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  • October 2004
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Sales Force Training at Arrow Electronics (A)

By: Jason R. Barro, Brian J. Hall and Aaron Zimmerman
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:14
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Abstract

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 had college degrees. After an expensive and thorough training program, many of the new college grads hired were poached by Arrow's competitors for higher salaries. Arrow was ultimately unsuccessful in persuading the college grads to stay, and the recruiting program ended after five years. In 1997, CEO Steve Kaufman decided to start a new college recruiting program, determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past. A rewritten version of an earlier case.

Keywords

Human Resources; Compensation and Benefits; Recruitment; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Salesforce Management; Competition

Citation

Barro, Jason R., Brian J. Hall, and Aaron Zimmerman. "Sales Force Training at Arrow Electronics (A)." Harvard Business School Case 905-041, October 2004.
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About The Author

Brian J. Hall

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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Related Work

    • October 2004
    • Faculty Research

    Sales Force Training at Arrow Electronics (B)

    By: Jason R. Barro, Brian J. Hall and Aaron Zimmerman
Related Work
  • Sales Force Training at Arrow Electronics (B) By: Jason R. Barro, Brian J. Hall and Aaron Zimmerman
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