Subject category:
Entrepreneurship
Published by:
Stanford Business School
Version: 11 September 2005
Length: 2 pages
Data source: Field research
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Abstract
The vignette starts at the time Jo Anne Heywood was promoted to be the CEO of ConvergedNetworks. This promotion was almost by coincidence. That is, Heywood had just been hired as the CTO of ConvergedNetworks as the company prepared to raise its third round of financing. The Board, however, had quickly realised that it also needed a CEO to raise this round. Heywood was thus selected. Heywood and her team successfully closed a third round of financing. At the time ConvergedNetworks Board was courting Heywood, it was also hiring a new Vice President (VP) of Sales, Dave Johnson. Heywood worried that Johnson may resent reporting to someone with no sales experience. As a result, Heywood felt she needed to manage Johnson carefully. Not long after assuming his role as VP of Sales and closing the third round of financing, Johnson shared with Heywood his concerns about selling the product. After each customer meeting, Johnson began dropping his initial forecasts by 10 - 20%. Johnson had steadily reduced the sales projections in the weeks leading up to the first quarterly Board meeting (since Heywood and Johnson joined ConvergedNetworks). As they both prepared the materials for the upcoming meeting, Johnson suddenly admitted that his sales team would probably come in at 80% below his original projections. Heywood wondered how she should respond to Johnson and how she approach the upcoming conversation with the Board.
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Abstract
The vignette starts at the time Jo Anne Heywood was promoted to be the CEO of ConvergedNetworks. This promotion was almost by coincidence. That is, Heywood had just been hired as the CTO of ConvergedNetworks as the company prepared to raise its third round of financing. The Board, however, had quickly realised that it also needed a CEO to raise this round. Heywood was thus selected. Heywood and her team successfully closed a third round of financing. At the time ConvergedNetworks Board was courting Heywood, it was also hiring a new Vice President (VP) of Sales, Dave Johnson. Heywood worried that Johnson may resent reporting to someone with no sales experience. As a result, Heywood felt she needed to manage Johnson carefully. Not long after assuming his role as VP of Sales and closing the third round of financing, Johnson shared with Heywood his concerns about selling the product. After each customer meeting, Johnson began dropping his initial forecasts by 10 - 20%. Johnson had steadily reduced the sales projections in the weeks leading up to the first quarterly Board meeting (since Heywood and Johnson joined ConvergedNetworks). As they both prepared the materials for the upcoming meeting, Johnson suddenly admitted that his sales team would probably come in at 80% below his original projections. Heywood wondered how she should respond to Johnson and how she approach the upcoming conversation with the Board.