Sales Student Preconceptions and a Novel Approach to Sales Curriculum Mapping: Insights, Implications, and Application for Sales Educators

Abstract

It is widely known that students have preconceptions regarding salespeople and that these preconceptions are modified by participation in sales classes. It is also known that experiential sales class activities are more effective at increasing student interest in pursuing a sales career than traditional lecture style lessons. Less explored is the source of student preconceptions regarding sales and an associated model to explain the observed classroom pedagogy phenomena. Moreover, despite the focus on measuring student attitudes toward sales, there is limited research that presents practical methods for sales educators to introduce sales concepts to students. To address this knowledge gap, this article presents the findings from a quantitative analysis of student experiences regarding sales, a model for interpreting these experiences as it relates to sales career interest, and a novel process for developing the introductory and advanced sales classes at a large metropolitan university.