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Abstract: * In this study, we test the assumption that the way target firm employees respond to a takeover is contingent on their national origin. * The antecedents of target [...]

ABSTRACT In today's hyper-competitive marketplace, understanding what fosters and forwards employee motivation--and, thus, organizational performance--is critical. Based on theories, studies, best practices, case studies and resources about motivation, this solutions-focused [...]

A sample of 312 salespeople from diverse industries was used to develop a model that examined the influence of salesperson need for achievement and sales manager positive leader reward behavior on several key organizational outcomes. The organizational outcome variables examined were goal acceptance, sales performance, and organizational commitment. The results suggest that a salesperson's need for achievement may lead to higher performance, but not necessarily commitment to the organization. However, positive leader reward behavior may strengthen a salesperson's organizational commitment. The findings, along with suggestions for sales managers, are discussed., All too often, organizations fail to develop long-term relationships with their salespeople because of employee perceptions that the organization is not genuinely concerned with the welfare of the salespeople. Consequently, [...]

Normally, Larry Winston would have disregarded a cold call from an executive recruiter; he wasn't looking for a new job. But that day, the recruiter's pitch piqued his interest: He […]

If you take a look at last year's earnings reports, you'll find few companies that reported revenue growth in the double digits. Even industry stalwarts like General Electric and Procter […]

1 RAMPANT GOSSIP Last year Stacy Sanders * and Molly Chernin, * sales managers at an international company that distributes technical equipment, both worked in the same West Coast office. […]

Abstract: The author offers an interesting perspective on agent motivation in the Call Centre environment. She views motivation as the result of consistent and effective management practices and challenges managers [...]

Bob Van Abel hates junk mail. 'I throw most of it out,' he says. But without missing a beat, the president of Prairie Nursery in Westfield, Wisconsin, adds that he […]

This article, first, synthesizes three theoretical approaches to salesforce control systems and, second, examines the effect of the control mechanisms on key consequence variables. More specifically, the manuscript develops a comprehensive model of salesforce control by integrating key constructs from three alternative theories: organization theory, agency theory, and transaction cost analysis. The constructs are (1) outcome observability from organizational theory, (2) behavior observability from agency theory, (3) transaction-specific assets (TSA) from transaction cost analysis, and (4) task programmability or environmental/task uncertainty, a key construct in all three theories. In addition, the study examines the effects of controls on certain consequence variables: salesperson-customer relationships and salespersons' motivation and organizational commitment. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

It's time for Louis Gerstner to reboot IBM's sales force. Bill Gardner once had reason to be proud. For 23 years, he wore the blue suit, the white, button-down shirt, […]

Six months after joining Pilot Pen Corp. as national sales manager in 1975, Ronald G. Shaw decided he wanted to set up his own direct sales force. The primary reason? […]

Profile: Endo Pharmaceuticals Industry: Pharmaceutical product development Challenge -- Create an incentive trip that will inspire its approximately 600 salespeople to exceed sales targets Solution: A Carnival-themed trip to Rio [...]

Byline: CAROL KROL It's practically unheard of: a 22% response rate to good, old-fashioned direct mail. How did IT security software company Symantec Corp. accomplish that? Symantec's salespeople were tasked [...]

Lack of visibility was making life difficult for JT Dove's sales staff until a new solution enabled the company to make much more informed decisions JT Dove, set up in […]

By Susan Greco What company owner hasn't suspected that all would be right with the world if his or her salespeople weren't so damn lazy? Scott Rosen had those suspicions [...]

John Roberts manages a 30-person sales force for Global Industries Corporation that has performed poorly this year. Revenues are down 30 percent from last year and the CEO of the […]

The marketing plan for 2002 was recently released to the sales force of XYZ Corporation. Unfortunately, the company's 30 salespeople are unhappy with what they see. Mary Callaghan, XYZ's vice […]

BEFORE DATABASE MARKETING MANAGER Tom Brockhaus joined the incentive services division of American Express last August, the division lacked a standard procedure for distributing and tracking qualified sales leads among […]

At first blush, Mike Weinbach and Justin Sewell seem to have a lot in common. Mike is 27 and Justin is 29. Both run successful dot-coms, in Boston and Austin, [...]

DAVID TILLINGHAST IS dealing with an interdepartmental crisis. As executive vice president of sales and marketing for DP Electrical Corporation, he has the unfortunate job of overseeing salespeople and marketers […]

Conlon, Ginger (2000), 'Cashing In,' Sales & Marketing Management, 153 (August), 95-102. This article describes the experiences of Salience Associates, Inc., a sales channel outsourcing firm in Massachusetts that has [...]

MICHAEL WILTZ, vice president of sales for Lucky Automotive Products Corporation, is about to introduce a new sales-compensation plan for this year. But he's not quite sure exactly how he […]

Companies should look to their existing sales forces to build Web revenues WHO SAYS TRADITIONAL salespeople can't make the transition to Web selling? At HPC Publications, a subsidiary of Primedia, […]

THIS CAN'T BE happening to me. Tim Starling, vice president of sales for June Software, was experiencing firsthand the turnover that he had read so much about in the business […]

How creative selling helps one manager boost revenues DURING HIS 1997 interview at Catapult Systems, Dean Cormier and Catapult CEO Sam Goodner discovered their mutual love for basketball. So when […]

How DoubleClick aligns its salespeople with its customers INTERNET ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS company DoubleClick Inc. has grown rapidly, with revenues of $258.3 million in 1999, up from $138.7 million in 1998. [...]

PROBLEM: As sources of sales leads, too many databases are static. They don't include the most up-to-date information on new companies--a problem in the dot-com era. Indeed, Wind River Systems […]

ABOUT 10 MONTHS ago Jamie Feldman, Lasertex Industries' vice president of sales, asked her team for recommendations to fill three newly created sales positions. Account executive Kramer Johansen suggested his […]

To celebrate winning a three-year, $5.7 million contract, Noah Chase told his seven salespeople and three support staffers to take their spouses or partners out to dinner. "Pick your favorite […]

When Patrick Walsh first met with managers at a business outsourcing services firm, reasons for lagging sales seemed elusive. Sellers on the 11-person sales team were filing reports that showed […]

Stuart Ulster, vice president of sales for Techno Technologies Inc., suspects that four of his 12 salespeople are looking for jobs. With sales down at Techno 10 percent for the […]

There's a hiring freeze at the JHL Corporation. Unfortunately, this situation is causing a major problem for Dennis Roberts, the company's executive vice president of sales and marketing. He has […]

John Williams' first step should be to thoroughly evaluate the competency of his staff. If he plans to cut $250,000 from the marketing/training budget, I would bet that he could […]

Bruce Dorman, director of sales and marketing for Right Way Industries, just learned something distressing. It seems Dorman's top salesperson, Kyle Lechler, has been scamming the company with inflated commissions […]

Customer service is important and should be at the top of any company's list. It seems that through his incentive plan Ferguson sent the message to his people that gaining […]

SUSAN SCHIFFMAN IS in a quandary. This morning, one of her 12 sales reps came to her with proof that Mark Cooper, her star sales rep who she's worked with […]

Engaging workers' hearts and souls, not just their minds, will be the next catalyst for success in business. A few months ago, Fortune featured its inaugural The 100 Best Companies [...]

At Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., salespeople have stopped listening to themselves talk and have started listening to their customers. Just ask Kyp Walls. A field sales rep for Toshiba […]

Swissotel tries to boost sales by throwing its salespeople out of the office Increase sales 35 percent. That was the goal for Andreas Meinhold and Janis Cannon, the heads of […]

David Liberman has a lot of jobs, but during the crazy back-to-school selling days, none is more important than being the Nike police. As Liberman says, if you're selling too […]

The U.S. controls more than 60% of the software market worldwide, a healthy share of the hardware market, and has even made a comeback in semiconductor chip technology. We won […]

By the middle of 2002, Worknet, an IT infrastructure management company based in Naperville, Illinois, had nine salespeople--and practically as many messages going out to customers. "If I asked any […]

WHEN INTEGRATED DIRECT HIRED A TELESALES REP WHO WAS "very aggressive and cocky from day one," the interactive marketing firm based in Jericho, New York, took a chance, says Chris […]

Wayne Adams DIDN'T KNOW HOW VALUABLE a wrong number could be. Several years ago, when he called what he thought was a client, he became connected instead to a wrong […]

AT ISSUE: While salespeople will try anything to ensure the longevity of a client relationship, sometimes things go wrong that cause customers to lose faith in a supplier. Is it […]

Paul Johnson recently introduced a new incentive program to motivate his 15-member sales force. The program started at the beginning of this year, but it is already creating more problems […]