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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(4,201)
- People (5)
- News (806)
- Research (2,672)
- Events (20)
- Multimedia (48)
- Faculty Publications (1,847)
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- July 1992
- Background Note
Managing Sales Interfaces: Organizational Factors
Keywords: Salesforce Management
Cespedes, Frank V. "Managing Sales Interfaces: Organizational Factors." Harvard Business School Background Note 593-001, July 1992.
- August 1985 (Revised December 1987)
- Case
Waters Chromatography Division: U.S. Field Sales (A)
Provides background information on the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) industry and the Waters Chromatography Division, an operation engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of HPLC instrument systems and chemical products. An overview of Waters'... View Details
Bonoma, Thomas V. "Waters Chromatography Division: U.S. Field Sales (A)." Harvard Business School Case 586-011, August 1985. (Revised December 1987.)
- 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.
- 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
- March 1990 (Revised October 1999)
- Case
Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A)
By: Robert L. Simons and Hilary Weston
Describes the incentive system by which Mary Kay Cosmetics motivates the sales force of 200,000 independent agents who comprise the firm's only distribution channel. Illustrates the powerful effect on sales-force behavior that results when creative types of employee... View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Cost Management; Salesforce Management; Distribution Channels; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States
Simons, Robert L., and Hilary Weston. "Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A)." Harvard Business School Case 190-103, March 1990. (Revised October 1999.)
- December 16, 2021
- Article
Avoid a One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Sales Coaching
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).
- 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
- February 2011 (Revised June 2013)
- Case
Businesses for Sale by Briggs Capital, 2010
By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff
Briggs Capital was a regional mergers and acquisitions advisory firm that helped owners to sell their small firms. The case presents a company that was for sale in the fall of 2010—a troubled manufacturer of post and beam style homes and log homes. Using the actual... View Details
Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Exit or Shutdown; Entrepreneurship; Financial Condition; Investment; Financial Services Industry; Boston
Ruback, Richard S., and Royce Yudkoff. "Businesses for Sale by Briggs Capital, 2010." Harvard Business School Case 211-088, February 2011. (Revised June 2013.)
- August 22, 2017
- Article
Find the Right Metrics for Your Sales Team
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Robert Marsh
This article reports the results of a survey of key performance indicators (KPIs) used by more than 800 sales groups across industries. The most common KPIs are closed deals and salesperson performance against quota, which, on average, firms measure monthly. But a... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V., and Robert Marsh. "Find the Right Metrics for Your Sales Team." Harvard Business Review (website) (August 22, 2017).
- 2022
- Chapter
Coordinating Marketing and Sales in B2B Organizations
This Handbook is targeted at academics and graduate students who want an overview of the academic state of the business-to-business marketing domain and at B2B practitioners who want to be aware of the current state of knowledge in their domains. This chapter examines... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V. "Coordinating Marketing and Sales in B2B Organizations." Chap. 7 in Handbook of Business-to-Business Marketing. 2nd ed. Edited by Gary L. Lilien, J. Andrew Petersen, and Stefan Wuyts, 117–137. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022.
- August 1988
- Background Note
Note on Sales Promotion Design
By: John A. Quelch
Quelch, John A. "Note on Sales Promotion Design." Harvard Business School Background Note 589-021, August 1988.
- June 1987
- Supplement
Sales Promotion Management, Video Index
By: John A. Quelch
Quelch, John A. "Sales Promotion Management, Video Index." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 587-108, June 1987.
- Article
Can Sales Promotion Go Global?
By: Kamran Kashani and John A. Quelch
Kashani, Kamran, and John A. Quelch. "Can Sales Promotion Go Global?" Business Horizons 33, no. 3 (May–June 1990): 37–43.
- August 9, 2022
- Article
Preparing Sales for a Changing Economy: Part 1
Companies spend more per capita on sales training than any other function, but the return on investment is disappointing. One recent estimate indicates “that 85-90% of sales training fails to translate into a lasting improvement in productivity.” A major reason is... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V. "Preparing Sales for a Changing Economy: Part 1." TrainingIndustry.com (August 9, 2022).
- January 2020 (Revised March 2020)
- Teaching Note
Commercial Sales Transformation at Microsoft
By: Doug J. Chung
Teaching Note for HBS No. 519-054. View Details
- May 1988
- Case
Capital Cities/ABC, Inc: Spot Sales
Cespedes, Frank V. "Capital Cities/ABC, Inc: Spot Sales." Harvard Business School Case 588-071, May 1988.
- 09 Aug 2018
- Cold Call Podcast
Two Million Fake Accounts: Sales Misconduct at Wells Fargo
- September–October 2016
- Article
What Senior Executives Should Know About Sales
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
Cespedes, Frank V. "What Senior Executives Should Know About Sales." European Business Review (September–October 2016): 10–13.
- February 2018
- Case
Rosslyn Resource: Monetization and Sales Strategy
By: Robert J. Dolan and Sunru Yong
Rosslyn Resource identifies exploration targets (potential mineral deposits) in the mining industry and advances them until the project can be monetized, usually through sale to a larger mining company, in return for an upfront fee and a royalty on future revenues.... View Details
Keywords: Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Business Model; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Mining Industry
Dolan, Robert J., and Sunru Yong. "Rosslyn Resource: Monetization and Sales Strategy." Harvard Business School Brief Case 918-509, February 2018.
- 22 Mar 2017
- Research & Ideas
What's the Ideal Frequency for a Sales Quota?
More frequent quotas can motivate underperforming sales reps. StockPhoto Personal selling is a key ingredient in making the American economy go. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 10 percent of the labor force in... View Details
Keywords: by Carmen Nobel