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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(4,064)
- People (5)
- News (810)
- Research (2,691)
- Events (20)
- Multimedia (48)
- Faculty Publications (1,850)
- 2021
- Chapter
Digital Transformation and the Salesforce: Observations, Warnings, and Recommendations
By: Frank V. Cespedes
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.
- 21 May 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Incentives versus Reciprocity: Insights from a Field Experiment
Keywords: by Doug J. Chung & Das Narayandas
- November 2004 (Revised September 2019)
- Background Note
The U.S. Health Club Industry in 2004
By: John R. Wells, Gabriel Ellsworth and Benjamin Weinstock
In 2004, the $16.8 billion U.S. health club industry continued its strong record of growth. There were almost 27,000 health clubs in the United States, up from 6,700 two decades earlier, and these clubs claimed 41 million members, over 14% of the U.S. population.... View Details
Keywords: Health Clubs; Fitness; Gyms; Chain; Weight Loss; Obesity; Exercise; Personal Training; Bally Total Fitness; 24 Hour Fitness; YMCA; Gold's Gym; Curves; Franchise; Franchising; Subscription; Promotional Sales; Promotions; Fixed Costs; Body; Accrual Accounting; Revenue Recognition; Buildings and Facilities; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Trends; Customers; Demographics; Age; Income; Private Equity; Financing and Loans; Profit; Revenue; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Health; Nutrition; Business History; Employees; Retention; Human Capital; Working Conditions; Contracts; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Markets; Demand and Consumers; Supply and Industry; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Operations; Service Operations; Franchise Ownership; Private Ownership; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Sales; Salesforce Management; Situation or Environment; Opportunities; Nonprofit Organizations; Welfare; Sports; Strategy; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Consolidation; Corporate Strategy; Customization and Personalization; Expansion; Segmentation; Hardware; Health Industry; United States
Wells, John R., Gabriel Ellsworth, and Benjamin Weinstock. "The U.S. Health Club Industry in 2004." Harvard Business School Background Note 705-445, November 2004. (Revised September 2019.)
- September 1983 (Revised October 1984)
- Case
Syntex Laboratories (A)
A consulting project involving a mathematical model of the sales force indicates that Syntex Labs should nearly double the size of their sales force and drastically alter their allocation of sales effort to the product line and physician specialties. The questions are... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategic Planning; Salesforce Management; Pharmaceutical Industry
Clarke, Darral G. "Syntex Laboratories (A)." Harvard Business School Case 584-033, September 1983. (Revised October 1984.)
- November 1999 (Revised July 2003)
- Case
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.
By: Paul M. Healy and Jacob Cohen
Pre-Paid Legal Services' business model reveals two key issues--managing the sales force and sales growth and managing claims. Students analyze the economics of the business and consider how to measure firm performance, how to evaluate and reward the sales force, and... View Details
Keywords: Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Salesforce Management; Marketing Strategy; Accrual Accounting; Business Cycles; Forecasting and Prediction; Insurance; Business Growth and Maturation; Insurance Industry
Healy, Paul M., and Jacob Cohen. "Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 100-037, November 1999. (Revised July 2003.)
- March 2014
- Teaching Note
Andrew Sullivan and Faraway Ltd.
By: Frank V. Cespedes
Andrew Sullivan is an entrepreneur with an innovative product and impending sales calls on two important retail buyers. The (A) case provides information about Sullivan, his business, and the economics of his business model. The (B) and (C) cases provide information... View Details
- January 26, 2017
- Article
Executives and Salespeople Are Misaligned—and the Effects Are Costly
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Christopher Wallace
This article discusses the results of a survey of senior executives, middle managers, and sales people from companies across a variety of industries. The survey focused on questions about how well their companies’ strategies informed six critical elements of their... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V., and Christopher Wallace. "Executives and Salespeople Are Misaligned—and the Effects Are Costly." Harvard Business Review (website) (January 26, 2017).
- February 2016 (Revised June 2016)
- Case
Janalakshmi Financial Services' HR Dilemma
By: Doug J. Chung and Radhika Kak
Janalakshmi Financial Services (JFS), an Indian microfinance institution, had grown rapidly by providing financial products to its main customer base, the urban poor. However, the company was facing several challenges. JFS’s productivity was declining, and it was... View Details
Keywords: Microfinance; Salesforce Management; Compensation and Benefits; Sales; Strategy; Financial Services Industry
Chung, Doug J., and Radhika Kak. "Janalakshmi Financial Services' HR Dilemma." Harvard Business School Case 516-039, February 2016. (Revised June 2016.)
- November–December 2022
- Article
Can AI Really Help You Sell?: It Can, Depending on When and How You Implement It
By: Jim Dickie, Boris Groysberg, Benson P. Shapiro and Barry Trailer
Many salespeople today are struggling; only 57% of them make their annual quotas, surveys show. One problem is that buying processes have evolved faster than selling processes, and buyers today can access a wide range of online resources that let them evaluate products... View Details
Dickie, Jim, Boris Groysberg, Benson P. Shapiro, and Barry Trailer. "Can AI Really Help You Sell? It Can, Depending on When and How You Implement It." Harvard Business Review 100, no. 6 (November–December 2022): 120–129.
- August 2012
- Case
Jess Westerly at Kauflauf GmbH
By: John J. Gabarro and Colleen Kaftan
Jess Westerly is the assistant product owner of CRM applications for computer and office supply wholesalers and retailers at Kauflauf, a fast-growing provider of subscription enterprise software headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany. Only months into her job, outsider... View Details
Keywords: Applications and Software; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Leading Change; Behavior; Salesforce Management; Social and Collaborative Networks; Planning; Web Services Industry; Germany
Gabarro, John J., and Colleen Kaftan. "Jess Westerly at Kauflauf GmbH." Harvard Business School Brief Case 913-527, August 2012.
- May 2018
- Article
The Changing Craft of Selling
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Tiffani Bova
This article draws on two surveys: one with more than 3,100 sales professionals about trends affecting the role(s) of sales in their companies, and the other with over 7,000 consumer and business buyers about their expectations when dealing with sales people. The... View Details
- April 2010 (Revised July 2014)
- Case
Apple Inc. in 2010
By: David B. Yoffie and Renee Kim
On April 4, 2010, Apple Inc. launched the iPad, the company's third major innovation released over the last decade under its iconic CEO Steve Jobs. Apple's strategy of shifting its business into non-PC products had thrived so far, driven by the smashing success of the... View Details
Keywords: Technological Innovation; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Competition; Corporate Strategy; Computer Industry; Electronics Industry
Yoffie, David B., and Renee Kim. "Apple Inc. in 2010." Harvard Business School Case 710-467, April 2010. (Revised July 2014.)
- August 2017 (Revised November 2017)
- Case
VTS
By: Mark Roberge and Michael Roberts
The case raises issues around sales force deployment and management issues in the SaaS industry. Specifically, VTS sells a software product to the real estate industry and has designed a Go-to-Market strategy for what the founders perceive to be the unique... View Details
- June 2011
- Supplement
Arck Systems (F)
By: Ian Larkin
The Arck Systems series of cases describes the dilemmas faced by a senior sales manager in determining a sales compensation plan at an enterprise software company. The existing compensation plan is aggressive and highly rewards "star” performers. The cases track a... View Details
Larkin, Ian. "Arck Systems (F)." Harvard Business School Supplement 911-073, June 2011.
- November 1984 (Revised May 1989)
- Case
Wright Line, Inc. (A)
The Wright Line division of Barry Wright sells accessories used to store, protect, and provide access to computer media such as cards, tapes, and diskettes. With the explosive growth in the business computer market and the pronounced trend toward decentralized use, the... View Details
Corey, E. Raymond. "Wright Line, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 585-135, November 1984. (Revised May 1989.)
- May 2016
- Case
The Inexorable Rise of Walmart? 1988—2016
By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth
In October 2015, Walmart surprised investors by announcing that it expected flat sales growth for 2015 and growth of only 3% to 4% over the coming three years. Profits would also fall due to significant investments in people and technology. The company’s stock price... View Details
Keywords: Asda; Costco; David Glass; Convenience Stores; Discount Retailing; Dollar Stores; Doug McMillon; E-commerce; Online Retail; General Merchandise; Grocery; Lee Scott; Mike Duke; Multichannel Retailing; Omnichannel; Neighborhood Market; Sam Walton; Sam's Club; Store Formats; Supercenter; Supermarket; Warehouse Clubs; Merchandising; Walmart; Wal-Mart; Globalized Firms and Management; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Units; Business Divisions; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Film Entertainment; Television Entertainment; Banks and Banking; Price; Profit; Revenue; Food; Global Range; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Global Strategy; Business History; Compensation and Benefits; Employees; Human Capital; Labor Unions; Wages; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Management Succession; Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Distribution; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Labor and Management Relations; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Diversification; Expansion; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet; Mobile Technology; Online Technology; Web; Web Sites; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Distribution Industry; Banking Industry; United States; Arkansas; Bentonville
Wells, John R., and Gabriel Ellsworth. "The Inexorable Rise of Walmart? 1988—2016." Harvard Business School Case 716-426, May 2016.
- August 1983 (Revised May 2007)
- Case
Milford Industries (A)
By: Robert J. Dolan and Benson P. Shapiro
The new district sales manager for a tool company must determine how to get his district "back on track." The case presents various qualitative and quantitative information on the salespeople. Teaching objectives include the specification of the tasks of a district... View Details
Keywords: Managerial Roles; Salesforce Management; Resignation and Termination; Performance Evaluation
Dolan, Robert J., and Benson P. Shapiro. "Milford Industries (A)." Harvard Business School Case 584-012, August 1983. (Revised May 2007.)
- October 1989 (Revised November 2006)
- Background Note
Deployment, Focus, and Measuring Effectiveness
By: Frank V. Cespedes
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.)
- 12 Jan 2016
- News
Girl Scouts Take Cookies Online
- August 1996 (Revised October 1996)
- Case
Howard, Shea & Chan Asset Management(C): Recruiting and Selecting a Salesperson
Goes to the heart of the sales strategy issues by asking discussion participants to: 1) develop a salesperson recruiting process, 2) choose among four resumes, and 3) develop a sales compensation approach. View Details
Shapiro, Benson P. "Howard, Shea & Chan Asset Management(C): Recruiting and Selecting a Salesperson." Harvard Business School Case 597-023, August 1996. (Revised October 1996.)