per week, or roughly 27 percent of normal pay. Positioning a Sales Bonus The researchers set up an experiment to test the effectiveness of incentive pay... View Details
- 08 Sep 2014
- Research & Ideas
The Strategic Way To Hire a Sales Team
by relevant "experience," which is the most frequently used criterion by sales managers. In his new book, Aligning Strategy and Sales, Cespedes discusses why the gap is so common—and outlines View Details
Keywords: by Carmen Nobel
- February 2022
- Teaching Note
Magrabi: Fulfilling the Vision for the Future
By: John Beshears
Teaching Note for “Magrabi: Fulfilling the Vision for the Future” (Harvard Business School Case No. 920-009). View Details
- October 2023
- Article
Finding New Business and Developing Relevant Sales Capabilities
There are few alternatives to growth for most companies. It’s the rare firm whose goal involves getting smaller and, for employees, there is a strong correlation between their company’s growth rate, promotion opportunities, and job satisfaction. But a growth strategy... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V. "Finding New Business and Developing Relevant Sales Capabilities." Top Sales Magazine (October 2023), 24–25.