Harvard Business

JUNE 14, 2024

Delayed and ineffective commercial integration can turn a good deal into a loser, because sales growth ultimately determines whether a merger achieves its value-creation goals. But compared to other areas of post-merger activity, the commercial engine starts late, operates uncertainly, and often runs out of gas before reaching its goals.

How To 243

How To Engineering Sales Operations 243

Harvard Business

NOVEMBER 20, 2018

I’ve been using the sales funnel for 28 years, my whole career. When I started my career, the most profitable application of force was in sales. Back in the 1990s, sales reps had a lot of information, while customers had relatively little. Sales reps leveraged that information gap to create a lot of trust.

Sales 132

Sales B2C Energy Efficiency 132

Harvard Business

MAY 20, 2016

In sales, where charisma and extroversion can be advantages, some people attribute success more to inborn personality traits than to skills that can be coached or taught. ”) But there’s a big difference between individual success in sales and success across an entire sales force. .”) Organization.

Sales 130

Sales Talent Operations Efficiency 130

Harvard Business

JULY 30, 2018

Based on research for my book Sales Ex Machina: How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the World of Selling , here are five specific areas where AI algorithms can be leveraged to help your business grow by helping your sales team sell more: Price Optimization: Knowing what discount, if any, to give a client is always a tricky situation.

Sales 128

Sales Data Company Examples 128

Harvard Business

MAY 25, 2016

Sales reps are most effective when they have the right amount of support staff, but exactly how much support staff does a company need, and how should it be structured? Call it a Goldilocks quandary: Too little support, and your sales people can’t do their jobs well; too much, and you’re wasting money.

Sales 130

Sales ROI Efficiency Operations 130

Harvard Business

NOVEMBER 23, 2018

In the 2001 recession, total sales for the S&P 500 declined by 9% from its pre-recession peak to its trough 18 months later—almost a year after the recession officially ended. We’ll focus here on what the sales organization should be doing now to prepare for the next recession, with an eye toward using new digital tools.

Sales 130

Sales B2B Tools Software 130

Harvard Business

JUNE 22, 2018

Across the technology industry, subscription sales models are growing in popularity. The trend is having a big impact on sales forces. As ongoing account management activities consumed more and more sales time, new customer acquisition slowed down–and the company’s revenue growth began slowing, too.

Sales 124

Sales Guidelines Efficiency Software 124

Tom Spencer

OCTOBER 25, 2024

This article examines how AI is affecting small businesses and discusses the hurdles that need to be overcome to fully embrace this transformative technology. This has the potential to lower operating expenses, boost sales volumes, and thereby increase overall profitability. However, adopting AI is not without its challenges.

Small Business 78

Small Business Data Efficiency Tools 78

Harvard Business

JANUARY 17, 2018

There are hundreds of articles claiming that “ data is the new oil” — by which they mean it is a fuel that will drive the AI economy. Want to know yogurt sales next week? Let’s use data on past yogurt sales. Yes, data, like oil, is used day-to-day to operate your prediction machine. Insight Center.

Data 133

Data Operations Training Training 133

Harvard Business

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

Gallup focused on six outcomes: sales, profit, customer engagement, turnover, employee engagement, and safety. 10%-19% increase in sales. The study examined the effects those interventions had on workgroup performance. It included 49,495 business units with 1.2 Even at the low end, these are impressive gains.

Development 132

Development Sales Talent Study 132

Harvard Business

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

Managing the platform to generate sales, therefore, is about enabling the right content to reach the right viewers. In China, content-based platforms are generating a growing proportion of e-commerce, presenting a growing threat to established platforms like Alibaba and JD.com.

Retail 245

Retail Trends Sales Productivity 245

Harvard Business

MAY 30, 2017

After discussing Jacobi’s sales woes, Shani, suggested he try out Albert, Adgorithm’s AI-driven marketing platform. It was almost twice his all-time summer weekend sales record of eight. Did this keyword generate sales? It wasn’t enough. Jacobi decided he’d give Albert a one-weekend audition.

Sales 134

Sales Tools ROI Advertising 134

Clarity Consultants

FEBRUARY 9, 2025

This article provides a comprehensive framework for measuring the long-term impact of L&D initiatives and tracking the ROI of learning programs over extended periods, complete with real-world success stories and actionable metrics. Are you aiming to increase sales, improve customer satisfaction, or boost employee retention?

Metrics 147

Metrics ROI Training Training 147

Tom Spencer

JUNE 9, 2023

In the digital age, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to gain a competitive edge and streamline their operations. From enhancing customer experiences to optimizing decision-making processes, AI is reshaping the way businesses operate and opening up new possibilities for growth.

Data 147

Data Operations Efficiency System 147

Management Consulted

JANUARY 1, 2017

By the end of this article, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an M&A case framework master. They often plan to operate it for a period of time; many choose to integrate the target with their current operations. Welcome back to the last in our series on breaking down case interview frameworks. Have no fear!

Case Interview 154

Case Interview Interviews Intellectual Property Cash Flow 154

Tom Spencer

MAY 23, 2021

As someone currently in management consulting who has previously done tech sales for a major software company, I was amused by Martin Keller’s article championing tech sales (sometimes known as consultative or customer success driven sales) over management consulting. Professional Development. Transition Opportunities.

Sales 68

Sales Management Consulting Development 68

Management Consulted

OCTOBER 18, 2013

Recognizing client’s needs for help managing IT operations and resources, IBM Vice President Robert M. Although it started as a tiny group, paling in comparison to the bohemoth revenues of the firm’s hardware sales, this group is now known as IBM Global Services (IGS) which is responsible for 50% of IBM’s revenue globally.

IBM GBS 203

IBM GBS Interviews Consulting Case Interview 203

Consulting Matters

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

I asked my partner Jen Hamilton - our community Chief Operating Officer to be my guest today and share all the deets on the what you'll need and how much it all costs so that you can plan in advance for both the startup and ongoing costs. Basically, this is where the lifeblood of your business is because these are where sales happen.

Consulting 296

Consulting How To Insurance Insurance 296

Harvard Business

MAY 25, 2016

Our goal in this article is to offer specific, real-world case studies to show how big data has provided value for companies that have worked with Microsoft’s analytics teams. Aggregated total sales is a poor proxy because firms need to distribute inventory geographically, necessitating hyperlocal forecasts. Insight Center.

Data 132

Data Advertising Operations Case Study 132

Successful Independent Consulting

OCTOBER 22, 2017

My last article discussed working with consulting agencies to supplement your business development efforts. This article offers tips for finding work through online platforms or marketplaces like Catalant, SpareHire, and TalMix. See my article “ Friends Don’t Let Friends W-2 ”®.) Photo ID 40184079 © Ratz Attila.

Talent 150

Talent Finance Consulting Development 150

Harvard Business

JANUARY 30, 2017

Success in a sales force requires having strong talent up and down the organization. A weak salesperson will weaken a sales territory, a bad sales manager will damage their team and dampen results in their region, and a poor sales leader will eventually ruin the entire sales force. Consider two examples.

Sales 70

Sales Culture Talent Ethics 70

Harvard Business

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

Car sales in the U.S. But car sales are now probably past a cyclical peak, not only in the U.S. Capital-intensive factories have a high-fixed-cost, low-variable-cost operating model. Every day GM operates such factories, it expends more resources that could be redeployed elsewhere. That is what GM is trying to do.

Cash Flow 129

Cash Flow Operations Government Sales 129

Chad Barr

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

For those ready to lead the charge, this article reveals the essential truths about AI, how to implement it strategically, and ways to harness it for lasting business success. Think of AI like a calculator for business operations. This allows you to personalize marketing, sales, and service interactions at scale.

Tools 52

Tools Data Ethics Metrics 52

Epicflow

NOVEMBER 8, 2024

Read on: Our Top 10 Articles of 2017 for True Project Leaders Samsung Heavy Industries Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has one of the largest South Korean shipyards and the world’s highest dock turnover rate , which is the number of ships that a dock can launch. billion thanks to concentrating on MHI’s key competencies.

Management 222

Management Cash Flow Industry Real Estate 222

Consulting Success

MAY 15, 2017

Conversion Fanatics found that adding a guarantee increased sales 26%. Neil Patel also found that offering a guarantee increased his sales by 21%. You can find plenty of research that suggests the benefits of offering a guarantee. Guarantee Benefits for Consultants. Johnson and Son.

Consulting 206

Consulting B2B Hotels Examples 206

Tom Spencer

NOVEMBER 14, 2020

My goal in this set of articles is to give you key insights into the MBA experience and take you past the typical “surface level” discussions about how an MBA will prepare you for consulting. This article looks at how an MBA program can offer HANDS-ON consulting experience. Global Consulting Project.

Consulting 142

Consulting Recruitment Recruiting Sales 142

Markovitz Consulting

JUNE 9, 2020

The disruption caused by COVID-19 has forced businesses to adopt new ways of operating. But as the article notes, Retail customers, though, have a peculiar habit of paying up front. And if they do, the inventory usually can’t be collected—mushrooms and peaches have a shorter shelf life than dishwashers and office furniture.

Cash Flow 127

Cash Flow Industry Retail Sales 127

Harvard Business

MARCH 13, 2017

Companies wind up in trouble and squander the time, talent, and energy of their workforce when they lose focus, spend money on things that don’t make a difference to employees or the future of the business, and use operating models that are out of whack. redesign the operating model. Redesign the Operating Model.

How To 143

How To Energy Operations Bain 143

Harvard Business

DECEMBER 11, 2019

The world’s biggest shopping day pushes the e-commerce giant to innovate, collaborate, and break down silos.

Sales 132

Sales Retail Operations Culture 132

Harvard Business

MAY 23, 2017

One of the most interesting findings of a recent HBR article on team chemistry is that the types of people who become leaders within organizations are about 30% less likely than their coworkers to feel stressed out. In a classic article, Frederick Herzberg called these kinds of things “hygiene factors.”

Sales 134

Sales Survey Leadership Study 134

Management Consulted

APRIL 2, 2017

For the purposes of this article, let’s define the Middle East as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the Sultanate of Oman. If you have an MBA and are interested in actuarial work, EY’s Middle East operation is a great place to get your foot in the door. Roland Berger.

Oliver Wyman 160

Oliver Wyman Consulting Deloitte Real Estate 160

Harvard Business

NOVEMBER 16, 2021

How consumer psychology can make your major sales feel like IRL events.

Sales 174

Sales Retail Operations Management 174

Management Consulted

AUGUST 1, 2013

After building a successful model in financial services, Oliver Wyman expanded to offer pure strategy consulting services to non-financial services groups and now has 2 internal divisions that operate relatively independently. Strategic Information Technology and Operations. Oliver Wyman became own firm again. Mercer buys Oliver Wyman.

Oliver Wyman 201

Oliver Wyman Interviews Mercer NERA Economic Consulting 201

Tom Spencer

MARCH 8, 2024

From entrepreneurs putting a new product on the market to executives at a public company revamping a product line, effective pricing is a key pillar of any successful sales and marketing strategy. This is achieved by striking a balance between setting prices that attract customers while maximizing profitability from sales.

Productivity 158

Productivity Sales Strategy Strategy 158

Harvard Business

OCTOBER 13, 2017

Many leaders look at profit margin, which measures the total amount by which revenue from sales exceeds costs. You might think of this as the portion of sales that helps to offset fixed costs. Variable costs are those expenses that vary with the quantity of product you produce, such as direct materials or sales commissions.

How To 134

How To Boston Consulting Group Sales Productivity 134

Harvard Business

NOVEMBER 1, 2018

To give your team some hands-on practice, charge them with selecting a topic of their own interest (such as “whether meetings start on time”) and then have them complete the exercise described in this article. Poor data is the norm — fouling operations, adding cost, and breeding mistrust in analytics.

Data 132

Data Analysis Sales Exercises 132

Harvard Business

JULY 20, 2018

In retail organizations, for example, marketing and sales has often provided significant value. Our research shows that using AI on customer data to personalize promotions can lead to a 1-2% increase in incremental sales for brick-and-mortar retailers alone. In advanced manufacturing, by contrast, operations often drive the most value.

Sales 132

Sales Data Retail Insurance 132