Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review

Selling After the Crisis

By: Frank V. Cespedes
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

Abstract

Like perishable goods in grocery stores, sales models have a sell-by date. As product standards evolve and new entrants emerge, buyers have more choices and demand more in terms of quality and performance across vendors. Firms that fail to adjust to changing customer expectations lose advantage. Building and maintaining a relevant sales model—that is understood by everyone from executives in the C-suite to sales reps in the field—is the most important way that companies respond to market changes. As firms emerge from the pandemic crisis, they should take a fresh look at their sales models. This includes revamping customer selection criteria, increasing clarity about the customer buying process, and making more effective use of selling metrics.

Keywords

Sales Model; Sales; Management; Customer Relationship Management; Health Pandemics

Citation

Cespedes, Frank V. "Selling After the Crisis." Harvard Business Review 99, no. 2 (March–April 2021): 52–57.
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Register to Read

About The Author

Frank V. Cespedes

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

More from the Author

    • January 2023 (Revised January 2023)
    • Faculty Research

    Belden and Digital Transformation: From Product Sales to Solutions Sales

    By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amy Klopfenstein
    • November 15, 2022
    • Harvard Business Review (website)

    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
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College