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  • April 2018
  • Teaching Note
  • HBS Case Collection

InsideSales.com (A) and (B)

By: Frank Cespedes
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:13
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Abstract

Teaching Note for HBS Nos. 817-018 and 817-042. InsideSales.com (ISC) has been successful selling its software to small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB). But for various reasons, the founders see “the next stage of growth” as building a scalable sales and service organization for large enterprise customers and are evaluating three options for doing that. The case and teaching note examine a number of common challenges in scaling a venture, why inside sales models have been a fast-growing go-to-market model in the 21st century, and the impact of new customer segments with different buying processes on that sales model. The (B) case explains the decisions made at ISC and outlines the implementation issues inherent in that decision.

Keywords

Corporate Entrepreneurship; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Design; Customer Relationship Management; Growth Management; Marketing Strategy; Salesforce Management; Talent and Talent Management; Technology Industry

Citation

Cespedes, Frank. "InsideSales.com (A) and (B)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 818-122, April 2018.
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About The Author

Frank V. Cespedes

Entrepreneurial Management
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More from the Author
  • Belden and Digital Transformation: From Product Sales to Solutions Sales By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amy Klopfenstein
  • Using Simulations to Upskill Employees By: Frank V. Cespedes, Trond Aas, Alex Hunt and Huw Newton-Hill
  • Aphro Beverages By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amram Migdal
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