Filter Results:
(2,417)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(2,417)
- People (4)
- News (410)
- Research (1,773)
- Events (4)
- Multimedia (13)
- Faculty Publications (1,059)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(2,417)
- People (4)
- News (410)
- Research (1,773)
- Events (4)
- Multimedia (13)
- Faculty Publications (1,059)
- 27 Oct 2002
- Research & Ideas
Want a Happy Customer? Coordinate Sales and Marketing
service lines, market segments, and competitive positioning. Marketing did the thinking, managed the brand and consumer franchise in consumer goods companies, and provided support to the sales force. In this... View Details
Keywords: by Benson Shapiro
- November 1989 (Revised February 1992)
- Case
Ford Motor Co.: Dealer Sales and Service
Since Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Co., Ford vehicles have been sold and serviced the same way. By the late 1980s Ford began to consider making changes in its sales and service process. Two developments forced Ford to reconsider these processes. First, Ford found... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Distribution Channels; Customer Focus and Relationships; Service Industry; Auto Industry; Retail Industry; United States
Schlesinger, Leonard A. "Ford Motor Co.: Dealer Sales and Service." Harvard Business School Case 690-030, November 1989. (Revised February 1992.)
- December 15, 2015
- Article
Don't Turn Your Sales Team Loose Without a Strategy
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Steve Thompson
When formulating a strategy, markets and segments are typically important categories. But only customers buy. Hence, for most firms, de facto strategy and much resource allocation are the aggregate result of the deals their salespeople close. However, few firms clarify... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V., and Steve Thompson. "Don't Turn Your Sales Team Loose Without a Strategy." Harvard Business Review (website) (December 15, 2015).
- November 2014 (Revised February 2016)
- Case
DoubleDutch
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Matthew G. Preble
Lawrence Coburn and Pankaj Prasad, co-founders of the event solution startup DoubleDutch, have to make a significant decision about their young company's sales function. DoubleDutch's key product was a mobile application (app) and event management platform that... View Details
Keywords: Sales Management; Selling; Marketing Management; Strategy Implementation; Business Marketing; Sales Force Management; Salesforce Management; Marketing; Sales; Marketing Strategy; Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Technology Industry; United States; Europe; Asia
Cespedes, Frank V., and Matthew G. Preble. "DoubleDutch." Harvard Business School Case 815-044, November 2014. (Revised February 2016.)
- June 2013 (Revised August 2017)
- Case
Coupa
By: Michael Roberts and William Sahlman
The case describes the growth of Coupa, a software as a service platform for procurement / expense management. The issues in the case are around how fast to grow and how to finance that growth. The case includes a detailed financial model that will help students... View Details
- 22 Mar 2017
- Research & Ideas
What's the Ideal Frequency for a Sales Quota?
spend more than $800 billion annually on those efforts. Sales compensation plans are at the center of all this activity, the primary tool managers use to motivate and incentivize salespeople. View Details
Keywords: by Carmen Nobel
- 13 Apr 2007
- Working Paper Summaries
Incorporating Price and Inventory Endogeneity in Firm-Level Sales Forecasting
- 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.
- March 1998 (Revised June 1999)
- Case
DigitalThink: Building a Sales Force
By: Michael J. Roberts, Joseph B. Lassiter III and Christina L. Darwall
A broad set of issues faces a young company in the Internet-based training business as it begins to sell its product to corporate customers. Issues include: profile of attractive candidates, compensation, definition of territory, definition of quotas, and role of... View Details
Roberts, Michael J., Joseph B. Lassiter III, and Christina L. Darwall. "DigitalThink: Building a Sales Force." Harvard Business School Case 898-193, March 1998. (Revised June 1999.)
- 08 Oct 2020
- News
Sales Calls Have Gone Virtual, and AI Is Listening In
- January 2021
- Article
Sales Hiring Is Hard to Do (Don't Make It Harder)
In the aggregate, hiring in sales is more expensive than many companies’ cap-ex decisions. But it rarely gets the same attention and companies fail to deal with challenges inherent in sales hiring. Unlike many other business functions, there is no easily identified... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V. "Sales Hiring Is Hard to Do (Don't Make It Harder)." Top Sales Magazine (January 2021), 38–39.
- January 2018
- Case
Ak Gıda: IPO or Strategic Sale
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Eren Kuzucu
In 2015, Yıldiz Holding, one of the world’s largest producer of confections, biscuits and crackers, was at the end of its divestiture process from Ak Gida, one of the leading dairy companies in Turkey. The company had adopted a dual track process, pursuing an initial... View Details
Keywords: Valuation; Private Sector; For-Profit Firms; Business Model; Business Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Growth and Development Strategy; Value Creation; Decision Making; Growth Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Initial Public Offering; Business Conglomerates; Business Exit or Shutdown; Family Business; Joint Ventures; Food and Beverage Industry; Turkey
Srinivasan, Suraj, and Eren Kuzucu. "Ak Gıda: IPO or Strategic Sale." Harvard Business School Case 118-036, January 2018.
- 06 Jul 2015
- Research & Ideas
Money and Quotas Motivate the Sales Force Best
the company wants to smooth out its sales, it should put high performers in areas with high seasonal fluctuation, he says. If the company is giving an unconditional gift, sales managers should expect to see... View Details
- April 2017
- Article
How Sales Can Wield Its Most Effective Weapon: Pricing
This article discusses certain core ways that sales people can use, but sometimes abuse, pricing authority and the implications for effective sales management. View Details
Cespedes, Frank V. "How Sales Can Wield Its Most Effective Weapon: Pricing." Quotable (April 2017).
- October 2004
- Case
Sales Force Training at Arrow Electronics (A)
By: Jason R. Barro, Brian J. Hall and Aaron Zimmerman
In the mid-1980s, Arrow, the world's largest electronics distributor, implemented a college recruiting program to hire salespeople. The program was part of an effort to increase the professionalism and skill set of the sales force in an industry where few salespeople... View Details
Keywords: Human Resources; Compensation and Benefits; Recruitment; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Salesforce Management; Competition
Barro, Jason R., Brian J. Hall, and Aaron Zimmerman. "Sales Force Training at Arrow Electronics (A)." Harvard Business School Case 905-041, October 2004.
- October 2013 (Revised November 2013)
- Case
Blackstone and the Sale of Citigroup's Loan Portfolio
By: Victoria Ivashina and David Scharfstein
The credit boom that preceded the 2007-2009 financial crisis led to several lending practices that exposed banks to large risks. In particular, when the financial crisis unraveled, there were several billion dollars' worth of leveraged buyout (LBO) loans that were... View Details
Keywords: Restructuring; Private Equity; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Credit Derivatives and Swaps; Financial Markets; Investment; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry
Ivashina, Victoria, and David Scharfstein. "Blackstone and the Sale of Citigroup's Loan Portfolio." Harvard Business School Case 214-037, October 2013. (Revised November 2013.)
- October 2023
- Article
Finding New Business and Developing Relevant Sales Capabilities
There are few alternatives to growth for most companies. It’s the rare firm whose goal involves getting smaller and, for employees, there is a strong correlation between their company’s growth rate, promotion opportunities, and job satisfaction. But a growth strategy... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V. "Finding New Business and Developing Relevant Sales Capabilities." Top Sales Magazine (October 2023), 24–25.
- September 24, 2024
- Article
4 Steps That Can Optimize Your Sales Process
By: Frank V. Cespedes, Scott Peterson and Daniel Weinfurter
Sales is a performance art where outcomes matter, so most advice here focuses on closing the sale. But a close is the result of actions and choices that occur earlier in the process: how much time and effort to spend on customer discovery (understanding what and to... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V., Scott Peterson, and Daniel Weinfurter. "4 Steps That Can Optimize Your Sales Process." Harvard Business Review (website) (September 24, 2024).
- October 1989
- Background Note
Aspects of Sales Management: Key Themes
Keywords: Salesforce Management
Cespedes, Frank V. "Aspects of Sales Management: Key Themes." Harvard Business School Background Note 590-042, October 1989.
- December 1994 (Revised December 1994)
- Case
Physician Sales and Service, Inc. (A): June 1992
A medical products distribution company faces strategic opportunities and challenges in a rapidly changing market. Physician Sales and Service (PSS), founded by Patrick Kelly in 1983, operates in 20 states in the United States and intends to expand to 50 states by... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Distribution Industry
Bhide, Amar, and Jay Dial. "Physician Sales and Service, Inc. (A): June 1992." Harvard Business School Case 395-066, December 1994. (Revised December 1994.)