A Critical Review of the Literature for Sales Educators 2.0

Abstract

In this article, we review the recent expansion within the sales education literature from five primary journals and the business literature at large. The five primary journals are the Journal of Marketing Education, Marketing Education Review, Journal for the Advancement of Marketing Education, Journal of Education for Business, and the Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. Of the 119 identified articles published in the past 15 years, experiential learning, career development, and assessment were the three most prominent topics. Of these, 69% were published after the Cummins et al. review article “A Critical Review of the Literature for Sales Educator,” which was published in Journal of Marketing Education as a means of expanding sales education research. Future research opportunities in sales education are offered with suggested hypotheses for investigation. A reference table of classroom innovations is provided as an easy guide to instructors seeking vetted pedagogical enhancements.

Thank You for Being a Friend: A Peer-Learning Approach to Marketing Education

“…Even in the postpandemic world, it is anticipated that institutions will have an increased number of courses that are offered virtually due to resource limitations and preferences by students and educators. Therefore, academics should develop classroom innovations that are focused toward virtual learning environments (Cummins et al, 2020).…”

Vocational Training has an Influence on Employee Career Development: A Case Study Indonesia

“…Employee development programs should be carefully structured and based on scientific methods and based on the skills the company needs for now and in the future (Collin et al, 2020;Cummins et al, 2020;Issayeva et al, 2020;Magnotta et al, 2020;Marsh et al, 2020;Scerri et al, 2020). This development aims to improve the theoretical, technical, conceptual, and moral ability of employees so that their work performance is good and achieve optimal results.…”

Running With Your Hair on Fire: Lessons Learned From Transitioning a National University Sales Competition From Face-to-Face to Virtual in 16 Days

“…Numerous avenues for future research exist concerning university sales competitions in general, and virtual university sales competitions specifically. This is especially true as sales educators adjust to the effects of COVID-19 on sales curricular and extra-curricular activities (Cummins et al, 2020;Mitchell et al, 2020).). While most university sales curriculum includes role-playing, and few would argue the value of role-playing, there is still much to explore concerning how to improve its effectiveness in both face-to-face and virtual settings.…”

“…Numerous avenues for future research exist concerning university sales competitions in general, and virtual university sales competitions specifically. This is especially true as sales educators adjust to the effects of COVID-19 on sales curricular and extra-curricular activities (Cummins et al, 2020; Mitchell et al, 2020). ).…”

“…Moving forward, the likelihood that as a direct or indirect result of the COVID-19 crisis, and greater acceptance of virtual selling in the business community, the number of virtual sales competitions is expected to grow. In addition, important research streams will emerge providing conceptual and empirical examination of what a post-COVID-19 evolution may mean for sales education, particularly sales role-plays and sales competitions (Cummins et al, 2020). Accordingly, establishing best practices for hosting virtual sales competitions is prudent.…”