Leading the High-Performance Sales Force

The course content is organized around three themes:

1) Sales force deployment

• Field sales, inside sales, and key account sales roles (includes case InsideSales.com, HBS)
• Sales force sizing and territory alignment (includes case StepSmart Fitness, HBS)
• Increasing active selling time

2) Sales force steering

• Compensation plan design
• Goal setting and sales contests (includes case I.M.A.G.E. International, Darden)
• Feedback and coaching (includes case ZenRecruit, HBS)
• Customer prioritization and visit frequencies (includes case PowerTools, WHU)
• Administrator-driven vs. algorithm-driven vs. autonomous work (includes case Cabot Pharmaceuticals, HBS)
• Pipeline management and forecasting (includes case PackMach, WHU)

3) Sales force transformation

• Creating a high-commitment sales culture (includes case DEC Culture, WHU)
• Transforming from transactional product sales to consultative solution sales (Hilti guest lecture)
• Leading as a young sales manager (includes case Pilgrim Drugs, HBS)
• Communicating change
• High sales performance with high integrity

1) In regard to factual knowledge, participants are enabled to

• apply salespeople jargon (such as quota, accelerators, boosters, contexts, pipeline, DSM, and other idioms),
• understand the specifics and terminology of sales management in various industry sectors, and
• to define sales performance indicators.

2) In regard to conceptual knowledge, participants are enabled to

• classify elements of compensation plans,
• analyze the optimal size of the sales force by different methods,
• classify the dimensions of sales force performance management,
• evaluate territory structures, and
• critically assess motivation theories.

3) In regard to sales force leadership-specific procedural knowledge, participants are enabled to

• communicate pay plans,
• introduce territory realignments,
• introduce selling methodologies/CRM,
• provide constructive feedback on selling behavior and performance of others,
• coach salespeople on a sales opportunity,
• conduct pipeline reviews, develop sales forecasts, and
• build work relationships with employees older than themselves.

4) In regard to general business-relevant procedural knowledge, participants are enabled to

• prepare for business meetings and internal committee sessions,
• make the best out of a limited preparation time budget,
• make concise contributions to meetings,
• constructively build and comment on contributions by other participants in the meeting, and
• derive a course of action from a careful analysis of the situation and a structured evaluation of alternatives.

5) In regard to metacognitive knowledge, participants are enabled to

• evaluate their own leadership behavior,
• evaluate the ethical dimension of a sales leadership situation,
• create a skill profile for salespeople and sales leaders.

• 70% case-based discussions,
• 15% interactive concept lectures, and
• 15% role-play between students.

This video shows our case-based sessions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbNNsq1fC0A. This way of learning requires a great amount of energy, both from the student and from the teacher.

• 100% individual performance. No team grades. No peer evaluation.
• No sit-down, speed-writing exam under time pressure, no memorizing of PowerPoint slides, no black-out risk.

The course grade is composed as follows:

• 46%: ten class preparation notes (pdf, bullet points are enough, ca. 500-750 words),
• 4%: two role-play videos,
• 50%: two individual take-home papers (pdf, essay)