The Impact of Sales Management Changes on New Product Success Linda Rochford University of Minnesota-Duluth Thomas R. Wotruba San Diego State University Although the role of the sales force and sales management mix can be significant in influencing successful new prod- uct launch, the impact of specific sales management pro- grams and tactics has not been examined in detail. This study explores whether firms that introduce new products were more successful in achieving their objectives when the new product introduction was accompanied by associ- ated changes in sales management mix variables. Firms that were more successful in achieving their new product objectives accompanied their new product launches with significantly more changes in sales force quotas than did firms whose achievement of new product objectives was less successful. However, no significant differences in the number of changes in sales force structure, training, or sales support were found between firms with more success- ful versus less successful new products. Only infrequently has the new product and marketing literature examined the role of other marketing mix vari- ables in the successful implementation of new product introductions, especially with sufficient detail to offer operational guidance for managers (Hultink and Schoor- mans 1993). Johne and Snelson (1988) lament that little research has focused on the launch of new products in spite of the fact that poor launch execution is often cited by managers as a reason for new product failure. Cooper and Kleinschmidt (1988) report that a proficient market launch is the most important stage in new product development differentiating between successful and unsuccessful per- Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Volume 24, No. 3, pages 263-270. Copyright 9 1996 by Academy of Marketing Science. formance. But for a new product to be an overall (technical and financial) success, more is needed than just the product itself. A coordinated and focused effort from the other elements in the marketing mix is necessary to support the product in its initial market introduction and beyond. Personal selling often is the major marketing functional area responsible for new product introduction. However, specific sales force management strategy or tactical activi- ties have not been investigated in relation to new product introductions. For example, Cooper and Kleinschmidt (1988) state that a strong, well-targeted sales force effort was important to new product success, but such declara- tions do not readily translate into specific recommenda- tions. The purpose of the study reported here is to investigate the relationship between sales management practices and the achievement of new product objectives in firms introducing new products. Specifically, we inves- tigate whether success in achieving new product objectives is related to the extent of, as well as specific types of, accompanying changes in sales management mix variables. BACKGROUND New Product Success In most instances, new product success has been mea- sured in terms of how well the new product met corporate or business unit expectations or objectives (Cooper 1981; Crawford 1979, 1980). Companies typically use more than one criterion in measuring new product performance (Booz, Allen, and Hamilton 1982; Griffin and Page 1993). The three most commonly used were profit contribution, sales volume, and return on investment. In addition, a common externally driven motivation for launching a new product was defending a market share position. Cooper