An Empirical Investigation of The Salesperson's Career Stage Perspective

Abstract

Career stage may be a factor in explaining observed variance in sales performance. Recent sales literature has focused its attention on the Walker-Churchill-Ford model but has neglected empirical investigations of the career stage perspective first introduced by Jolson. Selected propositions offered by Cron in a previous study are the subject of empirical testing performed in this paper. Findings indicate that the career stage variable may add a significant dimension to explaining some aspects of sales performance, and it should become an integral part of sales management research.     

Job attitudes and performance during three career stages

The study tests the career stages model developed by Super (1957, The Psychology of Careers, New York: Harper). The theory suggests three distinct career stages between ages 21 and 60, each with its own career issues, job-related attitudes, and behavior. A total of 675 salespersons participated in this study. Attitudinal and career measures were taken from previously developed instruments. Support for the theory was found. Within each stage, different attitudes and behaviors were found to predict sales performance in accordance with the theory.     

Female College Student Interest in a Sales Career: A Comparison

Abstract

Female and male undergraduate students attending three universities were surveyed to determine their comparative interest in a career in sales. In general, females and males agreed on the attributes associated with a selling career. Yet females rated a selling career significantly lower in terms of preference as compared to males. Females were found to have a significantly stronger preference for careers in public relations, advertising, and retail management than their male counterparts. The implications of this negative female bias towards a sales career are discussed, and areas for further research are suggested.     

How to Retain Real Estate Sales People: What Things Work

Abstract

This study examines the residential real estate salesperson as one population and the real estate sales manager as a second population in an effort to identify those rewards important to successful sales and career development, as well as retention. Indepth interviews were conducted in order to provide more reliable results for this career field. It was determined that the management of real estate salespeople can be improved by focusing upon selection procedures as well as by developing a greater identification of the salesperson with the firm.     

Career Path Charting: Framework for Sales Force Evaluation

The authors compare several approaches to the evaluation of field salespeople to see if an improved analytical framework can be created. Based on performance data from 56 industrial salespeople, results suggest sales increase with experience and with the number of customer calls. The findings also provide support for the sales force career cycle and a new multi-attribute performance matrix. The use of a matrix approach allows managers to review and compare the accomplishments of the sales force along several dimensions at the same time.     

The Appeal of Personal Selling as a Career: A Decade Later

While students' attitudes and perceptions toward personal selling as a career have been discussed at length, the literature reflects remarkably little effort to understand students' preferences for sales careers. The authors synthesize extant knowledge on the subject and extend the knowledge base by conducting a time-series replication of an earlier study and by examining the relative importance of marketing-related career characteristics. Managerial implications of this research are discussed.     

Factors Related to Career Aspirations of New Entrants into a Stratified Occupational System

A transactional model of career aspirations is presented. Selected variables from the model were measured with a postal questionnaire completed by 346 new entrants into a stratified occupational system. Factors found to be strongly related to initial career aspiration levels included sex and educational qualifications. These variables were found to mediate other factor relationships with career aspirations.     

Integrating Personal and Career Counseling: A Challenge for Counselors

In recent years career counseling has often been viewed as separate and distinct from personal counseling, ignoring a long tradition in the career development field that has consistently recognized the importance of personality factors in the process of choosing and maintaining a career. This paper argues for the use of an eclectic career counseling model that embraces both personality and career development theories. The model requires the counselor to be able to move back and forth between the active and directive role of the career counselor and the facilitative and exploratory role of the personal counselor. A case is presented to demonstrate its application and implications for counseling and training are discussed.     

Creativity as Mediator for Intrinsic Motivation and Sales Performance

Substantial theoretical and empirical literature indicates inconsistent performance implications of intrinsic motivation, suggesting the possibility of some explanatory mechanisms. However, little is known about the factors that might explain intrinsic motivation and sales force performance relation, particularly in highly competitive and demanding fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) marketplace requiring new and useful solutions. Creativity, being a critical yet underutilized weapon in sales force arsenal, has the potential to assume the role. Therefore, this study aims at developing and testing a theory-driven framework in linking intrinsic motivation to sales performance while using sales force creative performance as partial mediator. By employing structural equation modeling, the empirical validity of the proposed mediating model is evaluated against plausible moderating model in a sample of 688 frontline field salespersons of FMCG companies in Lahore (Pakistan). Findings indicated that sales force creative performance is nurtured by intrinsic motivation that, in turn, promotes sales performance. Practical implications of findings for sales force management and suggestions for future research are presented, too.     

Career engagement: bridging career counseling and employee engagement

A model of career engagement is presented to help bridge the gap between career counselors' focus on supporting individuals to find meaningful work and employers' desire for an engaged, productive, and committed workforce.     

Career pathfinders: a qualitative study of career development

This paper examined the perceptions of career path and issues of MBA students in response to Lore's The Pathfinder, a comprehensive career-planning model. Using internet discussion boards, an interactive dialogue was mentioned by participants in response to the components of Lore's model. The sample consisted of 50 fully employed MBA students enrolled in a course on self-assessment and career planning. A total of 1,781 separate postings were made and analyzed, using inductive analysis derived from discussion threads based on Lore's categories: comments on Lore's Pathfinder model, living a life you love (what's the holdup, career fantasies, work and family issues, and career selection), how to get there from here (commitment and future from the present), and designing your future career. Findings indicated several interesting trends in the career planning of current MBA students, particularly the importance of self or self-reflective observations in real time as students who are also fully employed formulate career plans. Implications for psychologists and career counselors, career development models, and suggestions for research are presented.     

Self-Efficacy,Competitiveness, and Effort as Antecedents of Salesperson Performance

This paper posits and tests a model of the individual characteristics of self-efficacy, competitiveness, and effort as potential antecedents of salesperson performance. Based on two studies in different selling contexts, it is observed that whereas effort mediates the relationship between competitiveness and sales performance, self-efficacy has both direct and indirect effects on sales performance. Structural equation modeling results support the proposed model. Implications and conclusions of the studies are presented.     

Career Psychology: A Cultural Approach for India

This paper sets out to address an important aspect of human development, namely, the processes by which career choices are made. Highlighting the necessity of considering the unique cultural, social, and economic factors that influence career development in the Indian context, the paper presents the cultural preparation process model as a potential framework for the development of a career psychology for India. Data from the Work Orientations and Responses to Career Choices: Indian Regional Survey (WORCC-IRS) is presented to illustrate the model and to discuss occupational and career interests which are constructs that are central to career guidance. Data is provided to show that cultural factors such as parental approval and the attribution of prestige have a strong influence on the formation of occupational and career interests. The paper concludes with a discussion on the importance of creating a platform for the emergence of an Indian career psychology that integrates into its purview the diverse factors that influence career development in the Indian context.     

Sex Roles and the Desirability of Job Rewards,Expectations and Aspirations of Male versus Female Salespeople

Abstract

There have been numerous studies of the impact of sex-role stereotyping upon the preferences for job rewards and the difference between men and women. This study tests for such differences in a career field where men and women compete equally—commissioned residential real estate sales. Several new hypotheses were tested to include not only differences in desirability for job rewards, but also the expectancy of success in achieving them. There was little evidence of any differences between men and women in this career field resulting from a sex-role impact.     

A Model for Job Development Services

A model for the skill of job development is presented. The model should be useful to employment, rehabilitation, and career counselors.     

Take a Job,Any Job: Exploring the Importance of Matched Interests to Career Paths and Work Satisfaction

Employment counselors often face the conundrum of whether to advise people to take a job or to hold out for something that better matches their interests. This study investigated whether matched interests in an initial job predicted the subsequent career journey of 336 sales engineers and whether this made a difference to longer term work satisfaction and tenure. Results showed that although the first job significantly influenced people's future career journey, personality and job characteristics were likely to be more influential than matched interests in predicting work satisfaction. Thus, people may be better off taking well‐designed jobs than holding out for matched interests.     

the influence of workplace attraction on recruitment and retention

Economic changes have made the topics of recruitment and retention key issues for career development and human resource professionals. In this article, a model of workplace attraction is presented as 1 way of better understanding the match between workers and workplaces. Many contextual variables such as age, culture, and gender influence the attraction process. Workplace attraction must be regarded as a career developmental process and as such, regular attention is needed through all career phases.     

Gaining Customer Trust: A Conceptual Guide for the Salesperson

Abstract

This article applies what the behavioral sciences know about trust to industrial sales situations. Trust between an industrial buyer and salesperson is defined cognitively and behaviorally. A model of this trust-building process is presented and appropriate behaviors for sales representatives who wish to build trust are discussed. The interactions between experience, general knowledge, and trust building are examined in light of possible situations a sales representative might encounter. The findings suggest that both firm and salesperson can act positively to build and maintain trust with their clients.     

A self-efficacy approach to the career development of women

An approach to the conceptualization and facilitation of women's career development based on Bandura, 1977, Bandura, 1977, 84, 191–215) self-efficacy theory is presented. The model presented postulates that largely as a result of socialization experiences, women lack strong expectations of personal efficacy in relationship to many career-related behaviors and, thus, fail to fully realize their capabilities and talents in career pursuits. Sex differences in the access to and availability of four sources of information important to the development of strong expectations of personal efficacy are reviewed and discussed in relationship to women's career decisions and achievements. The utility of the proposed model for integrating existing knowledge of women's career development, for generating productive avenues of inquiry, and for guiding intervention efforts is discussed. The conceptual framework provided is seen as having implications for the career development of men as well as women, but the focus herein is on its potential for contributing to knowledge of the career development of women.