Publications

October 2013 (Revised April 2015)
Case

Myomo: Getting Sales in Motion

By: Frank V. Cespedes, Shikhar Ghosh and Matthew Preble

In late 2012, the management team of Myomo, a startup which had designed a unique myoelectric arm brace for patients with dysfunctional arms, was deciding which of the three sales models the company had tested to pursue as its sales strategy going forward. Each model... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Marketing Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Health Care and Treatment; Business Startups; Sales; Growth and Development Strategy; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Health Industry

12 PM – 1 PM EST, 11 Feb 2016
Webinars: Career

Sales Skills Everyone Needs

Are you a sales professional looking to break through the noise? Could you use some insight into leveraging social dynamics and modern persuasion techniques? Whether you are a seasoned sales rep looking to sharpen your skills, or an entrepreneur looking to unravel... View Details

01 Nov 1999
Research & Ideas

John H. Patterson and the Sales Strategy of the National Cash Register Company, 1884 to 1922

John H. Patterson created an intricate system of management to monitor and train company salesman. He gave them scripts to memorize and assigned them territory to cover. He held conventions and thematic sales contests, and pressured... View Details

Keywords: by Walter A. Friedman

Fast Answer

Entrepreneurial Sales

industry and company context. Very good for insider takes on companies. Books HOLLIS: Locate books and other resources available at Harvard libraries on marketing, sales, selling, and sales management. Cases HBS Case Requests... View Details

Article

From TV to Web: Content Strategies for Ads That Drive Online Sales

By: Thales S. Teixeira

Consumers have become avid media multitaskers, moving seamlessly between their TVs and digital devices. Shorter TV commercials have reduced both the quantity and quality of consumer attention during prime-time viewing hours. In this new media environment, can TV... View Details

Keywords: TV Advertising; Multitasking; Infotainment; Television; Prime Time; Advertising; Online Advertising; Advertising Industry

Read Now

August 2016 (Revised June 2017)
Case

Oversight Systems

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amram Migdal

The case, set in May 2016, discusses sales strategy and managing sales and service at Oversight Systems, an Atlanta, Georgia–based software firm that developed analytics for organizations to monitor their data for errors, fraud, and operational inefficiencies. Included... View Details

Keywords: Sales; Sales Strategy; Entrepreneurial Sales; Entrepreneurial Sales And Marketing; Software Sales; Marketing; Marketing Management; Pricing; Salesforce Management; Distribution Channels; Marketing Strategy; Technology Industry; North America; United States; Atlanta; Georgia (state, US)

08 Sep 2014
Research & Ideas

The Strategic Way To Hire a Sales Team

Too often, there's a huge gap between a company's overall business strategy and the way its salesforce operates in the field. In fact, says Frank V. Cespedes, articles and books about strategy rarely take... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

May 1985
Supplement

Quaker Oats Co.: Field Sales Force Strategy and Management, R. Balsbaugh Interview, Video

By: John A. Quelch

Find at Harvard

09 Dec 2011
News

Harvard program puts focus back on sales

27 Oct 2002
Research & Ideas

Want a Happy Customer? Coordinate Sales and Marketing

cooperate, the company's strategy will be inconsistent and weak.— Benson Shapiro If marketing and sales do not cooperate, the company's strategy will be inconsistent and weak;... View Details

Keywords: by Benson Shapiro

01 Apr 1998
News

Deals For Sale

often become obsolete in as little as six months, a firm can seldom predict accurately how much of its inventory will actually sell. A company like Compaq, for example, may suddenly find itself with three thousand extra modems on hand. "That's where we come in," says... View Details

Keywords: Judith A. Ross

July 2020
Technical Note

Digital Natives Growing Without a Sales Force

By: Das Narayandas, Michael Norris and Amram Migdal

This brief case describes the rise of so-called digital natives (also called born-in-digital) in the 2000s and 2010s that successfully grew without a sales force. The case highlights the emergence of business-to-business Internet and cloud-based companies and their... View Details

26 Jun 2024
News

The Pivitol Alignment between Strategy and Sales - Frank Cespedes, Senior Lecturer at Harvard

01 Mar 2010
News

Slum for Sale

A NEW VIEW: Slums occupy valuable real estate in India. Photo courtesy HBS India Research Center Located in Mumbai, India, Dharavi is home to an estimated 700,000 people living on just 551 acres. Featured in the 2008 Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, Dharavi... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development; Government

02 Oct 2014
News

Does Your Sales Team Know Your Strategy?

22 Mar 2022
News

Frank from Harvard Talks Sales

27 Jan 2022
News

Getting The Sales You Need With Frank Cespedes

September–October 2016
Article

What Senior Executives Should Know About Sales

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Business is more complex, data more abundant, and more specialists are needed to stay up-to-date with functional best practices. As a senior executive, you can worry all you want about disruption, but you need a salesforce aligned with strategy to do something about... View Details

Keywords: Salesforce Management; Management Teams

Register to Read

October 2005 (Revised February 2008)
Case

Sales Force Integration at FedEx (A)

By: David B. Godes

Federal Express' (FedEx) recent acquisition of RPS--a ground delivery firm--gave the firm the potential to offer a single source for a client's delivery needs. However, to deliver on this potential, the firm needed to deliver the integrated solution through a single... View Details

Keywords: Horizontal Integration; Salesforce Management; Transportation; Compensation and Benefits; Transportation Industry