Sales Force Productivity
Introduction
Seventh Biennial Enhancing Sales Force Productivity Conference, University of Kansas, 21-23 Apr 2022; Deadline now 26 Jan
INTEREST CATEGORY: SELLING AND SALES MAN
POSTING TYPE: Revisits
Author: Kissan Joseph
Conference Announcement & Call for Abstracts
ÌýSeventh Biennial Enhancing Sales Force Productivity Conference
April 21 – 23, 2022
Hosted by School of Business, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
Conference Co-Chairs: Murali Mantrala and Kissan Joseph (University of Kansas)
Conference Advisory Committee: Soenke Albers (KLU Hamburg), Srinath Gopalakrishna (University of Missouri), Manfred Krafft (University of Muenster), and Nick Lee (University of Warwick).
The quality, quantity, deployment and motivation of sales force efforts significantly impact both the top and bottom lines of companies in many industries where personal selling plays a critical role in the promotion of their offerings. As outbound and inbound marketing become data-driven and new digital information technologies shape buyer behavior, firms’ customer lead management, acquisition, retention, and relationship management efforts are becoming increasingly complex. In response, new forms of selling strategies, account-based marketing, key account management, ‘hybrid’ sales organizations, CRM systems, e.g., AI-powered Salesforce Einstein, are being utilized to better manage all touchpoints along buyers’ purchase journeys and the sales funnel, and appropriately attribute success to the various marketing and sales force efforts along the way. However, there are many open questions regarding the optimal use, management, and impact of these developments on enhancing sales force productivity. Consequently, new theoretical and empirical research to improve understanding of evolving sales force productivity issues as well as tools, models, metrics, analytics, and methodologies to aid sales force management strategies and decisions are urgently needed.
Following the success of the first six conferences, we are pleased to announce that the Seventh Biennial Enhancing Sales Force Productivity Conference will take place at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas on April 21 – 23, 2022.
The conference will begin at 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 21 with a reception and an introductory keynote speech. For the keynote address, the conference will feature,ÌýPrabha Kant Sinha,Ìý co-founder and former co-CEO of ZS Associates, a 10,000-person global professional services firm.Ìý Dr. Sinha is alsoÌýformer faculty member from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.
The conference resumes at 8:30 AM on Friday, April 22 and will feature a plenary session and concurrent tracks of academic presentations.Ìý This will be followed by a banquet dinner and the conference keynote speech.Ìý The conference will continue with concurrent academic presentation sessions on Saturday, April 23 from 8:30 AM until 3:00 PM.Ìý The sessions will include academic researchers, industry professionals and doctoral students. ÌýThe registration fee is $350 for faculty and industry professionals and $150 for doctoral students.
Abstracts: ÌýDeadline, Extended January 26, 2022
We encourage submissions of abstracts of research on a wide range of topics – normative, methodological, empirical – in sales management and personal selling (see below). Submissions that provide valuable insights for practitioners or stimulate idea generation for new research will be given priority. Abstract submissions should not exceed two double-spaced pages. We have no restrictions on publishing submitted research at any journal. The deadline to submit your abstract is January 26, 2022. Abstracts which arrive by this deadline will be peer reviewed through a double-blind process and authors of the papers that are accepted for presentation at the Conference will be informed by February 10, 2022. Abstracts should be emailed to Leaa Merrill, Administrative Associate, Marketing Area: leaam@ku.edu
Examples of topics suitable for the conference include:
- Sales force strategy and changing sales models
- Outside, inside, and hybrid sales organizations
- Value of personal selling and sales representatives
- Lead management and managing the sales funnel
- Frontline sales and service coordination and management
- Sales force role in orchestrating B2B marketing
- Optimal design of sales teams
- Sales analytics and data-driven sales management
- Value of new evolving AI-driven CRM systems
- CRM strategies and optimal sales resource allocation
- Role and ROI of personal selling in companies’ marketing mix
- CSO role and impact on firm value
- Competitive selling strategies
- Developing new sales force productivity metrics
- Optimizing sales goal-setting, compensation, and incentives
- Models for effective strategic and global account management
- Managing marketing-sales interfaces
- Pricing and personal selling
- Optimal strategies for sales force recruiting, training, promotion, and evaluation
Conference Co-Chairs and Contact Information
Murali K. Mantrala
Ned N. Fleming Professor of Marketing
School of Business, University of Kansas
2187 Capitol Federal Hall
1654 Naismith Drive
Lawrence KS 66045
Phone: 1 (785) 864 1876
mmantrala@ku.edu
Kissan Joseph
Crown / Sherr Professor of Marketing
Area Director, Marketing and Business Law
Academic Director, Professional Selling Program
School of Business, University of Kansas
2182 Capitol Federal Hall
1654 Naismith Drive
Lawrence KS 66045
Phone: 1 (785) 864 7535
kjoseph@ku.edu
Other Conference AttractionsÌý
1: Popovich Comedy Theater and Keynote Dinner at Lied Center, University of Kansas
2:Ìý Ground transportation Kansas City Airport / Lawrence (50 miles) organized by KU and included in registration fee.
3:Ìý Famed Kansas City BBQ!