Aligning Strategy and Sales

"A great sales book ... With thoughtful, clear, and engaging examples, Cespedes provides a framework for diagnosing and managing the core levers for effective selling in any organization." -- Sales Pro Insider "...the best sales book of the year. I know we've got a few months left in 2014, but I'm not too worried that I'll be proven wrong--I've been waiting for a sales book like this one for a long time and the odds that another will appear before December 31 are long indeed." "...Aligning Strategy and Sales is well worth the cover price." -- strategy+business magazine "With so many books focused on the elevator pitch, closing the sale, or other minute sales techniques, Aligning Strategy and Sales is a refreshing change of pace." -- 800 CEO READ "...the book is a must read." -- Gartner Frank Cespedes was named one of the "Top 50 Sales & Marketing Influencers" by Top Sales World ADVANCE PRAISE for Aligning Strategy and Sales: Lou D'Ambrosio, Chairman, Sensus; former CEO, Sears Holdings and Avaya Inc.-- "Finally ... a business book with real, pragmatic insight about the crucially important, but often ignored, discipline of sales and why it's vital to any plausible strategy. Written in an effective and sometimes edgy tone, Aligning Strategy and Sales is a compelling playbook for companies looking to accelerate their growth." Jeffrey Bussgang, General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners-- "You spend a lot on sales. A LOT. Read Cespedes' wise words to get a better handle on how to make your sales investments pay off through smart, strategic alignment." Charles Wilson, CEO, Booker Group-- "It often feels like salespeople are from Mars and strategists from Venus. Little wonder so many strategies fail when tested by real-world customer contact. Whether you are in sales, strategy, or a CEO, you should read this book. It addresses thorny issues like culture and compensation, and it will help you get results." Mardia van der Walt, Senior Vice President, Middle East and Africa, T-Systems International-- "The execution of strategy within an organization is dependent on two critical elements: the creation of a culture that enables strategy execution, and the ability of the sales force to execute on the sales tasks aligned to the strategy. And this is what Frank Cespedes manages to do with Aligning Strategy and Sales." Jeanne O'Kelley, cofounder and CEO, Blueprint Technologies-- "Frank Cespedes has brilliantly captured why aligning strategy and sales is so darn difficult. He walks you through the alignment process in a methodical yet witty manner, reminding you of the nitty-gritty intricacies that will provide the wind in the sails of your strategy. This book should be required reading for all senior executives and sales managers."