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Show Results For
-
All HBS Web
(776)
- News (140)
- Research (535)
- Events (1)
- Multimedia (1)
- Faculty Publications (195)
- May 2020
- Article
Sales Leadership During and After the Crisis
Because customer acquisition and retention are the lifeblood of a for-profit enterprise, sales activities establish foundational conditions for a business. In turn, sales managers’ responsibilities in a crisis extend beyond keeping the lights on. Their leadership makes...
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Cespedes, Frank V. "Sales Leadership During and After the Crisis." Top Sales Magazine (May 2020), 28–29.
- 08 Sep 2014
- Research & Ideas
The Strategic Way To Hire a Sales Team
equivalent of the entire sales force must be replaced at many firms every four years or so. And the time frame shrinks if and when companies increase revenue targets. So while strategy should drive search...
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Keywords:
by Carmen Nobel
- July 9, 2019
- Article
Setting Better Sales Goals with Analytics
By: Doug J. Chung, Isabel Huber, Vinay Murthy, Varun Sunku and Marije Weber
Sales compensation is a critical lever in motivating a salesforce and driving growth in the business-to-business sector: Studies show that revising compensation in line with market trends can have a 50% greater impact on sales than advertisements have, for instance. A...
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Keywords:
Analytics;
Salesforce Management;
Compensation and Benefits;
Motivation and Incentives;
Goals and Objectives
Chung, Doug J., Isabel Huber, Vinay Murthy, Varun Sunku, and Marije Weber. "Setting Better Sales Goals with Analytics." Harvard Business Review (website) (July 9, 2019).
- 09 Jul 2019
- News
Setting Better Sales Goals with Analytics
- 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...
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- Program
Aligning Strategy and Sales
marketing, HR, finance, service, or general management Executives in business-to-business product or service companies—or business units of large enterprises—that depend on a direct sales force for all or...
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- 20 Dec 2022
- Op-Ed
Employee Feedback: The Key to Retention During the Great Resignation
are honest conversations conducted so as not to go off the rails? We find that a face-to-face conversation between senior management and a task force of eight or so people who have interviewed 100 employees throughout the organization...
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by Michael Beer
- April 2018
- Article
Effective Sales Training: What Are the Foundational Elements?
Across industries, turnover in sales positions averages about 25–30% annually. This means that, at many firms, the equivalent of the entire sales force must be replaced and trained every four years or so. No other function has an ongoing talent management task of that...
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Cespedes, Frank V. "Effective Sales Training: What Are the Foundational Elements?" Top Sales Magazine (April 2018), 22–23.
- 08 Sep 2014
- News
The Strategic Way To Hire a Sales Team
- 2015
- Working Paper
Incentives versus Reciprocity: Insights from a Field Experiment
By: Doug J. Chung and Das Narayandas
We conduct a field experiment in which we vary the sales force compensation scheme at an Asian enterprise that sells consumer durable goods. With variation generated by the experimental treatments, we model sales force performance to identify the effectiveness of...
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Keywords:
Sales Force Compensation;
Field Experiment;
Heterogeneity;
Loss Aversion;
Reciprocity;
Motivation and Incentives;
Salesforce Management;
Compensation and Benefits
Chung, Doug J., and Das Narayandas. "Incentives versus Reciprocity: Insights from a Field Experiment." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 15-084, April 2015. (Revised November 2015.)
- August 2017
- Article
Incentives versus Reciprocity: Insights from a Field Experiment
By: Doug J. Chung and Das Narayandas
We conduct a field experiment in which we vary the sales force compensation scheme at an Asian enterprise that sells consumer durable goods. With variation generated by the experimental treatments, we model sales force performance to identify the effectiveness of...
View Details
Keywords:
Sales Force Compensation;
Field Experiment;
Heterogeneity;
Loss Aversion;
Reciprocity;
Salesforce Management;
Compensation and Benefits
Chung, Doug J., and Das Narayandas. "Incentives versus Reciprocity: Insights from a Field Experiment." Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 54, no. 4 (August 2017): 511–524. (Lead article.)
- 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...
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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.)
- 18 Feb 2015
- News
Reinvent Your Sales Process While Still Hitting Your Numbers
- Program
Managing Sales Teams and Distribution Channels
motivating your sales force Build strong relationships with distribution partners Harness data and technology to optimize your strategy Manage tensions between channels Expand your personal and professional...
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- 19 Nov 2010
- Working Paper Summaries
Do Bonuses Enhance Sales Productivity? A Dynamic Structural Analysis of Bonus-Based Compensation Plans
- Research Summary
Overview
Dr. Burch’s research focuses on capitalism, work, and gender in the twentieth-century United States. Her work reinterprets the history of direct selling by placing it at the center, rather than on the margins, of narratives about advanced capitalism. Examining the...
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- 22 Oct 2019
- Research & Ideas
Use Artificial Intelligence to Set Sales Targets That Motivate
is a writer based in the Boston area. [Image: stock_colors] Related Reading What's the Ideal Frequency for a Sales Quota? Money and Quotas Motivate the Sales Force Best Why...
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by Michael Blanding
- 27 Oct 2002
- Research & Ideas
Want a Happy Customer? Coordinate Sales and Marketing
Pricing, product customization, and service customization cannot be entrusted to either group alone. The impact on economics, the whole account base, and corporate strategy require an integrated approach. At the small account end, the View Details
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by Benson Shapiro
- Article
Your Sales Training Is Probably Lackluster. Here's How to Fix It
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Yuchun Lee
U.S. companies spend over $70 billion annually on training and an average of $1,459 per salesperson—almost 20% more than they spend on workers in all other functions. Yet, when it comes to equipping sales teams with relevant knowledge and skills, the ROI of sales...
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Cespedes, Frank V., and Yuchun Lee. "Your Sales Training Is Probably Lackluster. Here's How to Fix It." Harvard Business Review (website) (June 12, 2017).
- 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...
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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.)