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• Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2016 (Revised April 2019)

  InsightSquared: Developing the Sales and Marketing Plan

  Mark Roberge, Tom Eisenmann and Frank Cespedes

  Fred Shilmover and Sam Clemens prepared for their fourth quarter board meeting. They were excited to have scaled their software startup, InsightSquared, to $2 million in revenue and secured an $8 million round of venture capital. However, they disagreed on the path ahead, specifically on the sales and marketing plan. Shilmover preferred a sales-centric approach to growth while Clemens preferred a marketing-centric one. Which strategy was optimal for their venture’s next phase of growth?

  Keywords: Sales planning; Software; Marketing; Sales; Planning; Growth and Development Strategy;

  Citation:

  Roberge, Mark, Tom Eisenmann, and Frank Cespedes. "InsightSquared: Developing the Sales and Marketing Plan." Harvard Business School Case 816-074, February 2016. (Revised April 2019.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2019

  Canibal—Play It Green!

  Frank V. Cespedes, Joseph B. Fuller, Tonia Labruyere and Elena Corsi

  In 2011, Canibal launched a machine that could sort and compress aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and cups. Users could play a jackpot-style game on the machine’s digital display, while disposing of their beverage containers and earning coupons or other rewards. The machine could also display advertising or serve as a communication tool. In 2016, the company's new machine, the i3, had more potential than earlier models, due to enhanced reliability and displays that could allow Canibal to pursue new markets. Benoit Paget, CEO and founder of Canibal, must choose a growth path: which customer segment should he focus on? How should he position his product? What would be the implications of these choices for marketing and sales requirements, pricing, and funding?

  Keywords: sales growth; recycling; start-up; scaling; market selection; Sales; Marketing; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Segmentation; Product Positioning; Technology Industry; France;

  Citation:

  Cespedes, Frank V., Joseph B. Fuller, Tonia Labruyere, and Elena Corsi. "Canibal—Play It Green!" Harvard Business School Case 319-089, February 2019.  View Details

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• Article | Top Sales Magazine

  Sales Managers Must Manage

  Frank V. Cespedes

  A common complaint from C-level executives about their sales colleagues concerns the latter’s ability to manage, not sell. Nearly every firm has examples of successful salespeople who are poor managers because they persist in their behaviors as reps rather than managers. This article discusses why this is common, the problems with standard advice about how to address this issue, what it now takes to be an effective sales manager, and external market factors that are making this a bigger, more visible issue in more firms with implications for building and sustaining a sales career.

  Keywords: Sales; Management Skills;

  Citation:

  Cespedes, Frank V. "Sales Managers Must Manage." Top Sales Magazine (February 2019).  View Details

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