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What Makes a Good Salesman (HBR Classic)
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleDespite millions of dollars spent on combating the high turnover rate among insurance agents, the rate--approximately 50% within the first year and 80%... -
Salespeople Work Differently in Different Parts of the U.S., in 6 Charts
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleThey're happiest in the West and Northeast. -
A Checklist to Help You Grow Your Sales Team
Sales Digital ArticleSix factors to consider. -
The 8 Types of Salespeople
Sales & Marketing VideoOnly three are effective. -
Salespeople Need a Strategy for Selling to CEOs
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleHere's a three-part approach. -
The End of Solution Sales
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleIn recent decades sales reps have become adept at discovering customers' needs and selling them "solutions." This worked because customers didn't know... -
Major Sales: Who Really Does the Buying? (HBR Classic)
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleWhen is a buyer not really a buyer? How can the best product at the lowest price turn off buyers? Are there anonymous leaders who make the actual buying... -
How AI Can Help Sales Teams Craft More Personalized Pitches
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleHistorically, creating relevant messaging required a lot of leg work and research. New tools make it much easier. -
3 Ways to Motivate Your Sales Team — Without Stressing Them Out
Motivating people Digital ArticleDialing up the pressure to hit the numbers isn’t the answer. -
What Sales Teams Should Do to Prepare for the Next Recession
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleThe question is when the next downturn will hit, not whether it will. -
How Right Should the Customer Be?
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleIf your salespeople aren't sure who their boss is--the district manager? the regional manager? the customer?--it could be a sign that your company's sales... -
How to Shift from Selling Products to Selling Services
Sales & Marketing SpotlightOnly a few years ago, most software companies sold seat licenses for their products, charging customers on the basis of head count. But today, software... -
Sales Teams Need More (and Better) Coaching
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleHere's how to get started. -
How to Convince Your Sales Team to Adopt a Subscription Model
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleNearly 90% of subscription businesses are stable or growing right now. -
How to Sell New Products
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleSenior leaders have great confidence in their ability to develop innovations, say the authors, but not in their ability to commercialize them. This may... -
How to Predict Turnover on Your Sales Team
Sales team management Magazine ArticleIt’s not enough to know who your stars are. You need to make sure they don’t leave. -
Motivating Salespeople: What Really Works
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleNo sales force consists entirely of stars; sales staffs are usually made up mainly of solid performers, with smaller groups of laggards and rainmakers.... -
How Sales Teams Can Thrive in a Digital World
Sales Digital ArticleEmbrace change in these four areas. -
What Sets Top Sales Teams Apart
Sales & Marketing VideoFeaturing new research from Steve W. Martin of the University of California Marshall School of Business. -
3 Questions Sales Teams Should Ask After Losing (or Winning) a Deal
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleA quick retrospective can not only help sales, but also marketing, product, and finance teams.
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How AI Can Help Sales Teams Craft More Personalized Pitches
AI and machine learning Digital ArticleHistorically, creating relevant messaging required a lot of leg work and research. New tools make it much easier. -
How Middle Market Companies Can Avoid a Liquidity Crisis
Operations strategy Digital ArticleBy closing the loop between sales and operations, they can generate more cash and profits. -
Sellers Are Overwhelmed by New Technology
Sales Digital ArticleAccording to research, salespeople who feel overwhelmed by technology are 43% less likely to meet quota. -
3 Questions Sales Teams Should Ask After Losing (or Winning) a Deal
Sales and marketing Digital ArticleA quick retrospective can not only help sales, but also marketing, product, and finance teams. -
Using Sprints to Boost Your Sales Team’s Performance
Sales Digital ArticleThis technique, adopted from agile, can help sales teams achieve long-term strategy shifts, while still driving results. -
How to Boost Your Sales Reps’ Performance
Sales Magazine ArticleThere’s a delicate balance between finding potential customers and signing them up. -
B2B Sales Teams Can’t Afford to Ignore Midsize Customers
Sales Digital ArticleIn the U.S., it’s a $6 trillion opportunity that most large multinational companies fail to capture. -
A Digital Talent Hub Can Make Your Sales Team More Agile
Human resource management Digital ArticleConnecting existing systems that track applicants, onboard employees, and monitor performance can help improve your team’s productivity and performance. -
Setting Your B2B Sales Strategy in a Downturn
Sales Digital ArticleShifting mindsets create new risks — and new opportunities. -
Why Some of Your Salespeople Are Dragging — and How to Fix It
Sales and marketing Digital ArticleProactively addressing burnout will boost retention and performance. -
Adapting Your Sales Approach in a Downturn
Sales Digital ArticleThe right process can help you boost revenue, expand margins, and successfully launch new products — even in challenging economic times. -
How to Digitalize Your Sales Organization
Sales Magazine ArticleUse technology, data, and analytics to do it right. -
Stop Losing Sales to Customer Indecision
Behavioral science Digital ArticleA playbook to help sales reps nudge customers off the fence. -
Building a More Adaptable Sales Force
Sales Digital ArticleFour practices to help organizations evolve. -
Are Lonely Salespeople Costing You Customers?
Sales Digital ArticleIt’s more than an issue of morale. Research finds that loneliness could cause three behaviors that damage business performance. -
Is Your Sales Strategy Worth Scaling?
Sales team management Digital ArticleTrying to replicate a successful initiative can often be a waste of time and money — but sometimes it really can pay off. -
How B2B Businesses Can Get Omnichannel Sales Right
Digital transformation Digital ArticleBuyers expect the same level of service and flexibility as when they shop in their personal lives. -
Where Do Salespeople Fit in the Digital World?
Sales Digital ArticleWhen you need a human to close the deal — and when you don’t. -
Is Your Sales Team Struggling to Sell Solutions?
Sales and marketing Digital ArticleYour leadership team might be at the root of the problem. -
Avoid a One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Sales Coaching
Sales team management Digital ArticleHow to tailor your advice to your reps’ needs — and build a culture where they help each other.
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Leader as Coach: Restoring Employee Motivation and Performance (A)
Organizational Development Case Study8.95View Details Kiera, a young, enthusiastic sales rep, was recently promoted to manager of a sales team of five. In her first year on the job, she tackled a major revamp... -
Profiling at National Mutual (B)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Relates the expert system's pilot phase of implementation. -
Profiling at National Mutual (C)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Implementation is about to move into the limited deployment phase. -
Leader as Coach: Restoring Employee Motivation and Performance (B)
Organizational Development Case Study5.00View Details Kiera, a young, enthusiastic sales rep, was recently promoted to manager of a sales team of five. In her first year on the job, she tackled a major revamp... -
EnerNOC: Turning Energy Savings into Sales
Sales & Marketing Case Study8.95View Details EnerNOC - a clean energy company -- sells energy-monitoring, management and efficiency services to utility customers, who agree to reduce consumption... -
Drift: The First Sales Hire
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study8.95View Details David Cancel and Elias Torres, the co-founders of Drift, scaled their business to thousands of users and hundreds of thousands in revenue. However, they... -
Andreas Keller in China
Strategy & Execution Case Study8.95View Details Good morning Mr. Teichner, After having arrived well in China on May 9 and some intense experiences, observations, and conversations, I see the urgent... -
Arck Systems
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details The Arck Systems series of cases describes the dilemmas faced by a senior sales manager in determining a sales compensation plan at an enterprise software... -
"With the First Pick...": General Manager
Organizational Development Case Study8.95View Details In this exercise, students are put into the role of newly appointed general manager of an NFL team and must use the data provided to conduct draft research... -
Eureka Forbes Ltd.: Managing the Selling Effort (A) (Photonovel Version)
Sales & Marketing Case Study8.95View Details The CEO of EFL (India), a direct sales organization, must decide which changes to the sales compensation systems would better motivate his sales reps... -
Med-Mart: Transitioning the Business Model (A)
Sales & Marketing Case Study8.95View Details Peter Kelly became CEO of Med-Mart, a home health supply company, shortly after his search fund acquired it in 1993. Unfortunately, at the time of purchase,... -
Miles Everson at PricewaterhouseCoopers
Organizational Development Case Study8.95View Details Miles Everson, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is the Global Engagement Partner (GEP) for a large U.S. financial institution and about to take... -
Arck Systems (B)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study5.00View Details The Arck Systems series of cases describes the dilemmas faced by a senior sales manager in determining a sales compensation plan at an enterprise software... -
"With the First Pick...": Head Coach
Organizational Development Case Study8.95View Details In this exercise, students are put into the role of head coach of an NFL team and must use the data provided to conduct draft research and make a tentative... -
Purity Steel Corporation, 2012
Finance & Accounting Case Study8.95View Details Managers introduce a new performance evaluation system based on sales growth and return-on-investment (ROI). A branch manager wonders whether his new... -
Verona Group
Organizational Development Case Study8.95View Details Are a salesperson's struggles her own fault or the result of a problematic job design? Anna George works as a salesperson at Verona Group, a company that... -
Lakshmi Projects: Sales Structure Dilemma
Sales & Marketing Case Study8.95View Details In July 2014, the managing director of Lakshmi Projects in Delhi, India, finds himself struggling with the marketing and sales strategy for the year ahead.... -
Quaker Steel and Alloy Corp.
Organizational Development Case Study8.95View Details Lower middle-level manager is faced with the need to bring about a change in the call patterns of the sales force selling her product. Based on an earlier... -
Amagansett Funds (B)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
Entrepreneurial Sales and Marketing Vignettes
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study8.95View Details Which sales candidate is a startup's ideal first hire? What marketing channels are best to invest in? How aggressively should an executive team align...
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What Makes a Good Salesman (HBR Classic)
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleDespite millions of dollars spent on combating the high turnover rate among insurance agents, the rate--approximately 50% within the first year and 80%... -
Leader as Coach: Restoring Employee Motivation and Performance (A)
Organizational Development Case Study8.95View Details Kiera, a young, enthusiastic sales rep, was recently promoted to manager of a sales team of five. In her first year on the job, she tackled a major revamp... -
Profiling at National Mutual (B)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Relates the expert system's pilot phase of implementation. -
Battlefield Furniture Group, Inc., Teaching Note
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleTeaching Note for [UV0309]. -
Profiling at National Mutual (C)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Implementation is about to move into the limited deployment phase. -
Does Your Sales Team Know Your Strategy?
Sales & Marketing Audio20.18View Details Frank Cespedes, HBS professor and author of "Aligning Strategy and Sales," explains how to get the front line on board. -
Leader as Coach: Restoring Employee Motivation and Performance (B)
Organizational Development Case Study5.00View Details Kiera, a young, enthusiastic sales rep, was recently promoted to manager of a sales team of five. In her first year on the job, she tackled a major revamp... -
The Art and Science of Target Setting
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleThe recent economic crisis and the collapse of many financial institutions stand as living proof of the dangers of overly ambitious targets coupled with... -
EnerNOC: Turning Energy Savings into Sales
Sales & Marketing Case Study8.95View Details EnerNOC - a clean energy company -- sells energy-monitoring, management and efficiency services to utility customers, who agree to reduce consumption... -
Salespeople Work Differently in Different Parts of the U.S., in 6 Charts
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleThey're happiest in the West and Northeast.