ERIC Number: EJ1167429
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1835-9132
EISSN: N/A
The Impact of a Professional Selling Course on Student Perceptions: A before and after Look
Harris, Garth; Gulati, Rajesh; Bristow, Dennis N.; Schneider, Kenneth; Amyx, Douglas
e-Journal of Business Education and Scholarship of Teaching, v8 n2 p1-15 2014
For decades, (going back to the 1950s) the negative attitudes students hold towards salespeople and sales careers have been of concern to university educators and to employers seeking to recruit well-trained sales people. While the increasing demand for university educated salespeople continues to grow, employers are struggling to meet that demand. This study reports the impact of a professional selling course on changes in student perceptions regarding (a) the desirability of a professional selling career, (b) the usefulness of a professional selling course for developing selling skill sets in entry-level salespeople, (c) the customer orientation of salespeople, and (d) societal perceptions of salespeople. Results show that both male and female college students perceived the selling profession and salespeople more positively after taking the sales course, and that these students had positive perceptions regarding the skill set gained through such courses.
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Relevance (Education), Pretests Posttests, Sales Occupations, Salesmanship, Merchandising, Business Skills, Questionnaires, Student Surveys, Business Administration Education, Attitude Change, Predictor Variables, College Students
Australian Business Education Research Association. PO Box 408, Mapleton, Queensland 4560, Australia. e-mail: editor@ejbest.org; Web site: http://www.ejbest.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A