In Print

These pages aim to keep readers informed of recently published research on sales-related topics, by including abstracts of peer-reviewed academic research published in a range of journals. We have grouped them in the following broad themes: sales performance; customer management; capability development; behavioural studies; and systems and processes. In this edition, we start with two articles on sales performance. The… 

7 Steps To Sales Force Transformation: Driving Sustainable Change in Your Organization by Warren Shiver and Michael Perla, Palgrave MacMillan, January 2016, 978-1137548047, $35 Up to 75% of attempted transformations fail. According to authors Warren Shiver and Michael Perla, the root of the problem is two-fold: salespeople are notoriously reluctant to change, and all too often, even when the sales… 

Best Practice in B2B Customer Satisfaction Surveys – A Practical Guide by John Coldwell and Howard Plomann This book has been written specifically for those who work in a B2B environment who want to get more from their customer satisfaction surveys. The authors claim that a well-planned and carefully implemented survey, which is properly followed through, should result in a… 

Mapping Motivation – Unlocking the Key to Employee Energy and Engagement by James Sale, Gower, January 2016, 978-1-4724-5927-5, £45 Selling successfully is hugely dependent on motivation and author James Sales seeks to provide the definitive book on the subject – its language and metrics are full of knowledge, insight and practical tips. The contents explore the concept and roots of… 

These pages aim to keep readers informed of recent published research on sales-related topics, by including abstracts of a selection of peer-reviewed academic material published in a range of journals. We have grouped them in the following broad themes: sales performance; customer management; capability development; behavioural studies; leadership; and systems and processes. In this edition, we start with three articles… 

Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson, authors of The Challenger Sale, with Pat Spenner and Nick Toman The Challenger Customer is the long-awaited sequel to the bestselling sales classic The Challenger Sale, the book which introduced the controversial idea that challenging the customer is the key to sales success. But it turns out that’s only half the story: it’s not just… 

Nick de Cent, Editor of the International Journal of Sales Transformation, recommends Return on Character by Dr Fred Kiel is based around original research and wider studies of psychology, genetics and neuroscience. Exploring the relationship between the character of business leaders and company performance, Dr Kiel found that character-driven leaders and their teams consistently deliver five times greater returns for… 

Nick de Cent, Editor of the International Journal of Sales Transformation, recommends Relevance by Phil Styrlund, Tom Hayes and Marian Deegan sets out to explain how we can avoid commoditisation by seeking to be relevant. They advocate four key principles in this search for relevance: authenticity, mastery, empathy and action. This book is easy to read and packed with personal… 

Nick de Cent, Editor of the International Journal of Sales Transformation, recommends Sales Growth: Five Proven Strategies From The World’s Sales Leaders is by those bright sparks at McKinsey. Authors Thomas Baumgartner, Homayoun Hatami and Jon Vander Ark offer a practical blue-print for achieving this goal based around what world-class sales executives are doing to find and capture growth and… 

Nick Christian, managing director of Turnstone Sales, says: “Behind The Cloud by Marc Benioff is a very interesting insight into the growth and strategy of one of the world’s most disruptive and successful businesses (salesforce.com). Really strong sales insight delivered in a practical and, at times humorous way. It’s not a heavy academic paper, but a really easy-to-read book with… 

Bob Apollo, Managing Partner at Inflexion-Point and Journal columnist says: “I’ve been inspired by The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande, which is not directly about selling but highly relevant to eliminating avoidable errors in the sales process. All these books are very well thumbed, even the digital copies!” +

Bob Apollo, Managing Partner at Inflexion-Point and Journal columnist says: “I’ve been inspired by Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore, which many regard as the bible for technology marketers, and very relevant to selling”. +

Bob Apollo, Managing Partner at Inflexion-Point and Journal columnist says: “I’ve been inspired by Insight Selling by Mike Shultz and John Doerr, which rebalances the importance of relationships; Sales Growth by Thomas Baumgartner, Homayoun Hatami and Jon Vander Ark, three very bright McKinsey types. I really like the section on micro-segmentation”. +

Bob Apollo, Managing Partner at Inflexion-Point and Journal columnist says: “I’ve been inspired by The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson on the power of constructive provocation but undervalues relationships”. +

Bob Apollo, Managing Partner at Inflexion-Point and Journal columnist says: “I’ve been inspired by Predictable Revenue by ArronRoss and Marylou Tyler, which is great on systematic customer acquisition”. +

Bob Apollo, Managing Partner at Inflexion-Point and Journal columnist says: “I’ve been inspired by What Great Salespeople Do by MichaelBosworth and Ben Zoldan, which illustrates the power of storytelling”. +

Bob Apollo, Managing Partner at Inflexion-Point and Journal columnist says: “I’ve been inspired by Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig, which focuses on developing win-win relationships”. +

Todd Snelgrove Global Manager, Value with SKF, says: “I think Value Merchants is one of the best. Jim Anderson from Kellogg, Nirmalya Kumar, LBS. About getting paid for value created.” +

These pages aim to keep readers informed of recent published research on sales-related topics, by including abstracts of a selection of peer-reviewed academic material published in a range of journals. We have grouped them in the following broad themes: sales performance; customer management; capability development; behavioural studies; leadership; and systems and processes. In this edition, we start with two articles… 

Nick de Cent, Editor of the International Journal of Sales Transformation, recommends the latest book by Frank V Cespedes of Harvard Business School. Aligning Strategy and Sales – the choices, systems, and behaviors that drive effective selling is for any senior executive who wants to understand why they need to address the gap between their company’s sales efforts and strategy….