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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(4,207)
- People (5)
- News (806)
- Research (2,676)
- Events (20)
- Multimedia (48)
- Faculty Publications (1,849)
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- 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 sales into consideration at all.... View Details
Keywords: by Carmen Nobel
- June 1987
- Supplement
Sales Promotion Management, Video
By: John A. Quelch
Quelch, John A. "Sales Promotion Management, Video." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 887-537, June 1987.
- Article
Aligning Strategy and Sales
By: Frank V. Cespedes
Much current opinion asserts that strategy is less important (and may, in fact, be an impediment) in an era of constant change. This publication discusses why claims about business change are often overstated and misunderstood, why strategy is even more important as... View Details
- July–August 2014
- Article
How 'Brand Tourists' Can Grow Sales
By: Silvia Bellezza and Anat Keinan
The article discusses how exclusive brands can increase their sales by moving "downmarket" without diminishing their prestige or alienating existing customers. The authors suggest various ways to cater to new, non-core customers in a way that differentiates the... View Details
Bellezza, Silvia, and Anat Keinan. "How 'Brand Tourists' Can Grow Sales." Harvard Business Review 92, nos. 7/8 (July–August 2014): 28.
- November 2005
- Background Note
Note on Personal Selling and Sales Management
By: Thomas J. Steenburgh and Das Narayandas
Provides the background materials for the Sales Module in the first-year marketing course taught at HBS. View Details
- 22 Oct 2019
- Research & Ideas
Use Artificial Intelligence to Set Sales Targets That Motivate
Setting the right sales targets for employees is a difficult balancing act, with long-term consequences on growth and morale. Setting a target too low, making it easily achievable, might cause an an employee to not put in the effort.... View Details
Keywords: by Michael Blanding
- August 1985 (Revised August 1987)
- Supplement
Waters Chromatography Division: U.S. Field Sales (B)
Presents a sequel to the (A) case, which features a diary-style account of "a day in the field" with Ray Burnett, a field sales representative for Waters Chromatography Division. View Details
Bonoma, Thomas V. "Waters Chromatography Division: U.S. Field Sales (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 586-012, August 1985. (Revised August 1987.)
- 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
- 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
Keywords: Government Administration; Crisis Management; Health; Health Pandemics; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Social Issues; Information Technology; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Technology Adoption; Information Technology Industry; Australia; North and Central America; United States; Illinois; Chicago; California; San Francisco
Narayandas, Das, Michael Norris, and Amram Migdal. "Digital Natives Growing Without a Sales Force." Harvard Business School Technical Note 521-019, July 2020.
- summer 1992
- Article
Sales Coordination: An Exploratory Study
By: Frank V. Cespedes
Keywords: Sales
Cespedes, Frank V. "Sales Coordination: An Exploratory Study." Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management 12 (summer 1992): 13–29.
- July 1992
- Background Note
Managing Sales Interfaces: Organizational Factors
By: Frank V. Cespedes
Keywords: Salesforce Management
Cespedes, Frank V. "Managing Sales Interfaces: Organizational Factors." Harvard Business School Background Note 593-001, July 1992.
- May 1988 (Revised July 1989)
- Case
Chicago Bond Sales Department
Donnellon, Anne. "Chicago Bond Sales Department." Harvard Business School Case 488-020, May 1988. (Revised July 1989.)
- 27 Oct 2002
- Research & Ideas
Want a Happy Customer? Coordinate Sales and Marketing
To other functional departments such as finance and operations, the sales and marketing functions look alike. After all, they are both "outward looking," focused on the customer and the market. But, creating a strong marketing... View Details
Keywords: by Benson Shapiro
- December 16, 2021
- Article
Avoid a One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Sales Coaching
By: Frank V. Cespedes
Coaching sales reps is about clarifying relevant behaviors and whether the issue is motivation or ability. Some reps may work hard, but lack certain capabilities while others demonstrate capability but seemingly lack motivation or effort. Good coaching helps to clarify... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V. "Avoid a One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Sales Coaching." Harvard Business Review Digital Articles (December 16, 2021).
- 2022
- Chapter
Coordinating Marketing and Sales in B2B Organizations
By: Frank V. Cespedes
This chapter focuses on the topic of coordinating marketing and sales in Business-to-Business (B2B) organizations. It provides an historical overview, indicating that this is not a new issue facing firms, that the business press has outlined a recurring set of... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V. "Coordinating Marketing and Sales in B2B Organizations." In Handbook of Business-to-Business Marketing, edited by Gary L. Lilien and Rajdeep Grewal. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012.
- May 2011
- Case
Baria Planning Solutions, Inc.: Fixing the Sales Process
By: Steven C. Wheelwright and William Schmidt
Baria Planning Solutions (BPS) is a consulting firm that specializes in using spend analysis to help companies identify savings through reduced procurement costs and improved supplier performance. Management is concerned about the disappointing performance of the sales... View Details
Keywords: Quantitative Analysis; Technology; Operations Management; Product Lines; Manufacturing; Capacity Planning; Production Planning; Production; Management Practices and Processes; Service Operations; Supply Chain Management; Salesforce Management; Planning; Consulting Industry; North and Central America
Wheelwright, Steven C., and William Schmidt. "Baria Planning Solutions, Inc.: Fixing the Sales Process." Harvard Business School Brief Case 114-568, May 2011.
- February 1990 (Revised March 1992)
- Supplement
Automobile Dealer Sales and Service: Critical Incidents
To be used in conjunction with Ford Motor Co.: Dealer Sales and Service. View Details
Schlesinger, Leonard A. "Automobile Dealer Sales and Service: Critical Incidents." Harvard Business School Supplement 690-061, February 1990. (Revised March 1992.)
- January 2021 (Revised March 2021)
- Supplement
E-Commerce Analytics for CPG Firms (A): Estimating Sales
By: Ayelet Israeli and Fedor (Ted) Lisitsyn
The E-Commerce Analytics group at the traditional CPG firm was in charge of compiling various online sales reports, as well as making data-driven recommendations for sales and marketing tactics. In a series of exercises, students address different data challenges for... View Details
Keywords: Data Analysis; Data Analytics; CPG; Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG); Estimation; Online Channel; Retail Analytics; Retail; Retailing Industry; Data; Data Sharing; Bricks And Mortar; Ecommerce; Analytics and Data Science; Analysis; Sales; Goods and Commodities; Retail Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States