Events
Sales Excellence Hub | Events
Evidence-led discussion and professional exchange
Sales Excellence Hub events bring together sales leaders, practitioners, researchers and partners to examine current challenges, exchange perspectives and connect research with professional practice.
Latest event
Designing Incentives for a New Revenue Reality
Navigating the shift from upfront bookings to ongoing customer value
The event brought together senior revenue, sales and commercial leaders for an informal roundtable exploring how organisations are rethinking sales incentives in response to changing revenue models.
Event focus
- Peer-led discussion on the future of sales incentives and revenue growth.
- Insights from ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Business School research and market observations.
- Roundtable conversations exploring real-world challenges and opportunities.
- Informal networking with senior sales and revenue leaders.
Event archive
Previous Sales Excellence Hub events
Explore previous events and the research, professional perspectives and organisational challenges discussed at each session.
AI and Human Sales: the CRO’s Performance Playbook A senior roundtable examining how AI insight and human performance can work together to strengthen go-to-market results. View details
The event brought together a select group of chief revenue officers and senior sales leaders for an afternoon of roundtable discussions focused on strengthening go-to-market performance in an era where artificial intelligence and human capability increasingly intersect.
Event focus
- Peer-led discussion on blending AI insight and representative motivation to improve sales performance.
- Practical examples of performance levers that a CRO can use today.
- Live exchange of challenges and quick wins through roundtable discussion.
- Time to connect informally with other participants over refreshments.
- Practical ideas, new contacts and a clearer view of how technology and people can work together for stronger revenue growth.
Bridging Sales and Finance through Academia and Practice An event examining stronger organisational alignment between sales and finance. View details
The event explored how ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Business School, together with leading sales and finance executives, are developing stronger approaches to organisational alignment.
The discussion brought academic research into conversation with professional experience, examining how sales and finance functions can improve collaboration, strengthen decision-making and align commercial activity with organisational priorities.
Adapting to Evolving Customer Needs and Buying Behaviour A discussion of changing customer expectations, digital access and increasingly complex buying processes. View details
The event brought together sales researchers and industry executives to address a challenge identified as critical in the Sales Excellence Hub State of Sales Report: adapting to evolving customer needs and shifting buying behaviour.
Customer needs and buying behaviour in professional contexts are increasingly influenced by digital access, heightened expectations for personalisation and complex decision-making processes. These changes create significant challenges for sales organisations.
Participants considered findings from current sales research and explored practices used by organisations seeking to respond effectively to changing customer expectations.
Sales Excellence Hub Impact Launch Event The launch of the Hub’s programme connecting academic research with challenges in sales practice. View details
The Sales Excellence Hub Impact Launch Event introduced the Hub’s mission to address challenges in sales practice through academic research and knowledge dissemination.
The initiative aims to bridge the gap between academia and sales practice, focusing on impact areas including digital transformation, sales management, artificial intelligence in sales and evolving customer needs.
The event featured sales researchers and outlined future activities, including surveys and further events designed to identify impact priorities across the sales profession.
Digital Transformation An examination of digital adoption and its implications for sales practices, teams and customer interaction. View details
The Sales Excellence Hub’s first lunch event focused on the challenges of digital transformation in sales. The discussion addressed how technological advances disrupt established sales practices and explored both the challenges and advantages of digital adoption.
Participants considered effective and ineffective approaches to implementing digital tools, the balance between personal and digital customer interactions and the organisation of sales teams in a digitally evolving environment.
The aim was to identify key challenges and generate actionable insight to help sales professionals adapt and succeed in a continually changing landscape.
Attracting, Leading and Managing Sales Talent A discussion of recruitment, retention, leadership and career development in sales organisations. View details
The Sales Excellence Hub’s second lunch event focused on attracting, leading and managing sales talent. Key themes included recruitment challenges, difficulty identifying suitable candidates and the retention of sales professionals.
Effective practices discussed at the event included strong employer branding, professional recruitment processes, clear performance objectives, transparent career development and effective mentoring.
Participants also examined weaker practices, including ineffective recruitment strategies, poor leadership, micromanagement, inadequate compensation and frequent changes made without clear expectations.
Incentives and Sales Performance An examination of how incentive programmes influence sales performance, motivation and organisational culture. View details
The event focused on the role of sales incentive programmes in driving performance, strengthening motivation and fostering a positive organisational culture within sales teams.
Discussion addressed the key challenges associated with designing sales compensation plans and incentives, including the advantages, disadvantages and potential unintended consequences of different approaches.
Participants worked to identify priorities and generate practical knowledge about the design and implementation of effective compensation plans that avoid negative outcomes.
The Impact of AI on Sales, Compensation and Rewards Processes A discussion of how artificial intelligence is changing sales activity, compensation and reward management. View details
The event examined how artificial intelligence is changing sales, compensation and reward processes. AI use in sales remains at an early stage, but participants recognised its potential to support future performance gains.
Sales organisations are currently using AI primarily to improve efficiency and, to a lesser extent, effectiveness. Adoption is most visible in the earlier stages of the sales process and in customer-facing activities.
The discussion identified multiple pathways through which AI could contribute to improved sales performance and more effective incentive management.