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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 (1,845)
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- October 2014
- Article
Putting Sales at the Center of Strategy
By: Frank Cespedes
Research indicates that relatively few firms execute their strategies effectively, and, on average, companies deliver just 50% to 60% of the financial performance that their strategies promise. One reason is a disconnect between strategic goals and field implementation... View Details
Cespedes, Frank. "Putting Sales at the Center of Strategy." Harvard Business Review 92, no. 10 (October 2014): 23–25.
- October 2005 (Revised February 2006)
- Supplement
Sales Force Integration at FedEx (B)
Godes, David B. "Sales Force Integration at FedEx (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 506-030, October 2005. (Revised February 2006.)
- 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.
- April 2019 (Revised January 2025)
- Case
Clear Link Technologies, LLC: Driving Sales with Peer Effects
By: Christopher Stanton, Richard Saouma and Olivia Hull
The importance of a good peer or coworker is widely discussed, but understanding the glue that makes coworkers valuable is less understood. This case sheds light on the importance of peers and the practices and environments that make a group greater than the sum of its... View Details
Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Interactive Communication; Experience and Expertise; Decision Making; Training; Design; Compensation and Benefits; Knowledge Acquisition; Knowledge Sharing; Human Capital; Working Conditions; Measurement and Metrics; Outcome or Result; Performance; Performance Improvement; Research; Sales; Salesforce Management; Motivation and Incentives; Telecommunications Industry; Utah; United States
Stanton, Christopher, Richard Saouma, and Olivia Hull. "Clear Link Technologies, LLC: Driving Sales with Peer Effects." Harvard Business School Case 819-072, April 2019. (Revised January 2025.)
- September 1996 (Revised April 1998)
- Case
Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution
By: Robert S. Kaplan
The general manager of a local gasoline/distillate sales and distribution business unit must communicate a new strategy to the unit's 300 employees. An initial strategic planning exercise identified a high-priority list of opportunities that blended the parent... View Details
Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Adoption; Strategic Planning; Customization and Personalization; Management Practices and Processes; Growth and Development Strategy; Measurement and Metrics; Motivation and Incentives; Performance Evaluation; Energy Industry; Mining Industry; United States
Kaplan, Robert S. "Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution." Harvard Business School Case 197-026, September 1996. (Revised April 1998.)
- August 2022 (Revised March 2025)
- Case
Wasabi Technologies (A)
By: N. Louis Shipley and Mel Martin
After launching a successful hot cloud storage company, Founder and CEO David Friend is ready to scale the venture rapidly. Wasabi Technologies had focused primarily on direct sales, but an opportunity to pivot to channel sales was on the horizon. The company’s major... View Details
Keywords: Direct Sales; Channel Sales; Information Management; Sales; Product Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Divisions; Information Technology Industry; United States
Shipley, N. Louis, and Mel Martin. "Wasabi Technologies (A)." Harvard Business School Case 823-021, August 2022. (Revised March 2025.)
- July 2017
- Article
The Four Stages to Becoming an Excellent Front-Line Sales Manager
Sales occupations account for more than 10% of the total U.S. labor force, and that official estimate is almost certainly low: In an increasingly service economy, many people who do business development for a living are not listed as “sales” for reporting purposes.... View Details
Keywords: Salesforce Management
Cespedes, Frank V. "The Four Stages to Becoming an Excellent Front-Line Sales Manager." Quotable (July 2017).
- 11 Jan 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Brokers and Order Flow Leakage: Evidence from Fire Sales
- 1991
- Chapter
Aspects of Sales Management: Key Themes
Cespedes, Frank V. "Aspects of Sales Management: Key Themes." In Strategic Marketing Management, by R. J. Dolan. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1991.
- 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.
- 10 Aug 2021
- Cold Call Podcast
The Science of Sales Conversations with Gong’s Amit Bendov
Keywords: Re: Alison Wood Brooks
- 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).
- 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 1992
- Background Note
Managing Sales Interfaces: Developments in Practice
Keywords: Salesforce Management
Cespedes, Frank V. "Managing Sales Interfaces: Developments in Practice." Harvard Business School Background Note 593-047, October 1992.
- 13 Apr 2007
- Working Paper Summaries
Incorporating Price and Inventory Endogeneity in Firm-Level Sales Forecasting
- October 1988 (Revised December 1989)
- Case
Siemens Electric Motor Works (B): Pricing Interdivisional Sales
Examines Siemens' policy for pricing products transferred between the manufacturing and sales divisions of their Electric Motor Works, where both are profit centers. It is unique in that the organizational linkage between the product costing system and the transfer... View Details
Keywords: Production; Price; Organizational Structure; Profit; Business Processes; Manufacturing Industry
Wruck, Karen. "Siemens Electric Motor Works (B): Pricing Interdivisional Sales." Harvard Business School Case 189-090, October 1988. (Revised December 1989.)
- May 1985 (Revised January 1986)
- Case
Cole National Corp. (D): Field Sales Organization
Cespedes, Frank V. "Cole National Corp. (D): Field Sales Organization." Harvard Business School Case 585-174, May 1985. (Revised January 1986.)
- February 2018
- Case
Qualtrics (A)
By: Doug J. Chung and James M. Lattin
Qualtrics was an online survey research platform and since the beginning, the company had relied entirely on an inside sales model—sales done remotely without face-to-face contact with clients. The low-cost inside sales model, along with an emphasis on a strong sales... View Details
Keywords: Sales Strategy; Inside Sales Model; Sales; Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation
Chung, Doug J., and James M. Lattin. "Qualtrics (A)." Harvard Business School Case 518-082, February 2018.
- September 1996
- Supplement
Howard, Shea & Chan Asset Management (D): Sales Presentation, Video
Presents a sales presentation, allowing students and executive participants to develop a set of criteria for such a presentation and apply them to a real one. View Details
Shapiro, Benson P. "Howard, Shea & Chan Asset Management (D): Sales Presentation, Video." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 597-501, September 1996.
- 21 Nov 2016
- Research & Ideas
It Matters That Your CEO Doesn't Know Much About Sales
CEOs need to roll up their sleeves and learn more about the customer-facing sides of their businesses, like sales. Source: AlexBrylov Let’s face it: To most C-suite executives, sales processes are often an afterthought or a somewhat... View Details
Keywords: by Michael Blanding