IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/orinte/v31y2001i3_supplementps8-s44.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sales-Force Decision Models: Insights from 25 Years of Implementation

Author

Listed:
  • Prabhakant Sinha

    (ZS Associates, 1800 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, Illinois 60201)

  • Andris A. Zoltners

    (J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, and ZS Associates)

Abstract

Over 25 years, we have developed many sales-force and modeling insights through over 2,000 projects with several hundred selling organizations in over 50 countries. Content insights are useful in making sales-force decisions. Examples are that profitability is flat for a wide range of sales-force sizes; phased sales-force growth is rarely optimal; focused strategies dominate scattered strategies; most sales territories (55 percent) are too large or too small; and no compensation plan satisfies everyone. Implementation insights concern model building, use, and implementation, for example, a model's economic value can come from such sources as reduced uncertainty, accuracy, increased speed, objectivity, and stakeholder involvement; theory and practice have different and complementary perspectives; experience and wisdom are sometimes better than models; and models provide insights, while people make decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Prabhakant Sinha & Andris A. Zoltners, 2001. "Sales-Force Decision Models: Insights from 25 Years of Implementation," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 31(3_supplem), pages 8-44, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:31:y:2001:i:3_supplement:p:s8-s44
    DOI: 10.1287/inte.31.3s.8.9675
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/inte.31.3s.8.9675
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/inte.31.3s.8.9675?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pradeep K. Chintagunta, 1993. "Investigating the Sensitivity of Equilibrium Profits to Advertising Dynamics and Competitive Effects," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 39(9), pages 1146-1162, September.
    2. Leonard M. Lodish & Ellen Curtis & Michael Ness & M. Kerry Simpson, 1988. "Sales Force Sizing and Deployment Using a Decision Calculus Model at Syntex Laboratories," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 18(1), pages 5-20, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sumitro Banerjee & Alex P. Thevaranjan, 2013. "How to deal with unprofitable customers? A salesforce compensation perspective," ESMT Research Working Papers ESMT-13-05, ESMT European School of Management and Technology.
    2. Raghuram Iyengar & Christophe Van den Bulte & Jae Young Lee, 2015. "Social Contagion in New Product Trial and Repeat," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 34(3), pages 408-429, May.
    3. John Hauser & Gerard J. Tellis & Abbie Griffin, 2006. "Research on Innovation: A Review and Agenda for," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(6), pages 687-717, 11-12.
    4. Milind G. Sohoni & Achal Bassamboo & Sunil Chopra & Usha Mohan & Nuri Sendil, 2010. "Threshold incentives over multiple periods and the sales hockey stick phenomenon," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 57(6), pages 503-518, September.
    5. Claro, Danny P. & Ramos, Carla & Gonzalez, Gabriel R. & Palmatier, Robert W., 2020. "Dynamic effects of newcomer salespersons' peer relational exchanges and structures on performance," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 74-92.
    6. Fruchter, Gila E. & Van den Bulte, Christophe, 2011. "Why the Generalized Bass Model leads to odd optimal advertising policies," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 218-230.
    7. Harikesh S. Nair & Sanjog Misra & William J. Hornbuckle IV & Ranjan Mishra & Anand Acharya, 2017. "Big Data and Marketing Analytics in Gaming: Combining Empirical Models and Field Experimentation," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 36(5), pages 699-725, September.
    8. Meredith B. Rosenthal & Ernst R. Berndt & Julie M. Donohue & Arnold M. Epstein & Richard G. Frank, 2003. "Demand Effects of Recent Changes in Prescription Drug Promotion," NBER Chapters, in: Frontiers in Health Policy Research, Volume 6, pages 1-26, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Gary L. Lilien & Arvind Rangaswamy & Gerrit H. Van Bruggen & Katrin Starke, 2004. "DSS Effectiveness in Marketing Resource Allocation Decisions: Reality vs. Perception," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 15(3), pages 216-235, September.
    10. Francisco Brahm & Joaquin Poblete, 2018. "Incentives and Ratcheting in a Multiproduct Firm: A Field Experiment," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(10), pages 4552-4571, October.
    11. Edward I. Brody, 2001. "Marketing Engineering at BBDO," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 31(3_supplem), pages 74-81, June.
    12. Haofeng Jin & Zhentong Lu, 2021. "Measuring the Effectiveness of Salespeople: Evidence from a Cold-Drink Market," Staff Working Papers 21-40, Bank of Canada.
    13. Germann, Frank & Lilien, Gary L. & Rangaswamy, Arvind, 2013. "Performance implications of deploying marketing analytics," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 114-128.
    14. Xiaojing Dong & Pradeep Chintagunta & Puneet Manchanda, 2011. "A new multivariate count data model to study multi-category physician prescription behavior," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 9(3), pages 301-337, September.
    15. Du, Shaofu & Wang, Lei & Hu, Li & Zhu, Yangguang, 2019. "Platform-led green advertising: Promote the best or promote by performance," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 115-131.
    16. Daniel Gahler & Harald Hruschka, 2022. "Resource allocation procedures for unknown sales response functions with additive disturbances," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 92(6), pages 997-1034, August.
    17. Gahler, Daniel & Hruschka, Harald, 2016. "Resource Allocation Heuristics for Unknown Sales Response Functions with Additive Disturbances," University of Regensburg Working Papers in Business, Economics and Management Information Systems 488, University of Regensburg, Department of Economics.
    18. Krass, Dmitry & Ovchinnikov, Anton, 2010. "Constrained group balancing: Why does it work," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 206(1), pages 144-154, October.
    19. Olivier Rubel & Ashutosh Prasad, 2016. "Dynamic Incentives in Sales Force Compensation," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(4), pages 676-689, July.
    20. Ron Berman & Christophe Van den Bulte, 2022. "False Discovery in A/B Testing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(9), pages 6762-6782, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sönke Albers, 1998. "Regeln für die Allokation eines Marketing-Budgets auf Produkte oder Marktsegmente," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 50(3), pages 211-235, March.
    2. Yang, Chaolin & Xiong, Yi, 2020. "Nonparametric advertising budget allocation with inventory constraint," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 285(2), pages 631-641.
    3. Gary L. Lilien & Arvind Rangaswamy & Gerrit H. Van Bruggen & Katrin Starke, 2004. "DSS Effectiveness in Marketing Resource Allocation Decisions: Reality vs. Perception," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 15(3), pages 216-235, September.
    4. C. Robert Clark & Ignatius J. Horstmann, 2005. "Advertising and Coordination in Markets with Consumption Scale Effects," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(2), pages 377-401, June.
    5. Parker, Philip M. & Sarvary, Miklos, 1997. "Formulating dynamic strategies using decision calculus," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(3), pages 542-554, May.
    6. P D Berger & J Lee & B D Weinberg, 2006. "Optimal cooperative advertising integration strategy for organizations adding a direct online channel," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 57(8), pages 920-927, August.
    7. V. Srinivasan & Chan Su Park & Dae Ryun Chang, 2005. "An Approach to the Measurement, Analysis, and Prediction of Brand Equity and Its Sources," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(9), pages 1433-1448, September.
    8. Karen Gedenk & Henrik Sattler, 1997. "Preisschwellen und Deckungsbeitrag - Verschenkt der Handel große Potentiale?," Working Paper Series A 1997-04, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, School of of Economics and Business Administration.
    9. Marc Fischer & Sönke Albers & Nils Wagner & Monika Frie, 2011. "Practice Prize Winner --Dynamic Marketing Budget Allocation Across Countries, Products, and Marketing Activities," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(4), pages 568-585, July.
    10. Karray, Salma & Martín-Herrán, Guiomar, 2009. "A dynamic model for advertising and pricing competition between national and store brands," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 193(2), pages 451-467, March.
    11. Nair, Anand & Narasimhan, Ram, 2006. "Dynamics of competing with quality- and advertising-based goodwill," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 175(1), pages 462-474, November.
    12. Drexl, Andreas & Haase, Knut, 1996. "Fast approximation methods for sales force deployment," Manuskripte aus den Instituten für Betriebswirtschaftslehre der Universität Kiel 411, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Institut für Betriebswirtschaftslehre.
    13. Karen Gedenk & Henrik Sattler, 1999. "Preisschwellen und Deckungsbeitrag — Verschenkt der Handel gro Potentiale?," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 33-59, January.
    14. Anton, Ramona & Chenavaz, Régis Y. & Paraschiv, Corina, 2023. "Dynamic pricing, reference price, and price-quality relationship," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    15. Erickson, Gary M., 1995. "Differential game models of advertising competition," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 83(3), pages 431-438, June.
    16. Lilien, G.L. & Rangaswamy, A. & Starke, K. & van Bruggen, G.H., 2001. "How and Why Decision Models Influence Marketing Resource Allocations," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2001-33-MKT, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    17. Erickson, Gary M., 2012. "Transfer pricing in a dynamic marketing-operations interface," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 216(2), pages 326-333.
    18. Karray, Salma, 2015. "Cooperative promotions in the distribution channel," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 49-58.
    19. Andreas Klein, 2011. "Die Entwicklung eines agentenbasierten Basismodells zur Bestimmung der deckungsbeitragsmaximierenden Anzahl von Außendienstmitarbeitern," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 189-210, January.
    20. Lilien, Gary L. & Rangaswamy, Arvind & van Bruggen, Gerrit H. & Wierenga, Berend, 2002. "Bridging the marketing theory-practice gap with marketing engineering," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 111-121, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:31:y:2001:i:3_supplement:p:s8-s44. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.