Harvard Business Review - OnPoint - Summer 2017.pdf

FROM THE EDITORSGGETTING SALES RIGHT IS much more complex than it used to be.Persuasion is no longer enough.You need creative people and relevant data in the field,supported by an eicient but flexible opera-tion back at home base.And if you manage a sales force,you also must know how to keep your talent engaged and excited.In their article“Motivating Salespeople:What Really Works,”Thomas Steenburgh and Michael Ahearne argue that most companies have their incentives all wrong.One-size-fits-all compensa-tion plans undermine team performance,they say,because salespeople at distinct points on the performance curvestars,core performers,and laggardsvary in how they respond to diferent inducements.The authors lay out which programs work best for each segment of your team and ofer advice on how to structure incentives accordingly.Sales reps also need more autonomy.Because customers are armed with more information than ever before,reps need greater latitude to exercise judgment.In“Dismantling the Sales Machine,”Brent Adamson,Matthew Dixon,and Nicholas Toman recommend against demanding that reps comply with set protocols but,instead,encourag-ing them to come up with creative insightsand solutionsfor customers.Managers who provide that type of support will foster an environment that appeals to smart,engaged salespeople who care about generating value more than getting extrinsic rewards.Even the question of who actually makes the purchase decision has grown knottier.In“Major Sales:Who Really Does the Buying?”Thomas V.Bonoma advises that sellers identify who is in the“buying center”a group that usually includes initiators,gatekeepers,influencers,deciders,purchasers,and users.Each one of them makes choices shaped by diferentsometimes conflict-ingforces.Closing the deal may therefore take skillful investigation and,certainly,emotional intelligence.But the payof is decidedly worth the investment.The EditorsMaking Sales More Profitable2 Harvard Business Review OnPoint|SUMMER 2017|HBR.orgTHE FASTEST WAY TO THE BEST PRICEDont wait for quotes,find the largest choice of private jets available for charter with Stratajet.Search and compare the best prices instantly.As fast and easy as booking a private jet should be.G E T T H E A P P A N D S E A RC H F L I G H T S TO DAY+1 8 4 4 235 6248|S T R ATA J E T.CO M92OnPoint Summer 2017#34MANAGING TALENTWhat Makes a Good SalesmanDavid Mayer and Herbert M.GreenbergOriginally published inJulyAugust 196444MANAGING TALENT Motivating Salespeople:What Really Works Thomas Steenburgh and Michael AhearneOriginally published in JulyAugust 201250MANAGING TALENT Leveraging the Psychology of the SalespersonA conversation with psychologist and anthropologist G.Clotaire RapailleOriginally published inJulyAugust 200656MANAGING TALENTA Radical Prescription for Sales Daniel H.Pink Originally published inJulyAugust 2012Contents60MANAGING THE ORGANIZATION The New Science of Sales Force Productivity Dianne Ledingham,Mark Kovac,andHeidi Locke Simon Originally published in September 200670MANAGING THE ORGANIZATIONDismantling the Sales MachineBrent Adamson,Matthew Dixon,andNicholas TomanOriginally published in November 201378MANAGING THE ORGANIZATIONEnding the War Between Sales and Marketing Philip Kotler,Neil Rackham,andSuj KrishnaswamyOriginally published in JulyAugust 200692SALES TECHNIQUESMajor Sales:Who Really Does the Buying?Thomas V.BonomaOriginally published inMayJune 19821224 Harvard Business Review OnPoint|SUMMER 2017|HBR.orgCulled by the editors of Harvard Business Review from the magazines rich archives,these articles are written by some of the worlds leading management scholars and practitioners.They are accompanied by “Article at a Glance”summaries,plus suggestions for further reading.OnPoint Summer 2017136EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES10The Best Salespeople Do What the Best Brands DoDenise Lee Yohn12Seven Personality Traits of Top SalespeopleSteve W.Martin 14Ineffective Sales Leaders Can Cause Lasting DamageAndris A.Zoltners,P.K.Sinha,and Sally E.Lorimer15Why Salespeople Need to Develop“Machine Intelligence”Thomas Baumgartner,Homayoun Hatami,and Maria Valdivieso30To Increase Sales,Get Customers to Commit a Little at a TimeFrank V.Cespedes and David Hoffeld32When to Sell with Facts and Figures,and When to Appeal to EmotionsMichael D.Harris18Four Ways to Build a Productive Sales Culture Frank V.Cespedes and Steve Maughan 20Help Your Salespeople Spend Time on the Right ThingsAndris A.Zoltners,P.K.Sinha,and Sally E.Lorimer21Why Sales Ops Is So Hard to Get RightAndris A.Zoltners,P.K.Sinha,and Sally E.Lorimer23Support Staff Make Up Nearly Half of the Best Sales Teams Michael Viertler,David Sprengel,Sebastian Kchler,and Jochen Ulrich26When You Need Sales Specialists,Not Sales GeneralistsMark Kovac27How to Succeed at Key Account ManagementLynette RyalsVOICESMANAGING TALENTSALES TECHNIQUESMANAGING THE ORGANIZATION104SALES TECHNIQUESThe End of Solution SalesBrent Adamson,Matthew Dixon,andNicholas TomanOriginally publ