Commentary: practical insights for sales force digitalization success—an executive’s key takeaways

The author of the present commentary evaluates the implications of the Zoltners, Sinha, Sahay, Shastri, and Lorimer (2021 Zoltners, A. A., P. Sinha, D. Sahay, A. Shastri, and S. E. Lorimer. 2021. “Practical Insights for Sales Force Digitalization Success.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. doi: 10.1080/08853134.2021.1908144.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) article and their view on the challenges associated with digitizing an organization’s sales force. The associated pitfalls of sales force digitalization are real—and so is the potential. Hence, the author commends Zoltners and colleagues (2021 Zoltners, A. A., P. Sinha, D. Sahay, A. Shastri, and S. E. Lorimer. 2021. “Practical Insights for Sales Force Digitalization Success.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. doi: 10.1080/08853134.2021.1908144.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) for contributing such valuable insights pertaining to one of the inevitable challenges of today’s sales force management. The author’s aim is to contribute an executive’s perspective on the article by highlighting three key takeaways: (1) Master the thin line between the scope of digitalization and the risks involved, (2) ensure simplicity as well as user value, and (3) deploy agile processes when developing, implementing, and operating sales force digitalization initiatives.