If you’ve ever watched the TV show, The Office, then you probably know the character Michael Scott, the bumbling, ill-liked boss of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Late into the show’s run, viewers were shocked to learn that once upon a time, he was an award-winning salesman who won half the company’s client list. How does a company’s best salesman become that same company’s worst manager? (more…)

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) present a double-edged sword. Buying out another company is one of the easiest ways to increase your scale and penetrate an otherwise untapped market. On the other hand, a merger can also result in an unhappy and unprofitable marriage.

Nowhere are the challenges of M&As more felt than in the sales department, responsible for generating the newly formed company’s revenue. After all, the merger isn’t just a marriage of cultures, it’s also a marriage of expectations, processes and employees. (more…)