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  • September 2018
  • Article
  • Top Sales Magazine

Assembling the Sales Team

By: Frank V. Cespedes
  • Format:Electronic
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Abstract

Data and analytical tasks have lengthened productivity ramp-up times in many sales contexts, making each hire a bigger sunk cost for a longer time. Most companies adopt two common practices: They hire on the basis of “experience” and/or look at their best reps and try to hire more like them. This article discusses factors that are making sales hiring more complex and why common practices are increasingly counterproductive. It then discusses how two key factors (the impact and performance variability inherent in a company’s sales tasks) vary in different sales models and the hiring implications.

Keywords

Sales; Selection and Staffing

Citation

Cespedes, Frank V. "Assembling the Sales Team." Top Sales Magazine (September 2018).

About The Author

Frank V. Cespedes

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

More from the Author

    • January 2023 (Revised January 2023)
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    Belden and Digital Transformation: From Product Sales to Solutions Sales

    By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amy Klopfenstein
    • November 15, 2022
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    Using Simulations to Upskill Employees

    By: Frank V. Cespedes, Trond Aas, Alex Hunt and Huw Newton-Hill
    • October 2022 (Revised December 2022)
    • Faculty Research

    Aphro Beverages

    By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amram Migdal
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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