By Steve Hind, Harvard Business School Class of 2016 Your inside sales team’s faux-personal, harassing emails make me hate your company. Inside sales, we hear, is the future of sales, at least in B2B. But as a person who is on the receiving end of inside sales tactics roughly once a month, at least one… Continue reading Terrible Sales Tactics…
Tag: sales
HBS Team Places Third in MIT Sloan Sales Competition
As a prominent HBS entrepreneur-in-residence put it so eloquently, “Sales is sex, marketing is masturbation.” Marketing is being alone in a room, staring a computer with the door closed. Sales is interaction—meeting people, going door-to-door, pressing the flesh so to speak. Though both sales and marketing have their time and place, this begs the question:… Continue reading HBS Team Places Third in MIT Sloan Sales Competition
Robert S. Kapito
“The reason why ETFs are a phenomenal success is that they solved a lot of problems clients faced with mutual funds, namely surrounding transparency, liquidity, costs and tax-efficiency. Remember, we have been working on developing the ETFs for 15 years before it finally caught on and became popular. This alignment of securities features with client… Continue reading Robert S. Kapito
Kwama Sutra
Sectionmate Brian San’s bluntness is always appreciated. “Now is not the time to get fat,” he said on the second floor of Spangler. The comment came while I was finishing off my second cupcake. “It’s getting warm outside and you know what that means.” Sadly, I did know what the warm weather brought – the… Continue reading Kwama Sutra
Lessons Learned
Twelve years into my ownership of the company, it became obvious to me that growing it to the next stage would not be as interesting or challenging to me as my early years of fixing things and turning the business around. After a first aborted attempt to sell the company in 1999, the final private… Continue reading Lessons Learned
Money with Mia
Those of you who know me know I love chocolate. White, dark, semi-sweet – it makes no difference to me. Chocolate is chocolate, and I don’t care what wrapper it comes in. I’m a sucker for Godiva as well as for Hershey’s. On a recent excursion to Harvard Square with my sister, I stopped by… Continue reading Money with Mia
Black Friday 2009: A Survival Guide
View Larger Map A) Boston B) Wrentham C) Sears D) Best Buy E) Target F) Walmart G) Emerald Square H) Staples I) Lowe’s To me, Thanksgiving has never really been about thanks or giving. I tend to associate those more noble actions with Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Indeed, the less admirable pastimes of food, family… Continue reading Black Friday 2009: A Survival Guide
Cheap versus Frugal?
Yes, there is a difference – a difference that I didn’t realize until I left my cushy life on Wall Street and became a graduate student. I am not cheap, but as a graduate student I learned to become frugal so I can use the incremental value I gain to do other things. I asked… Continue reading Cheap versus Frugal?
Lessons Learned: The Most Effective Face to Our Customers
Learning the Lesson that I was the most effective “face” to our customers took me a long time and was critical to our ultimate growth and profitability. In my Product Manager positions at GE and later as President of small Machinery Divisions I was often “trotted” out by the sales force to meet customers. Sales… Continue reading Lessons Learned: The Most Effective Face to Our Customers
Lessons Learned
In the businesses I operated, I was always deeply involved in setting prices because I found it to be the most immediate way to impact margins and cash flow. “Cost based pricing” establishes prices based on costs of purchases, manufacturing labor and overhead with a markup to attain profit targets.ÿ Many businesses, such as software,… Continue reading Lessons Learned
Where in the World did you Spend your Summer–Brent Grinna (OC)
This summer, Brent interned at IGNIA Partners, a Monterrey, Mexico based venture capital fund that invests in businesses that serve or employ people at the Base of the Pyramid (“BoP”).ÿ The BoP is defined as the four billion people globally who survive on $2 per day or less.ÿ By providing capital and counsel, IGNIA can… Continue reading Where in the World did you Spend your Summer–Brent Grinna (OC)
Lessons Learned – Forecasting Improved Sales Revenue
The Harbus is delighted to introduce our latest columnist, HBS alumnus and Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Jim Sharpe, who will be sharing business lessons learned over the course of his career. I’ve learned that predicting increases in Sales Revenue is much more elusive than achieving near term margin improvements, especially the further you are removed from the final… Continue reading Lessons Learned – Forecasting Improved Sales Revenue
Putting Sales on the HBS Agenda
How do you “cold-email” someone to get an interview? When reaching out to any executive, the best path is to obtain an internal referral. Statistics shows that a person is much more likely to reply to a “cold email” if the inquirer was referred by an internal co-worker. How do I get a CEO to… Continue reading Putting Sales on the HBS Agenda
Looking Forward
The Harbus News Corporation is a forum for the variety of voices at HBS- some eloquent, some disgruntled, some amusing and some controversial. Over the past year, the Harbus has strived to achieve a balance – between business and philanthropy, between controversy and discussion, and between frivolity and responsibility. Not many in the HBS community… Continue reading Looking Forward
Nothing "Generic" About Israel Makov
On Thursday, April 3, the Healthcare Club brought Israel Makov to campus to discuss the dramatic growth of Teva Pharmaceutical, Israel’s largest company and the largest generic pharmaceutical company in the world. Mr. Makov focused on his overall strategy as Teva CEO to grow his company through “acquisition and integration.” Israel Makov described his company’s… Continue reading Nothing "Generic" About Israel Makov
A "Student Entrepreneur" Experience at HBS
Soon after I got accepted to HBS, I left a job at Goldman Sachs with the intention to travel, write, and bask in idea-generation for a few months prior to moving to Boston. Instead, I became obsessed with one idea in particular and inadvertently started a business prior to starting business school. The two years… Continue reading A "Student Entrepreneur" Experience at HBS
Fantastic Opportunity – Ad Manager Position
Job DescriptionThe Harbus News Corporation is seeking an outgoing, driven, organized individual to handle the advertising accounts for The Harbus, the weekly Harvard Business School campus newspaper. This position requires maintaining relationships with recruiters, growing new relationships with local, national, and campus advertisers, selling ad space in weekly and special issues, working with the newspaper… Continue reading Fantastic Opportunity – Ad Manager Position
What is Success?
Marc Ecko’s artistic journey began in the mid-80s in a makeshift design studio and showroom. Evolving from just six t-shirts and a can of spray paint, Marc Ecko Enterprises has become a full-scale global fashion and lifestyle company. He was on campus to discuss his entrepreneurial story, marketing the Marc Ecko brands and current trends… Continue reading What is Success?
C&S Wholesale Grocers Hosts RC Section F
Roger Huffstetler particularly enjoyed “the interaction we had with the folks in the warehouse. The young man who led our tour was full of practical and insightful comments regarding how and why the warehouse was organized.” After discussing C&S Grocers during a LEAD class, a member of section F used relationships he had with the… Continue reading C&S Wholesale Grocers Hosts RC Section F
NBA Development League President Discusses Careers in Sports and Life in the NBA
On November 7, Dan Reed (HBS ’04), President of the NBA Development League, spoke to HBS students about careers in sports and life in the NBA. While many students consider themselves huge sports fans, HBS has not traditionally been a breeding ground for sports executives. In fact, outside of making fortunes in other industries and… Continue reading NBA Development League President Discusses Careers in Sports and Life in the NBA
The Launch of Halo 3
Shane Kim (MBA ’90), Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Game Studios (MGS), spoke enthusiastically about the bright future of interactive entertainment to a crowd of over 100 HBS students on September 26th, 2007. The appropriately-timed event, which was organized by Shane Rahmani (OG) and co-sponsored by the Entertainment and Media, Marketing, and TechMedia Clubs, occurred… Continue reading The Launch of Halo 3
Blades of Glory
Jimmy (Actor Jon Heder) is Chazz Michale Michaels’ competition and opposite. As an orphan, Jimmy portrays incredible potential, and is discovered by Darren MacElroy (Actor William Fiehtner), a millionaire who decides to make his next fortune by adopting kids that have to potential to be athletic “cash cows”. Jimmy is Michael Michaels opposite who dances… Continue reading Blades of Glory
Do you want to have a party?
I am not saying that everyone here is a boring, stay-at-home, early-to-bed party pooper, but there does seem to be a lot of party fatigue going around. Why is it so hard to have a party at HBS? Well, actually throwing a normal party is fairly easy-you pick a day, e-mail your friends, buy a… Continue reading Do you want to have a party?
Joe Girard, The World’s Greatest Salesperson Tells His Story
On November 2, 2006, I interviewed Joe Girard, who the Guinness Book of World Records named the #1 Salesperson in the world. Mr. Girard received this title for selling the most “big ticket” items “one-at-a-time.” He has written four books and presents his inspirational story to Fortune 500 clients and companies from all over the… Continue reading Joe Girard, The World’s Greatest Salesperson Tells His Story
Beyond the Ball Mill – Scharffen Berger and the Luxury Chocolate Market
Managing Director of Scharffen Berger, Jim Harris, discusses the premium segment of the chocolate market and the company’s acquisition by Hershey during his recent visit to HBS, sponsored by the Marketing Club. Relax, you are not about to read anything about melangeurs, conches or ball mills. If you are keen to learn about those, I… Continue reading Beyond the Ball Mill – Scharffen Berger and the Luxury Chocolate Market
Sunsets and Cocktails in the South Pacific – and Getting Paid for It
Imagine sitting at a 5 star beach resort, chilled Tanq 10 & Tonic in hand, watching the sunset dapple across the water of an infinity pool as it gently spills over into the sea below. Now, imagine that this is your job and you are getting paid to sit here. Welcome to my summer internship… Continue reading Sunsets and Cocktails in the South Pacific – and Getting Paid for It
CFO of MGM Grand Speaks on Expansion Plans
The CFO of MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, John Shigley, visited HBS last Tuesday as the guest speaker in the EC course “Competing and Winning through Customer Information.” Shigley joined MGM Grand in 2005 after spending three years at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino. His prior experiences include executive positions at Caesars… Continue reading CFO of MGM Grand Speaks on Expansion Plans
Downtown Hangouts Popular Destination for Valentine's Day Outings
Wherever you head this Valentine’s Day in the greater Boston area for a night out on the town, chances are that gifts will be involved – one of the more popular being candy of some sorts. The National Confectioners Association says that Valentine’s Day is the 4th largest holiday in candy sales, with over $1-billion… Continue reading Downtown Hangouts Popular Destination for Valentine's Day Outings
In Defense of Pharmaceuticals: Novartis CEO Speaks to HBSers
Daniel Vasella, M.D, chairman and CEO of Swiss pharmaceutical group Novartis AG, was on campus last Tuesday to address HBS students in an event jointly hosted by the HBS Healthcare Club and the Strategy Unit. As the first CEO of Novartis, Dr. Vasella had a leading role in the merger of Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy and… Continue reading In Defense of Pharmaceuticals: Novartis CEO Speaks to HBSers
Climbing High:Patagonia Founder Makes an Impression with Unorthodox Message
“Leading an examined life is a pain in the ass,” Yvon Chouinard, founder of outdoor clothing company Patagonia, cautioned HBS students. The renowned climber, businessman and environmentalist described Patagonia’s journey from an outdoor clothing start-up, growing 50 percent per year, to a more considered, mature company growing at a “natural growth rate.” The company’s rapid… Continue reading Climbing High:Patagonia Founder Makes an Impression with Unorthodox Message
