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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(4,143)
- People (11)
- News (942)
- Research (2,749)
- Events (7)
- Multimedia (21)
- Faculty Publications (1,499)
- 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 View Details
Keywords: by Walter A. Friedman
- Article
Positioning Brands Against Large Competitors to Increase Sales
By: Neeru Paharia, Jill Avery and Anat Keinan
We explore the effect of having a large dominant competitor and show the conditions under which focusing on a competitive threat, rather than hiding it, can actually help a brand. We demonstrate through lab and field studies that highlighting a large competitor's size... View Details
Keywords: Brands; Brand Management; Brand Positioning; Competitive Positioning; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Air Transportation Industry; United States
Paharia, Neeru, Jill Avery, and Anat Keinan. "Positioning Brands Against Large Competitors to Increase Sales." Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 51, no. 6 (December 2014): 647–656. (Lead article.)
- June 2010 (Revised January 2011)
- Case
Scientific Glass Incorporated: Inventory Management
By: Steven C. Wheelwright and William Schmidt
Scientific Glassware is a fast-growing, privately held company that provides specialized glassware for laboratory and research facilities. Excess inventory is tying up extra capital needed to fund the company's expansion plans. The newly hired Manager of Inventory... View Details
Keywords: Inventory Control; Inventory Management; Materials Management; Order Processing; Warehousing; Salesforce Management; Logistics; Operations; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Finance; Consumer Products Industry; Technology Industry
Wheelwright, Steven C., and William Schmidt. "Scientific Glass Incorporated: Inventory Management." Harvard Business School Brief Case 104-208, June 2010. (Revised January 2011.)
- 22 Oct 2014
- News
Aligning Strategy and Sales with Frank Cespedes
- 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.
- 12 Feb 2013
- Working Paper Summaries
Do Bonuses Enhance Sales Productivity? A Dynamic Structural Analysis of Bonus-Based Compensation Plans
- 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 28, 2019
- Article
How to Make Your Sales Forecasts More Accurate
By: Lou Shipley
Companies need consistently accurate sales forecasts — but unfortunately they are rare. That’s because many companies fail to align their sales and marketing departments, and that alignment is a prerequisite for forecast accuracy. Companies can achieve better alignment... View Details
Shipley, Lou. "How to Make Your Sales Forecasts More Accurate." Harvard Business Review Digital Articles (August 28, 2019).
The Effects of Quota Frequency: Sales Performance and Product Focus
This study investigates the comprehensive and multidimensional effects of quota (goal) frequency on sales force performance. The study provides a theory of salespeople’s behavior—aggregate effort and the product type focus—in response to the temporal length of a... View Details
- 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.
- 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.
- 08 Oct 2020
- News
Sales Calls Have Gone Virtual, and AI Is Listening In
- 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).
- 17 Apr 2015
- News
A Driving Force for a Sustainable World
Fabienne Herlaut (MBA 1984) has strived for sustainability in the greater world and in her own life. The founder and managing partner of Ecomobilité Ventures, a 25 million multi-corporate venture fund based in France and committed to... View Details
- November 1992
- Case
PPG: Developing a Self-Directed Work Force (A)
By: David A. Garvin and Norman Klein
PPG has built a state-of-the-art glass plant in Berea, Kentucky. The plant is pursuing the goal of a "self-directed workforce." The case describes the progress to date and the unresolved issues faced by management. These include questions about shift rotation,... View Details
Keywords: Employees; Employee Relationship Management; Organizational Culture; Managerial Roles; Management Style
Garvin, David A., and Norman Klein. "PPG: Developing a Self-Directed Work Force (A)." Harvard Business School Case 693-020, November 1992.
- 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.
- 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 View Details
Keywords: by Carmen Nobel
- 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.
- 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).
- September 12, 2017
- Article
What's the Right Kind of Bonus to Motivate Your Sales Force?
By: Doug J. Chung and Das Narayandas
Companies typically compensate their sales force by using some combination of salary, commission, and bonuses, but executives are often unsure which incentives provide the best motivation. Should bonuses be tied to quotas or should they be given unconditionally? Is it... View Details
Chung, Doug J., and Das Narayandas. "What's the Right Kind of Bonus to Motivate Your Sales Force?" Harvard Business Review (website) (September 12, 2017).