Catching the right moment to take action when successful business models begin to wane requires skilled detection work and the courage to face reality. In this article on value migration -- the process by which changing markets and new competitors threaten a company's equilibrium -- a system of early-warning diagnostics is recommended.

Too many businesses are price takers, not price makers. That means they are willing to lower prices to capture market share or to sign up a marquee customer. But Harvard Business School professor Benson P. Shapiro says don't let your ego get in the way of good business sense. Here are seven steps toward naming your own price.

In today's hyper-competitive world, your sales and marketing functions must yoke together at every level-from the core central concepts of the strategy to the minute details of execution. Benson Shapiro on creating the customer-centric team.

"The pressure is on for strategic sales management. We attempt to alleviate this pressure for all arenas by explaining first of all that strategic sales management works: we present data which reveal that corporate financial performance depends on a well-run sales force. We next turn to the importance of customer selection, customer focus and customer retention. We explain the importance of designing a sales force architecture around a carefully defined sales task. Finally, we delineate a three-part sales management system that will help you integrate these activities to make strategic sales management the cornerstone of an organization dedicated to dealing with today's customers in today's competitive world."