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  • Harvard Business Review (website)

How a Fast-Growing Startup Built Its Sales Team for Long-Term Success

By: Frank V. Cespedes and David Mattson
  • Format:Electronic
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Abstract

It’s common for leaders of sales teams to focus almost exclusively on short-term tactics and current operations while failing to think and act in a way that supports the longer-term needs of their businesses—and it’s hard to fault them. The biggest problem with a short-term approach is that managers develop blind spots around crucial processes such as recruiting, hiring, and training and development. This is a problem because it can stall a company’s scaling efforts. To prevent this from happening, companies must make core processes like recruiting, interviewing, and development a real priority in daily practice. As Aristotle emphasized a long time ago, “Excellence is a habit.”

Keywords

Business Startups; Salesforce Management; Management Practices and Processes

Citation

Cespedes, Frank V., and David Mattson. "How a Fast-Growing Startup Built Its Sales Team for Long-Term Success." Harvard Business Review (website) (December 4, 2017).
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About The Author

Frank V. Cespedes

Entrepreneurial Management
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More from the Authors
  • Linking Growth and the Frontline By: Frank V. Cespedes, Jay Galeota and Michael Wong
  • Linking Value and Price By: Frank V. Cespedes
  • Belden and Digital Transformation: From Product Sales to Solutions Sales By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amy Klopfenstein
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