Sales Force Retention - Publications - Faculty & Research

15 Nov 2010
Lessons from the Classroom

Connecting Goals and Go-To-Market Initiatives

important that firms have clear criteria for choosing customers. But most firms don't. When you look at their business plans and sales incentives, they are essentially saying to their salespeople, "Go forth and multiply!" And that's... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

01 Mar 2006
News

Back to School

resources department from a paper-pushing backwater to an entity that is strategically incorporated into the district’s overall mission. “One observation that we made early in PELP is that school systems have essentially not changed their personnel practices around... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Elementary and Secondary Schools; Educational Services

Mary Kay Ash

Ash created a successful cosmetics company by and for women by utilizing a direct sales force and creative motivational sales techniques. At the end of its first year, Mary Kay... View Details

Keywords: Personal Care & Home Products

28 Aug 2019
Blog Post

Know Your Audience: Recruiting HBS Students for Investment Banking

appealing for students who come from the armed forces and nontraditional business backgrounds who are seeking to build technical skills.” Banks offer excellent training opportunities for motivated students who bring valuable leadership... View Details

Thomas M. Siebel

Siebel founded his firm in 1993 as a provider of sales force automation systems. Though his firm quickly became a major player in sales force... View Details

Keywords: Computers & Electronics

22 Jun 2011
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Motivation

Dynamic Structural Analysis of Bonus-Based Compensation Plans Companies generally pay their sales staff with some combination of salary, commissions, and bonuses for meeting quotas—with sales View Details

Keywords: Re: Multiple Faculty

11 Jan 2000
Research & Ideas

Calling All Managers: How to Build a Better Call Center

companies pay more attention to outbound than inbound calls. "As financial institutions attempt to sell more to new or existing clients," they write, "they lose sight of customer service. As service drops, retention becomes... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Service; Financial Services

05 Feb 2013
First Look

First Look: Feb. 5

Compensation Plans Authors:Chung, Doug J., Thomas Steenburgh, and K. Sudhir Abstract We estimate a dynamic structural model of sales force response to a bonus based compensation plan. Substantively, the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Truman K. Gibson

In 1943, Gibson became head of Supreme Life Insurance, which had $53.8 million in industrial insurance policies in force. Gibson ushered in a solid seven years of growth and financial stability. Gibson’s sales View Details

Keywords: Finance

Bernard Marcus

employees that would revolutionize the home improvement market. As Home Depot grew, it surpassed competitors like Hechinger's and Lowe's, as well as forced the closing of Marcus and Blank's former employer. By the end of Marcus' tenure,... View Details

Keywords: Retail

01 Apr 2000
News

Rethinking Call Centers: Effective Delivery of Service is Key

that recent literature has discussed "various ways to steer customer interactions to sale opportunities," the authors assert that the topic of effective service delivery has almost entirely been overlooked. "Before being able to generate... View Details

01 Sep 2013
News

Passion & Purpose

expertise in technology was helpful because I didn't have preconceived notions of how things should be done.” Lee transformed a struggling software sales company into a global provider of IT products and services. Under her leadership,... View Details

Keywords: awards; Finance; Computer Systems Design and Related Services; Professional Services; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

26 Jul 2010
Research & Ideas

Yes, You Can Raise Prices in a Downturn

moment of truth, and success breeds attention and willingness to implement. Ben Shapiro: Then look at incentives. Pricing to reflect value-adding performance while paying the sales force for volume rarely... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail; Consumer Products

01 Jun 2016
News

Feedback

food, the health and safety of its consumers will fare better as well. All countries maintain their social fabric through food and family. Doug realized early on that food is fun, and food drives community and wellness. Enormous business opportunities had to follow... View Details

05 Dec 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, December 5, 2017

that we can thrive. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=53562 forthcoming Customer Needs and Solutions In Pursuit of Enhanced Customer Retention Management: Review, Key Issues, and Future Directions By:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

22 Jul 2014
Blog Post

From FIELD to Field, Putting What I’ve Learned at HBS into Practice

case protagonist’s shoes, trying to understand the motivations, pressures, and stakeholders influencing his/her decision making, I found myself standing in the shoes of our sales captains, sellers, and buyers. I View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Technology

26 Mar 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, March 26, 2019

engagement. In offices with high levels of employee engagement—with above-median rates of employee retention and willingness to log onto the training platform—each additional minute of average platform engagement per employee led to an... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

25 Aug 2022
News

Case Study: Sound Check

Hoffman-Senn. The founders have questions about a leap like this: How would they adapt to the sales cycles? How or when would larger clients affect their staffing structure and self-service platform? Are these worries even warranted?... View Details

Keywords: Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

Web

Boston Manufacturing Company Records | Baker Library

the Boston Associates. The company operated the first mill in the world to combine all aspects of the manufacture of cotton cloth under one roof. The company built its labor force by contracting with individual New England farm girls, who... View Details

Leland I. Doan

Doan was responsible for Dow Chemical’s greatest diversification and expansion. Doan began by delegating increased authority to department heads and building a larger sales force trained to become market and... View Details

Keywords: Chemicals & Industrial

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