Research Centre

Credible research is the foundation of the Journal’s approach to understanding what works and what doesn’t in sales. Most importantly, it tells us why. Here you’ll find the latest research from academic institutions, top consultancies and industry sales leaders – including the Journal’s own specially commissioned research – interpreted from a business perspective.

2021 7.2 Research Review – edited by Jeremy Noad

April 26th, 2021 by

The research review aims to help readers keep up to date with recently published research on sales-related topics. The review highlights short abstracts of academically peer-reviewed research. This selection of published research is from a range of academic journals. In this edition, the abstracts include four themes that focus on sales performance, capability development, sales behaviours and sales automation. Sales… 


Cultural and emotional barriers which cause resistance to change

April 26th, 2021 by

In the current ever-changing corporate world perennial adaptability is the key to sustainability and culture has become the conceptual foundation which should embrace ambiguity, uncertainty and complexity to ensure organisational success. Culture is not just mandated but it should be shaped at every level of the organisation and “even without a direct mandate from the top, people with passion, persistence… 


Do millennials have a chance?

April 26th, 2021 by

“When we listen and celebrate what is both common and different, we become a wiser and more inclusive and a better organisation” – Pat Wadors, head of HR at LinkedIn. At SAP, we have set ourselves a target of achieving 10% of young talent in our workforce in South East Asia (SEA) by 2023. This is a two-fold increase from… 


B2B BUYERS PREPARED TO SPEND $1M+ ONLINE

April 23rd, 2021 by

DESPITE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM THAT BIG-TICKET SALES REQUIRE… 


WORKING-FROM-HOME BURNOUT

April 23rd, 2021 by

FOR SALESPEOPLE, THE DEMANDS OF THE CONNECTED… 


Omnichannel here to stay for B2B sales

April 23rd, 2021 by

Covid-19 has cemented omnichannel interactions as the… 


2021 7.1 Research Review – edited by Jeremy Noad

February 26th, 2021 by

The research review aims to help readers keep up to date with recently published research on sales-related topics. The review highlights short abstracts of academically peer-reviewed research. This selection of published research is from a range of academic journals. In this edition, the abstracts include four themes that focus on sales performance, customer management, capability development, and sales behaviours. Sales… 


4 GROWTH PILLARS FOR CSOs

February 26th, 2021 by

THE KEY TO ACCELERATING REVENUE GROWTH FOR B2B SALES… 


CROSS-SELLING SUCCESS POST-MERGER

February 26th, 2021 by

REALIZING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF CROSS-SELLING AFTER… 


2020 Q2 Research Review – edited by Jeremy Noad

November 9th, 2020 by

The research review aims to help readers keep up to date on recently published research on sales-related topics. The review highlights short abstracts of academically peer-reviewed research. This selection of published research is from a range of academic journals. In this edition, the abstracts include three themes that focus on sales performance, customer management, and capability development. Sales Performance Combined… 


Improved leadership communication

November 9th, 2020 by

How storytelling can help bridge the gap between management and teams. “1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.2The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.4And God saw that the light was good.”Genesis, First Book of Moses Day 1 Since… 


Leadership in the digital future

November 9th, 2020 by

What are the required leadership behaviours that will help leaders succeed in the digital age, and to what extent do our leaders need to change their leadership behaviour in the future? Why is the concept of “digital” so important for us today? Technologies are changing the way customers conduct business. Communication has found new ways that I would have never… 


THE CHANGING FACE OF B2B SALES

November 6th, 2020 by

The pandemic has understandably forced a rapid… 


SIX KEYS TO UNLOCK PROBLEM-SOLVING POTENTIAL

November 6th, 2020 by

DO RIGID PROCESSES WORK IN TODAY’S WORLD… 


A (Virtual) Reality Check: Mastering remote selling

May 28th, 2020 by

How to make virtual sales presentations more engaging, more memorable and more effective. In an instant, the number of salespeople delivering remote presentations has reached 100%. But how do they feel about virtual sales calls, versus in-person meetings? Not good, according to our recent industry survey of over 500 B2B salespeople. Over 70% of salespeople believe that remote selling is… 


2020 Q1 Research Review – edited by Jeremy Noad

May 28th, 2020 by

The research review aims to help readers keep up to date with recently published research on sales-related topics. The review highlights short abstracts of academically peer-reviewed research. This selection of published research is from a range of academic journals. In this edition, the abstracts include three themes that focus on sales performance, customer management, and sales behavioural studies. Sales Performance… 


Sales leaders’ top 10 wish list

May 28th, 2020 by

What are the top sales leadership priorities for the coming months? What are sales leaders looking to accomplish? What would they do if money were no object? To find out, the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research surveyed 423 sales, enablement, and company leaders. Respondents were asked about the importance of 16 different potential priorities and asked the $64,000 question:… 


Decision contentment or buyer’s remorse?

May 26th, 2020 by

Identifying a B2B buyer’s post-decision “cognitive states” – consonance and dissonance – and how to accommodate them. Cognitive dissonance is experienced when a person suffers from the unpleasant and conflicted state of being “in two minds about something” – in other words, concurrently holding two or more contradictory cognitions (ie, perceptions, attitudes or beliefs). The concept became popularised among marketers… 


Moving from “I” to “We”

May 26th, 2020 by

How a relationship-based group coaching model can improve performance. As a salesperson and subsequent sales leader with more than two decades of experience, on-the-job learning has provided me with valuable insights and business management skills. However, given the rapidly evolving business environment, I realised the need to embark upon a continuous learning path. On learning about the SAP Master’s programme,… 


Helping cross-functional team leaders achieve better results

May 26th, 2020 by

Research led to the creation of a “Success Guide to Leading A Cross-Functional Team”. My aim with this research is to help cross-functional team leaders garner better team performance by providing an easily consumable, repeatable set of recommended behaviours and actions to help guide them to success. Team leaders can utilize the knowledge provided from these research findings for guidance,…