The Role of Self-Efficacy in Sales Education

Abstract

Sales education programs are undergoing rapid growth and dynamic change as more business and other undergraduate students pursue sales jobs as desirable career entry points. The number of collegiate sales programs has grown dramatically over the past decade, and sales educators today are increasingly focused on teaching experientially. That is, they seek to link theory to industry practice to prepare students more effectively for in-demand sales careers. Sales knowledge and sales-related self-efficacy have been established clearly to be determinants of future sales performance in industry. This article is a first step in examining the role self-efficacy plays within the context of sales education. More than 500 students, who have completed or are currently enrolled in at least one sales course at one of approximately 20 colleges, completed an 85-item survey for this study. The responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques. The authors recommend specific methods for sales educators to more effectively develop sales knowledge and sales-based self-efficacy so that students are well-prepared to "hit the ground running" in the early stages of their sales careers.

From resentment to excitement – Australasian students’ perception towards a sales career

“…Additionally, as a requirement of the Sales Management unit, students meet with industry sales professionals from a variety of sales organisations, (Leasher and Moberg, 2008) where they discuss various aspects of sales, preparing them to be work ready (West, 2006;Butler, 2012). This is in line with Lagace and Longfellow (1989) who found industry interaction improves student attitudes toward sales rather than lecture-style sales courses (Baalbaki et al, 2014;Knights et al, 2014). When back on campus, students are actively engaged in exercises, role plays (Rocco and Whalen, 2014;Newberry and Collins, 2012;Sojka and Fish, 2008), and presentations.…”

“…In response to the above, universities are being encouraged by corporations and recruiters to offer courses focusing on sales education (Bolander et al, 2014;Peltier, Cummins et al, 2014;Gray et al, 2012;Leasher and Moberg, 2008). Consequently, the number of universities offering sales courses has grown dramatically over the years (Knights et al, 2014). These courses assist in equipping students with crucial job related skills and contribute to sales representatives' performance (Bolander et al, 2014) through the establishment of sales centres (Stewart, 2006;Mantel et al, 2002).…”

Everyone’s a Winner: The Initiation and Effectiveness of an Intracollegiate Sales Competition

“…Indeed, Peltier et al (2014) find that simply exposing students to real-world practitioners via guest lectures increases their intent to pursue a sales career. Similarly, Knight et al (2014) suggest that increasing student self-efficacy will have a positive impact on their career intentions within the field. Thus, students who have the experience of competing in a role-play scenario with local professionals (i.e., experiential learning activity), then reflect on the experience such that they acknowledge their ability to do the job (i.e., critical thinking), are likely to have increased intentions to pursue a sales career.…”

“…We propose that an intracollegiate sales competition is uniquely positioned to elevate the desirability of a career in sales for students while satisfying the four critical stakeholders as compared with intercollegiate sales competitions and in-class role-plays. Interestingly, despite growing opportunities in the field (Knight et al, 2014), Inks and Avila (2018) suggest that college students generally maintain a negative impression of the sales profession, which has a negative impact on their career intentions (unless otherwise exposed to professional selling via friends and family). We posit that after participating in an intracollegiate sales competition, students will have an increased intent to pursue a sales career.…”

You Gave Me a B- ?! Self-Efficacy, Implicit Theories, and Student Reactions to Grades

“…Self-efficacy is something that instructors typically want to develop in their students as, for example, higher self-efficacy for learning new material can lead to even more success with learning new material and self-efficacy for acquiring career skills can lead to greater career success (Knight, Mich, & Manion, 2014; Pollack & Lilly, 2008). A student’s history of success or failure in academic work will influence self-efficacy toward future academic work (Ackerman & DeShields, 2013; Stajkovic & Sommer, 2000).…”