Filter Results:
(4,143)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(4,143)
- People (11)
- News (942)
- Research (2,749)
- Events (7)
- Multimedia (21)
- Faculty Publications (1,499)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(4,143)
- People (11)
- News (942)
- Research (2,749)
- Events (7)
- Multimedia (21)
- Faculty Publications (1,499)
- October 2005 (Revised February 2006)
- Supplement
Sales Force Integration at FedEx (D)
Godes, David B. "Sales Force Integration at FedEx (D)." Harvard Business School Supplement 506-032, October 2005. (Revised February 2006.)
- January 1992
- Background Note
Managing Sales Interfaces: An Introduction
Concerns issues involved in coordinating sales efforts with product management and customer service activities. First, discusses environmental factors that increase integration requirements among these groups, and why these factors make the field sales force a crucial... View Details
Keywords: Product Marketing; Social Marketing; Multi-Sided Platforms; Groups and Teams; Salesforce Management
Cespedes, Frank V. "Managing Sales Interfaces: An Introduction." Harvard Business School Background Note 592-068, January 1992.
- 06 Jul 2015
- Research & Ideas
Money and Quotas Motivate the Sales Force Best
It's well understood that cash bonuses often motivate a sales force to step up its game, but they don't work in every scenario and in some cases can backfire, a new study from Harvard Business School has... View Details
- 06 Jul 2015
- News
Money and Quotas Motivate the Sales Force Best
- July 1977 (Revised April 1995)
- Background Note
Managing a Task Force
Describes several principles for improving the effectiveness of internal task forces. Suggests a number of guidelines for starting up a task force, conducting the first meeting, managing the group's activities, and completing the project. View Details
Ware, James P. "Managing a Task Force." Harvard Business School Background Note 478-002, July 1977. (Revised April 1995.)
- April 2006
- Case
Nutricia Middle East: Measuring Sales Force Effectiveness
Nutricia's Middle East and African region is transitioning from a trading to a customer focus. CEO Ernest Vandenbussche must decide how to market infant milk formula most effectively in a region where the information environment is much less rich than in other... View Details
Keywords: Management Teams; Salesforce Management; Customer Relationship Management; Emerging Markets; Nutrition; Performance Effectiveness; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Health Industry; Middle East; Africa
Martinez-Jerez, Francisco de Asis, and Rachel Sha. "Nutricia Middle East: Measuring Sales Force Effectiveness." Harvard Business School Case 106-063, April 2006.
- August 2013
- Teaching Note
Nutricia Middle East: Measuring Sales Force Effectiveness
By: F. Asis Martinez-Jerez
Nutricia's Middle East and African region is transitioning from a trading to a customer focus. CEO Ernest Vandenbussche must decide how to market infant milk formula most effectively in a region where the information environment is much less rich than in other... View Details
- April 2011
- Case
Designs by Kate: The Power of Direct Sales
By: John A. Deighton and Sarah Abbott
The sales representatives at Designs by Kate (DBK) sell private label jewelry at hosted parties and through online social media channels. They are also responsible for recruiting, training, and managing new sales reps. CEO and founder Kate Creevey designed the... View Details
Keywords: Direct Sales; Consumer Marketing; Marketing Management; Personal Selling; Sales Compensation; Sales Organization; Motivation and Incentives; Marketing Strategy; Salesforce Management; Performance; Compensation and Benefits; Apparel and Accessories Industry
Deighton, John A., and Sarah Abbott. "Designs by Kate: The Power of Direct Sales." Harvard Business School Brief Case 114-284, April 2011.
- March 1990 (Revised March 1992)
- Supplement
Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (B)
By: Robert L. Simons
Details the changes made to the VIP automobile plan. View Details
Simons, Robert L. "Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 190-122, March 1990. (Revised March 1992.)
- October 2004
- Case
Sales Force Training at Arrow Electronics (C)
Supplements the (A) case. View Details
Beaulieu, Nancy D., and Aaron Zimmerman. "Sales Force Training at Arrow Electronics (C)." Harvard Business School Case 905-043, October 2004.
- April 2014
- Article
The Cost of High-Powered Incentives: Employee Gaming in Enterprise Software Sales
By: Ian Larkin
This paper investigates the pricing distortions that arise from the use of a common non-linear incentive scheme at a leading enterprise software vendor. The empirical results demonstrate that salespeople are adept at gaming the timing of deal closure to take advantage... View Details
Keywords: Incentives; Motivation; Compensation; Gaming; Sales Force Management; Motivation and Incentives; Salesforce Management; Software; Compensation and Benefits; Information Technology Industry
Larkin, Ian. "The Cost of High-Powered Incentives: Employee Gaming in Enterprise Software Sales." Journal of Labor Economics 32, no. 2 (April 2014): 199–227.
- October 2004
- Case
Sales Force Training at Arrow Electronics (B)
By: Jason R. Barro, Brian J. Hall and Aaron Zimmerman
Supplements the (A) case. A rewritten version of an earlier supplement. View Details
Keywords: Human Resources; Compensation and Benefits; Recruitment; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Salesforce Management; Competition
Barro, Jason R., Brian J. Hall, and Aaron Zimmerman. "Sales Force Training at Arrow Electronics (B)." Harvard Business School Case 905-042, October 2004.
- January 2023 (Revised January 2023)
- Case
Belden and Digital Transformation: From Product Sales to Solutions Sales
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amy Klopfenstein
This case concerns the industrial automation division at Belden, a hardware manufacturer. While Belden historically sold products such as cables, wires, and other networking devices, EVP of Industrial Automation Ashish Chand recognized that IT vendors were entering the... View Details
Keywords: Implementation; Sales Cycle; Digital Transformation; Sales; Product Positioning; Business Model; Market Entry and Exit; Customer Focus and Relationships; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Supply and Industry; Technology Industry; North America; United States
Cespedes, Frank V., and Amy Klopfenstein. "Belden and Digital Transformation: From Product Sales to Solutions Sales." Harvard Business School Case 823-002, January 2023. (Revised January 2023.)
- March 7, 2024
- Article
Integrating Digital Tools into Every Stage of Your Sales Strategy
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Georg Krentzel
In their growth and customer-acquisition activities, most companies now face twin challenges: understanding and responding to omni-channel buying behavior and doing that without inadvertently decreasing sales productivity. Thirty years ago, Peter Drucker noted that... View Details
Keywords: Sales Management; Digital Tools; Sales; Marketing Channels; Technology Adoption; Brands and Branding
Cespedes, Frank V., and Georg Krentzel. "Integrating Digital Tools into Every Stage of Your Sales Strategy." Harvard Business Review (website) (March 7, 2024).
- Research Summary
Personal Selling and Sales Management
By: Das Narayandas
Das is currently investigating benchmark practices in personal selling and sales management across a variety of industries. He is also conducting field studies to understand how firms are leveraging interactive technologies to support their field sales efforts. View Details
- November 2014
- Case
Ardian—The Sale of Diana
By: Paul A. Gompers and Michael Roberts
The case focuses on a European private equity firm—Ardian—and the process it uses to sell one of its portfolio companies, and the decisions around that sale. Key issues include the choice of an auction or acceptance of a pre-emptive bid, and the role of the portfolio... View Details
Gompers, Paul A., and Michael Roberts. "Ardian—The Sale of Diana." Harvard Business School Case 215-033, November 2014.
- 1989
- Book
Sales Promotion Management
By: John A. Quelch
Quelch, John A. Sales Promotion Management. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1989. (Japanese translation, 1991.)
- April 2021
- Article
The Effects of Quota Frequency: Sales Performance and Product Focus
By: Doug J. Chung, Das Narayandas and Dongkyu Chang
This study investigates the comprehensive and multidimensional effects of quota (goal) frequency on sales force performance. We develop a theory of salespeople’s behavior—aggregate effort and the product type focus—in response to the temporal length of a sales-quota... View Details
Keywords: Sales Force Compensation; Field Experiment; Quotas; Quota Frequency; Commissions; Bonuses; Goals; Salesforce Management; Compensation and Benefits; Goals and Objectives; Behavior; Performance
Chung, Doug J., Das Narayandas, and Dongkyu Chang. "The Effects of Quota Frequency: Sales Performance and Product Focus." Management Science 67, no. 4 (April 2021): 2151–2170.
- September 2016 (Revised February 2017)
- Case
ZenRecruit: Sales Coaching and Performance Reviews
By: Mark Roberge
Amara Kaggwa leads the small but rapidly expanding sales team at ZenRecruit, a recruiting software application used by small businesses. Armed with six months of sales performance metrics, Kaggwa is preparing for her monthly performance conversations with two... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurial Marketing; Entrepreneurial Sales; Entrepreneurial Sales And Marketing; Marketing; Entrepreneurship; Sales
Roberge, Mark. "ZenRecruit: Sales Coaching and Performance Reviews." Harvard Business School Case 817-041, September 2016. (Revised February 2017.)
- 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).