Knowledge Hub
The Sales Excellence Hub Knowledge Hub brings together articles, insights and thought leadership from Warwick Business School, our partners and the wider sales community.
This section shares practical perspectives on the changing world of sales, including sales leadership, incentive design, revenue growth, customer value, technology, AI and the professionalisation of sales.
Below you can find the latest articles and resources from the Hub and its partners.
Latest issue
June 2026
The Professional Sales Engine
Issue 06 / 2026 · Sales methodology · 15 min read
Many firms selling complex services lack clarity about the basic architecture of their commercial system. Terms such as commercial approach, sales methodology and sales process are often used interchangeably. This creates an operational problem: organisations cannot train consistently, diagnose sales failures or scale what works if they cannot clearly define the system they are trying to build.
This article explores how firms can build a more professional sales engine by creating coherent flexibility: keeping the commercial approach stable, while allowing sales methodologies and sales processes to adapt systematically based on context.
- Why many firms confuse commercial approach, sales methodology and sales process.
- How firm-centric value propositions can make the client structurally absent from the sales conversation.
- Why conceptual clarity helps firms train, diagnose, scale and improve sales practice.
- How sales leaders can build a professional sales engine by making the client visible and making sales concepts explicit.
Published by the Sales Excellence Hub, Warwick Business School
Authored by Diego Ramirez, MBA, Warwick Business School
The Evolution of Commission and Incentives in a Consumption Economy
Issue 06 / 2026 · Incentive design · 12 min read
As more organisations move to consumption- and usage-based business models, traditional commission structures designed for upfront bookings are coming under strain. This article examines how incentive design must evolve when revenue is no longer realised at contract signature, but earned progressively through customer adoption, expansion and retention.
- Why booking-based incentives create misalignment in consumption models, and what the principal–agent problem says about getting reward right.
- The four design questions every leader faces: when value is created, who creates it, what proves it, and how reward should be timed.
- How modern incentive compensation technology supports scenario modelling, multi-role attribution and continuous evolution of plans.
Published by the Sales Excellence Hub, Warwick Business School
Authored by Akeron
