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Article | Top Sales Magazine | April 2018

Effective Sales Training: What Are the Foundational Elements?

by Frank V. Cespedes

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Format: Electronic Read Now

Citation:

Cespedes, Frank V. "Effective Sales Training: What Are the Foundational Elements?" Top Sales Magazine (April 2018), 22–23.

About the Author

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Frank V. Cespedes
MBA Class of 1973 Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
Entrepreneurial Management

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More from the Author

  • Article | Harvard Business Review (website)

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

    Frank V. Cespedes and David Mattson

    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).  View Details
    CiteView Details Register to Read Related
  • Article | Harvard Business Review (website) | August 22, 2017

    Find the Right Metrics for Your Sales Team

    Frank V. Cespedes and Robert Marsh

    This article reports the results of a survey of key performance indicators (KPIs) used by more than 800 sales groups across industries. The most common KPIs are closed deals and salesperson performance against quota, which, on average, firms measure monthly. But a closed deal is an outcome and lagging indicator. This article discusses how some firms deconstruct their sales conversion funnels to identify relevant leading indicators and coach/develop selling behaviors. Thus managing sales performance and not only reviewing quotas and after-the-fact outcomes.

    Keywords: Sales; Performance Evaluation; Measurement and Metrics; Salesforce Management;

    Citation:

    Cespedes, Frank V., and Robert Marsh. "Find the Right Metrics for Your Sales Team." Harvard Business Review (website) (August 22, 2017).  View Details
    CiteView Details Register to Read Related
  • Case | HBS Case Collection | August 2017

    Cumplo.com

    Frank V. Cespedes, María Fernanda Miguel and Laura Urdapilleta

    In August 2017, Cumplo’s Founder Shea and CEO Kirberg meet to discuss growth and strategy issues faced by this Chilean fintech startup. What sales and marketing strategy will best foster the compny’s growth? Are changes needed in the product lineup? How and when should Cumplo begin to expand beyond Chile, to other countries in Latin America? The company raised $1.4 million in its first three years, mainly from individual investors, and then issued new shares for $3 million in 2015. By June 2017, Cumplo was debt-free, had achieved break-even, and had raised an additional $2.3 million.

    Keywords: fintech; alternative finance; crowdfunding; crowdlending; Marketing Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Expansion; Financial Services Industry; Latin America; South America; Chile;

    Citation:

    Cespedes, Frank V., María Fernanda Miguel, and Laura Urdapilleta. "Cumplo.com." Harvard Business School Case 818-039, August 2017.  View Details
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