Influences on undergraduates considering: a career in professional selling.

Luthy, Michael R.

ABSTRACT

Studies and occupational forecasts point to a growing number of opportunities for college graduates in the field of professional selling. While there is a substantial body of research on the subject of revising or restructuring the professional selling course and the sales curriculum in the post-secondary school environment, there has been less work focusing on students' opinions concerning careers in sales and the influences on that decision. The current research analyzes survey results from over 300 undergraduate seniors, student members of Pi Sigma Epsilon, the national fraternity in marketing, sales management, and selling, on these issues.

INTRODUCTION

Professional selling is an employment field where significant growth is forecasted (U.S. Department of Labor, 2003). Aside from the technical information and industry-specific knowledge that goes along with any specific position in selling, the skills-set associated with successful sales careers, including interpersonal skills, communications, and negotiations, are prized by other business disciplines ranging from accountants and financial analysts to economists and human resource specialists. This same skills-set is valued in non-business careers including engineers, architects, and non-profit managers; where significant client or customer interaction is more the norm.

Research on what academics can and should do to improve the sales course or other aspects of the sales curriculum have been undertaken (e.g. Bristow and Gulati, 2002; Luthy, 2000, Clabaugh and Forbes, 1995). The larger issue of the sales curriculum itself has also been explored (e.g. Corwin, 1997). The current paper surveys select undergraduate students concerning their attitudes toward a career in sales and the influences that have informed that attitude.

BACKGROUND

There is a variety marketing-specific and general business organizations open to membership for undergraduate students. Some are open to any interested individuals (e.g. the American Marketing Association); while others have more specific membership requirements (e.g. Delta Gamma Phi) and still others involve nomination or selection by faculty members (e.g. Beta Gamma Sigma).

For students with an expressed interest in pursuing a career in professional selling, many if not all of these organizations offer something of value in terms of networking, field trips, speaker series, and the like. In the activities of these organizations however, selling is only one of many areas that are explored.

Among organizations that attempt to more specifically address the needs of students interested in professional selling is Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE). In 1951, Lloyd L. Antle, an Ohio University graduate and Professor of Marketing at Georgia State University, conceived the idea that the sales profession should have a professional fraternity of its own. The Founders of Pi Sigma Epsilon established a collegiate organization to assist members in developing sales and marketing skills through lifetime opportunities. The Fraternity was incorporated in 1952, and the first chapter, Alpha, was installed at Georgia State University (Pi Sigma Epsilon website, 2006).

Today, PSE has 54 active collegiate chapters operating in 24 states. It has a national conference which draws hundreds of students and academics each year and is arguably the principle organization for selling-interested students looking to prepare for and launch their careers. Combined with the national scope of the organization's membership, a survey of the student members of PSE would seem appropriate to investigate issues of student preparation for careers in the field. The current study reports the outcome of such a survey, focusing on seniors and their preparation for full-time employment beyond college. The goal of this research is to better understand these sales-interested students and factors that affect their decision of whether to pursue a career in professional sales beyond college. While studying all of the developmental influences on students while in college is beyond the scope of this paper, the results may allow faculty to better prepare and advise students interested in this career path through specific discussions on course selection, majors, and valuable out-of-class activities.

METHODOLOGY

Through the Pi Sigma Epsilon National Educational Foundation, the mailing list of the entire student member population was obtained. The sample employed in this research is a convenience one but should be considered qualified and expert given the issues for examination.

Each student member was sent via post a cover letter on Pi Sigma Epsilon stationary explaining the study and the organization's sponsorship, a self-administered paper and pencil questionnaire, and a postage-paid, addressed envelope. Over the subsequent six weeks there were two follow-up efforts through local chapter officers to have members complete and return the survey. As an incentive to have individual members complete the survey, each chapter received points toward a chapter competition based on the percent of members returning the instrument.

Additionally, one member, drawn from all of the returned surveys, won free registration to the next national conference (approximate value less than $250).

Over three hundred seniors responded to the survey (125 male and 188 female). This translates into an approximately 40%--60% response split by gender. While responses were skewed toward female respondents there were sufficient numbers of male respondents to make gender-based comparisons and draw conclusions for the sample as a whole.

In Exhibit 1 it can be seen that an academic breakdown of respondents extends beyond the business disciplines. Fully 15% of the respondents reported majors outside business disciplines and included communications, education, liberal-arts, technology, and the sciences. Over onefifth of the seniors responding were self-declared double majors and over 42% have a selfdeclared minor. This broad-based interest in professional selling, spanning so many different majors, double majors, and minors confirms the central usefulness of sales education and training and its place in many varied career paths.

RESULTS

Students were asked a number of questions concerning their experiences in while in college. One of these questions was to rate their attitude (on a 7-point Likert scale) toward a career in professional selling at various stages in the past and present. Exhibit 2 charts their responses. Discounting the potential for a distortion effect in recalling past events, Exhibit 2 shows some interesting results.

As a group, seniors report an above neutral attitude (>3.5 on a 7 point scale) toward a career in selling upon entering college. That opinion becomes more positive for both males and females to roughly the same degree over the course of their studies (reflected in the approximately parallel structure of the lines). It should be noted that at all evaluation points, males rated a career in sales more positively than females, although that gap did narrow by the time both groups achieved senior status.

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In addition to asking students about their attitudes toward a career in selling they were also asked to rate the influences that have had an effect on their career plans. Exhibit 3 reports their responses. The ranking of influences reported by males and females exhibited similar patterns. Coursework taken and enjoyed was rated as the most important impact on student career decisions. Work experience, memberships in organizations such as but not limited to PSE, and instructors were also rated highly--however not as highly as coursework that students connected with. While the ordering of influences was the same between males and females the magnitude reported by the two groups was not. This suggests that the design and delivery of courses has a particularly profound impact on students' plans for career decisions, perhaps to a greater extent for females.

Because of the availability differences of various courses at different institutions where respondents are enrolled a direct interpretation of Exhibit 4 is problematic. What can be learned however is that a slightly higher percentage of sales-interested females have taken the Principles of Marketing and Principles of Sales courses at their institutions than their male counterparts. With regard to the other major courses asked about, males had made those courses a part of their programs more regularly.

It should be noted that not all of the respondents had settled on a career in professional selling. As shown in Exhibit 5 less than half of the respondents had made a decision to pursue a career in professional sales. By their senior years, just fewer than 50% of males had made the decision while slightly fewer females had made the same decision.

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CONCLUSIONS

For instructors, professors, and academic advisors these results underscore the importance of selling coursework and potential careers in selling to a wide cross-section of students, not just those in marketing or business related majors. Further, it should reinvigorate faculty in their course design and delivery efforts owing to the significance of that component in helping students decide whether to pursue a career in the field. Faculty should also encourage the sponsoring of one or more student organizations at their institutions to supplement the classroom educational experience of students. The end result will likely be a better prepared student and a more satisfied and productive alumni base.

REFERENCES

Bristow, D. N., and Gulati, R. (2002). The teaching of sales-related courses at the university level: An empirical look from the sales manager's perspective. Journal of Selling and Major Account Management, 4(3), 27-43.

Clabaugh, M.G. and J.L. Forbes (1995). Structuring a sales course based on the cognitive domain, The Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 15, 2, (Spring), 69.

Corwin, J. (1997). Taking Sales Education Global, Baylor Business Review, Fall, 16-17.

Luthy, M.R. (2000). Preparing the next generation of industrial sales representatives: Advice from senior sales executives, Industrial Marketing Management, 29, 3 (May), 235-242.

Pi Sigma Epsilon website. Retrieved June 10, 2006 from http://www.pse.org/pse-about.asp.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2003). Occupational outlook handbook. Washington, DC: Author.

Michael R. Luthy, Bellarmine University

Exhibit 1. Respondent's academic majors

Business-related majors (266)

Marketing 15
Business Administration / Mgt. 45
Information Systems 15
Finance 14
Human Resources 9
Sales 8
Accounting 7

Liberal-arts majors (9)

Psychology 4
English 1
Interdisciplinary 1
Physical Education 1
Political Science 1
Sociology 1
Economics 7
International Business 6
Advertising 2
Agricultural Business 1
Insurance 1

Communications-related majors (16)

Communications 12
Journalism 2
Graphic Design 1
Speech 1

Miscellaneous majors (5)

Elementary Education 1
Family and Consumer Services 1
Nautical Science 1
Physical Education 1
Travel and Tourism 1

Science and Technology-related majors (17)

Computer Science 6
Biology 4
Animal Science 1
Chemical Engineering 1
Civil Engineering 1
Electronics Management 1
Geographic Information Systems 1
Nutrition 1
Telecommunications 1

Note 1. 65 of the 313 respondents (20.8%) were double majors

Note 2. 133 of the 313 respondents (42.5%) had a declared minor.

Exhibit 3. Influences on career plans *

 Men Women

Coursework taken--and liked 72.80% 85.10%
Internships / work experience 56.80% 52.70%
Membership in organizations 44.80% 43.10%
Instructors 44.00% 42.00%
Parents / friends 39.20% 28.70%
Coursework taken--and did not like 24.80% 27.70%

* reported as percentage of respondents who ranked the
factor as 1, 2, or 3 in importance.