Examining career development programs for

the sales force

Donald W. Jackson Jr, Thomas Hollmann and Andrew S. Gallan
W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explore career development programs for the sales force including benefits, implementation and managerial
implications.
Design/methodology/approach – Career development programs are viewed through a conceptual model consisting of assessment, direction and
development.
Findings – This paper provides a comprehensive list of the benefits of a career development program for sales forces.
Practical implications – The conceptual model can serve as a checklist for sales managers to evaluate, add to or modify their programs. The
conceptual model also provides a framework for tying together many disparate areas of career development that have been handled separately or
ignored in the sales management literature.
Originality/value – This paper provides a comprehensive conceptual model of career development that has not been present in the sales
management literature. This should be useful to sales managers in evaluating their own career development efforts. The framework should also be
useful to sales management scholars who teach and do research in this area.

Keywords Career development, Sales force, Sales management

Paper type General review

An executive summary for managers and executive socializing salespeople into the sales force or corporate
readers can be found at the end of this article. culture, reinforcing key values, assisting salespeople in getting
promoted and advancing their careers, and serving as a form
A career development program is a planned process for of compensation (Lees, 1992). Firms may also invest in career
linking salespeople’s career needs with their organization’s development programs to manage incurred costs, such as
employment needs. Therefore, career development needs to assessment and training programs, as opposed to opportunity
be understood from both the organization’s as well as the costs, such as turnover and dissatisfaction (Feldman and
salesperson’s perspective. Career development helps Weitz, 1988).
salespeople plan their career in concert with the Companies that help their salespeople plan their careers will
organization’s workforce needs. Career development thus often gain a more loyal and productive sales force (Hite and
includes multiple options beyond just getting promoted; these Johnston, 1998). In this way, then, career development
include improving skills, enriching the present job, remaining programs may also increase retention rates of key personnel
current and preparing for the future (Gutterridge et al., (Sager, 1990). As can be seen from the list below, career
1993). Career development for salespeople also involves development programs benefit salespeople, sales managers
helping them develop goals, skills and habits beyond those and the organizations in which they are implemented. The
necessary for their present jobs (Dalrymple and Cron, 1998). major downside of career development programs, beside the
Career development programs may provide significant time and cost of the programs, is that if expectations are
benefits to the sales manager and the firm: first, such raised without being accompanied by career progress, morale
programs may effectively reduce turnover, and second, since may suffer. This may negatively impact job satisfaction as well
qualified sales representatives are often difficult to find and as organizational commitment, which may result in increased
recruit, career development programs may increase retention turnover.
of key sales personnel. In addition, the components of a career (1) Benefits for salespeople:
development program have not been systematically dealt with
.
assistance with career decisions;
in the sales management literature.
.
enrichment of present job;
There are several reasons why companies invest in career
.
increased job satisfaction;
development programs. These include: improving
.
better communication with management;
salespeople’s performance, developing their own managers,
.
more realistic goals and expectations;
. better feedback on performance;
.
greater sense of personal responsibility for managing
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at career;
www.emeraldinsight.com/0885-8624.htm .
better career prospects; and
.
increased ability to move laterally.
(2) Benefits for sales managers:
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing .
increased skill in managing their own careers;
21/5 (2006) 291– 299
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 0885-8624]
.
greater retention of salespeople;
[DOI 10.1108/08858620610681597] .
better communication with salespeople;

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 Examining career development programs for the sales force Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
Donald W. Jackson Jr, Thomas Hollmann and Andrew S. Gallan Volume 21 · Number 5 · 2006 · 291 –299

.
more realistic succession planning; assessment, direction, and development (Gómez-Mejia et al.,
.
more productive performance appraisal discussions; 2001). Assessment is concerned with evaluating a
. increased understanding of the organization; salesperson’s strengths and weaknesses. Direction involves
.
increased reputation as a people developer; determining the type of career that salespeople want and the
. increased motivation for salespeople to accept new steps they must take to reach their career goals. Finally,
responsibilities; development consists of taking actions to increase
.
build talent inventory for special projects; and salespeople’s skills and preparing them for future job
.
clarification of fit between organizational and opportunities (Gómez-Mejia et al., 2001).
individual goals.
(3) Benefits for the organization: Assessment
.
better use of employee skills;
. increased loyalty and better retention; The first component of the career development model is
.
better dissemination of information and assessment. Assessment involves determining salespeople’s
communication; strengths and weaknesses and may be accomplished through
.
expanded public image as a people developing self-assessment or organizational assessment. Organizational
organization; assessments may be performed in assessment centers, through
. increased effectiveness of personnel system; and psychological testing or performance appraisal, or through
.
clarification of organizational goals (adapted from succession planning.
Leibowitz et al., 1986).
Self assessment
Self assessment is a detailed analysis of a salesperson’s
Although career development programs are beneficial, they background, interests and aspirations (Powell, 2000). The
are not discussed very thoroughly in the sales management purpose of self-assessment is to help salespeople choose a
literature. There are isolated discussions of various career direction that is appropriate and to determine the
components of career development programs such as weaknesses they need to overcome to achieve their career
mentoring and career paths in the sales management goals. According to one source:
literature. Discussions with sales managers indicate that What motivates salespeople most is not company-set goals, but their own
many firms have such programs for their sales forces. personal goals for job satisfaction and career development (Keenan, 1994,
Furthermore, a clear conceptual definition of career p. 33).
development has not been established in the sales
management literature. Although some aspects of career Self assessment can be done through workbooks or
development are present in the sales literature, an attempt to workshops, skills assessment exercises, completing interest
combine and integrate them is lacking. inventories or clarifying salespeople’s values (Haskell, 1993).
Thus, the purposes of this article are to define career Career workbooks contain information on career paths
development programs in a sales force context, describe the available in the organization. Career planning workshops
elements of career development programs, discuss the also may make salespeople aware of career options that are
benefits and drawbacks of career development programs for available in the organization. Skills assessment exercises are
sales forces, explore how to implement successful career designed to identify the salesperson’s skills. Interest
development programs, and discuss the managerial inventories measure the salesperson’s occupational interests.
implications of career development. Finally, value clarification involves prioritizing the
The first major contribution of this article is closing the gap salesperson’s personal values.
between what may be found in the existing literature and what
is clearly being done in practice. The components of a typical Organizational assessment
career development program are delineated and some Organizational assessment utilizes various tools to aid
suggestions for implementing a successful program are the organization in evaluating salespeople. These can
discussed. The second major contribution is the include assessment centers, psychological testing,
development of a conceptual model of a career development performance appraisal and succession planning.
program. This model helps to establish a clear conceptual Assessment centers
definition of the career development process and its Assessment centers allow salespeople to be evaluated as they
components. participate in a series of exercises that resemble what they
might encounter in their careers. Assessment centers offer an
Development of a conceptual model excellent opportunity for salespeople and sales managers to
gain insights into salespeople’s capabilities. Salespeople can be
Based upon a review of the literature and practical evidence, a provided with feedback to improve their performance and also
conceptual model of career development is proposed. This experience conditions that reinforce competencies, which are
comprehensive model provides sales managers with beneficial to professional development (Cook and Herche,
components of a career development program, which can be 1992).
used as a checklist for program development or refinement. Although assessment centers are typically used for selection
This model provides a framework that may facilitate further purposes they may also be used for career development. The
research and discussion of the components and their effects exercises that the salespeople complete may involve role-
on career development. playing, case analyses, leaderless discussion groups, business
As can be seen from Figure 1, career development is games, or individual presentations (Spiro et al., 2003).
conceptualized as consisting of three components: Evaluation of these exercises gives salespeople feedback about

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Donald W. Jackson Jr, Thomas Hollmann and Andrew S. Gallan Volume 21 · Number 5 · 2006 · 291 –299

Figure 1 The components of career development

their strengths and weaknesses in the areas covered by the performance appraisals. This is appropriate since
exercises. salespeople have control over the development of personal
For the organization, assessment centers provide a means of characteristics related to success in their selling situation
systematically gathering and processing information (Ingram et al., 2006). Professional development criteria might
concerning the promotability as well as the development include such things as product knowledge, communication
needs of salespeople (Heneman et al., 1989). According to skills, selling skills, and planning ability (Morris et al., 1991).
Boehm there are several applications of developmental
Succession planning
assessment centers (Boehm, 1985). First, the feedback
Succession planning is often seen in the limited perspective of
session itself provides insight and formulates developmental
preparing people to fill executive positions (Gómez-Mejia
strategies. Secondly, the early identification of talent prepares
et al., 2001). There is, however, also a need to broaden
the identified individual for rapid advancement. Third, the
succession planning to a wider group of positions, especially
identification of strengths and development areas for
those in the sales force. Succession planning here entails
salespeople insures that individual training and development identifying those salespeople who have the skills to fill key
programs can be formulated for them. Finally, the assessment positions within the selling/sales management organization. In
center also allows sales managers to gain development order to be successful in succession planning it is necessary to
experience by getting observer training. identify and analyze key positions, assess candidates against
Psychological testing these positions, create individual development plans for
Psychological testing utilizes written tests to help salespeople salespeople, and select the salespeople or sales managers who
determine their occupational interests, personality types and are to be promoted (Buckner and Slavenski, 2000).
other personality characteristics that provide insights not Succession planning may be informal or formal. If it is
supplied by other planning activities. These are often used informal, it typically involves an individual sales manager
along with career counseling as a means of assessment identifying and grooming his or her replacement. If it is
(Scarpello and Ledvinka, 1998). Two examples of these tests formal, it takes organization-wide needs and plans into
are the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type account. It identifies candidates for key positions and also
Indicator. The Strong Interest Inventory measures plans for their development in order to increase their potential
salespeople’s interests and how they compare with the for successful advancement (Leibowitz et al., 1986).
interests of people successfully working in a wide range of Succession planning has advantages for both sales managers
occupations. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a and salespeople. Sales managers who plan for their own
personality assessment that helps identify work style professional development as well as for key employees are
preferences. This can help salespeople identify their positioning their departments for continued success.
strengths and the type of work they might enjoy and be Succession plans also provide salespeople with defined
successful doing (Career Testing Services, 2002). career paths and encourage loyalty (Milne, 2002).
According to one study, sales management succession is
Performance appraisal important not only for individual development but also for
Performance appraisal is primarily concerned with assessing corporate effectiveness (Pecotich and Crockett, 1987).
salespeople’s performance on their current job. However, the Candidates for selling or sales management succession may
performance appraisal process should also be concerned with come from inside or outside the organization. Insider
career development. Here, the sales manager can evaluate the succession represents a maintenance strategy and shows
professional development needs of salespeople and their support for the development of internal candidates. On the
strengths and areas where they need improvement, based on other hand, outsider succession is associated with change
their actual performance in the most recent period. Many since insider candidates are passed over for positions
sales organizations appear to incorporate multiple (Pecotich and Crockett, 1987). Outsider succession
professional development criteria with their salesperson planning can create morale problems.

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Direction can thereby keep salespeople aware of opportunities for

advancement (Hite and Johnston, 1998).
The next component of the career development model is
direction, which is the information salespeople receive on Skills inventories
career opportunities within their firm. Direction may include A skills inventory is a mechanized listing of salespeople’s
socialization, career workshops, individual career counseling interests, talents, and experience (Martin, 1967). It is
and career information services. developed by having salespeople fill out detailed
questionnaires which specify their experience, interests, and
Socialization talents. When sales managers are looking for candidates to fill
Socialization provides salespeople with information to a particular position they can use the skills inventory to
acclimate successfully to their new organization (Dubinsky identify salespeople with the required skills rather than relying
et al., 1986). Socialization provides salespeople with on their own memories or opinions. Reliable up-to-date skills
information about their company, their work units, and inventories enable sales managers to take full advantage of the
their specific jobs. The goals of socialization include: fostering talent in the sales force and can be used in making short-term
pride in belonging to the company, creating an awareness of project or rotational assignments. This can benefit both the
the scope of the company’s business, and decreasing new individual salesperson and the sales organization (Leibowitz
salespeople’s concerns associated with their new job et al., 1986). The skills inventory is available to sales managers
(Kleiman, 2000). when searching for people to fill job openings or looking at
The need for sales force socialization is especially likely to extend beyond the areas where their salespeople need development. The output
initial training period. This is particularly true if sales force members have of this process can be used to identify training needs and to
limited personal contact with peers, managers and other company personnel make decisions about individual or group training needs
(Ingram et al., 2006, p. 160).
(Lawrie, 1987). For salespeople, assessment of their
Career workshops competencies provides a way to help them understand their
Career workshops incorporate elements of assessment, own skills set. Using the skills inventory they can gain more
direction and development. A career workshop can help detailed knowledge of their own strengths and weaknesses.
salespeople manage their own careers. It can help them learn They can use this to plan their careers and pursue on the job
how to make career decisions, set career goals, create career development (Brown and Barborek, 1999).
options, and seek career planning information (Haskell, Career paths
1993). Career workshops allow salespeople to assess their A career path is a chart showing the possible directions and
skills, values, and interests. They can also practice career opportunities available to salespeople in an
networking, writing resumes and letters, and interviewing. organization. Career paths acquaint salespeople with
Finally, they can develop career action plans where they potential routes for the development of their careers.
outline the steps they will take in their own career paths Salespeople begin to dropout when their values are not being
(Haskell, 1993). met by well-ordered career paths (Chary, 2002). Career paths
should include the skills, behavior and performance necessary
Individual career counseling to pursue various paths (Ingram and LaForge, 1992).
Career counseling allows salespeople to discuss with their An increasing number of companies provide a Y-shaped
sales managers their personal and career interests and goals, career path for salespeople (Jackson et al., 1988).
their personal skills and abilities, their preferences, their As can be seen in Figure 2, one branch of the Y is a sales
values, their life concerns, and suitable career development career avenue and the other branch is a sales management or
objectives (Feldman, 2001). In their role as career counselors, management career track. Along the sales career track it has
sales managers help salespeople to think more deeply about been suggested that salespeople can be promoted to more
their careers and opportunities. In addition to pointing out lucrative territories with concurrent increases in compensation,
new directions and new trends, sales managers must also aid job title, personal recognition, communications, incentives and
salespeople in gaining personal insights that help match trends perks (Pearson, 1966).
with career implications (Colombo and Werther, 2003).
Career resource centers
Career information services Career resource centers are multimedia sources of career
Career information services provide career development information. There are many names for such centers
information to salespeople. The most common services including career center, career resource center, career
provided are job posting systems, skills inventories, career development center, and career information center (Mossien
paths, and career resource centers. and Fram, 1973). A career resource center can be an office
where salespeople can search for jobs, browse through career
Job posting systems development materials such as workbooks, videos or books, or
Job posting systems allow salespeople to be aware of job do other career planning and preparation. Alternatively it can
openings within their organizations. This lets organizations fill be a web-based site where they can pursue the same activities.
job positions with their own employees, thus saving recruiting They can use the career resource center for obtaining credible
costs, helping to develop salespeople’s careers, and building assistance in finding a meaningful career and to better
loyalty (Tarrant, 1994). These job posting systems can be understand career options (McDaniels and Gysbers, 1992).
manual, computerized, or posted via the company’s intranet.
The objective of these systems is to give salespeople maximum
Development
awareness of potential job openings. This encourages
promotion from within and gives salespeople awareness of The third and final major component of the career
new positions that might fit their career plans. Sales managers development model is development. Development is the

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Figure 2 Career paths for salespeople

process of trying to build on strengths and overcome Alternatively, some firms find that having peers do the
weaknesses by taking actions to ensure salespeople’s success training and counseling of new salespeople is an effective
and preparing them for future opportunities. Development way to teach sales skills because of their unique
might include mentoring, job enrichment, coaching, training knowledge of customers, products, and services and
programs, job rotation, and tuition assistance programs. selling skills (Zimmerman, 2003). Sales forces often use
co-worker mentoring as a form of training. Newly hired
Mentoring salespeople are paired with veteran salespeople who give
Mentoring occurs in the sales force when a more experienced them product knowledge and show them how the sales
person takes responsibility for the development and guidance process works (Bragg, 1989). One argument against having
of a less experienced salesperson. Fine and Pullins developed salespeople mentor salespeople is that new salespeople can
five sets of behaviors for mentors of salespeople: developing learn bad habits from their more experienced peers
selling skills, counseling, providing exposure, coaching, and (Evered, 1989).
role modeling (Fine and Pullins, 1998). On the other hand, some firms feel that experienced
There are several different forms of mentoring. First, there salespeople are excellent mentors who can offer valuable
are formal mentoring programs. These are mainly intended information to newly hired salespeople. Peer mentoring may
for new hires. These programs have been particularly aimed at also have benefits for the mentor.
women and minorities with a goal of making them feel at For example providing a protégé with exposure to others in the organization
home in their new jobs, teaching them the corporate culture, rejuvenates the mentor’s career and improves some aspects of the mentor’s
satisfaction. Helping the protégé with his or her selling skills has a positive
and giving them someone to go to for advice (Bragg, 1989). impact on several aspects of the mentor’s own performance (Pullins and
There is some controversy as to whether senior salespeople Fine, 2002, p. 259).
or sales managers make the best mentors. There are situations
in which a sales manager may be a better mentor. For Furthermore, there is informal mentoring where managers
example, when a high potential salesperson is being groomed may select salespeople and groom them to become managers.
for a sales management position (Campbell, 1997). Alternatively, a senior salesperson may informally help new

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Donald W. Jackson Jr, Thomas Hollmann and Andrew S. Gallan Volume 21 · Number 5 · 2006 · 291 –299

salespeople to teach them the ropes. These informal systems Training programs
rely on luck and thus are often inconsistent. Training programs can not only train salespeople for their
Recently, mentoring has become considerably more overt, current positions but can also provide them with the skills and
structured, and formalized, thus emerging as a significant tool competencies they need for their next position or other future
for management (Nankivell and Schoolbred, 1997). positions. When salespeople or their managers identify
Mentoring programs can cut training costs, instill loyalty, weaknesses that the salespeople possess or competencies
provide a recruiting benefit and help to develop future sales that the salespeople need to develop, these can be addressed
managers (Cholewka, 2002). In order to make formal by company sponsored training programs that the salesperson
mentoring programs work, management must make them a can attend. Training might consist of seminars, workshops,
priority and view the mentoring program as a significant part conferences, or on-line courses (Lam et al., 1999). Powell
of the company’s strategy (Gilbert, 2002). suggests that regardless of current career status the individual
has to make a commitment to the concept of continuing
education (Powell, 2000).
Job enrichment
One way to challenge and motivate salespeople is job Job rotation
enrichment. This involves increases in responsibility and Many firms expose their salespeople to a variety of different
variety in the salesperson’s job (Spiro et al., 2003). jobs in their training. Salespeople may serve time as customer
Consultancies and temporary assignments are two forms of service representatives, distribution clerks, inside sales or
job enrichment. Salespeople may be used as consultants to other functions (Ingram et al., 2006). The major advantage of
solve organizational problems. Salespeople possess sales skills job rotation is that it gives salespeople a perspective about the
and knowledge of customer operations and this gives them a other functions in the business. On the other hand, the major
unique perspective. These temporary consultancies can solve disadvantage is the time it takes to implement the program
important problems and energize the salespeople at the same (Hite and Johnston, 1998). Because of the exposure to
time. Salespeople’s unique perspectives may help solve different aspects of the firm and the additional responsibilities
distribution problems, inside sales issues or operating and skills acquired, “Job rotation is frequently used to groom
problems (Quick, 1990). salespeople for management positions” (Ingram et al., 2006,
Assigning salespeople to temporary assignments such as p. 173).
task forces is another way to broaden their perspective on the
company, enrich their jobs or prepare them for sales Tuition assistance programs
management responsibilities. Having salespeople serve on a Many firms offer tuition assistance programs to support their
task force to develop a new compensation program or having salespeople’s education and development. These firms pay
them assist in college recruiting are two ways to solve tuition and other costs of education programs ranging from
problems and enrich the salesperson’s job at the same time seminars, workshops and continuing education programs to
(Quick, 1990). degree programs. There is some debate as to whether
salespeople benefit more from executive education or formal
degree programs such as MBA programs. It seems that it
Coaching
depends on the company, the position sought and the
Coaching is much more narrowly focused than career
individual as to which is the most appropriate for the
counseling. Career counseling is intended to help
salesperson (Rasmusson, 1997). Tuition for these programs
salespeople look for opportunities in the entire organization.
may be fully paid, partially paid or paid only upon receiving
In contrast career coaching focuses on the salesperson’s
some level of satisfactory performance in the program
current role (Feldman, 2001). In career coaching, the sales
(Wiesendanger, 1993).
manager and sales person work on the knowledge, attitudes,
habits and skills that the salesperson will need to succeed in
sales. Salespeople need to understand that before they can get Suggestions for insuring a successful program
ahead they have to succeed at their present jobs (Hughes et al., There are several things firms can do to ensure successful
1999). career development programs for their sales force. First,
In their coaching role sales managers concentrate on the perhaps the most important factor contributing to the success
continuous development of their salespeople (Ingram et al., of any career development program is top management’s
2006). They do this by assisting salespeople in identifying commitment and support (Lam et al., 1999). Top
strengths, weaknesses, interests, and values. Sales managers management must encourage sales managers to develop
must maintain open communication, listen and provide their salespeople and must develop a culture that is supportive
encouragement to salespeople (Leibowitz et al., 1986). of career development.
According to Thach and Heinselman career coaching Second, in order to be successful career development needs
consists of three key elements: it consists of one on one to be a responsibility shared between the company, the sales
interaction about work-related issues, its focus is on providing manager and the salesperson. Salespeople must take
salespeople with feedback on their strengths and weaknesses, responsibility for managing their own career development.
and its goal is to improve salespeople’s work effectiveness in They must set goals, be aware of opportunities, and actively
their current positions (Thach and Heinselman, 1999). manage their own careers. Managers must also act as coaches,
Career coaching is used to turn around differences in counselors, appraisers, and confidants. Finally, the company
salespeople’s current performance or to strengthen must offer a culture which supports career development and
underdeveloped skills. Career coaching is also used to must invest in programs such as training which support
groom salespeople for advancement (Tyler, 1997). development.

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Donald W. Jackson Jr, Thomas Hollmann and Andrew S. Gallan Volume 21 · Number 5 · 2006 · 291 –299

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Donald W. Jackson Jr can be contacted at: donald.jackson@
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Donald W. Jackson Jr, Thomas Hollmann and Andrew S. Gallan Volume 21 · Number 5 · 2006 · 291 –299

develop to the best of their abilities, lest a rival subsequently If the career development program is to be effective, sales
benefits. managers must be rewarded for developing their salespeople
On the contrary, it should be seen as a good investment in – if not there is a temptation to hold back the development of
nurturing talent and helping people set and achieve goals their best people, because they do not want to lose them.
within the organization by partnering the employer in a It is also essential that career management processes are
coherent and constant process of appraisal and improvement integrated with other sales management processes such as
with the benefits to both parties clearly identified and performance evaluation, recruiting, compensation and
understood. staffing.
Donald W. Jackson, Jr, Thomas Hollmann, and Andrew Assessment is the first component of the career
S. Gallan provide a comprehensive list of the benefits of a development model, either through self-assessment or
career development program for sales forces, and ways to organizational assessment, the latter being performed in
achieve it – a conceptual model that can be useful as a assessment centers, through psychological testing or
checklist for sales managers to evaluate, add to or modify. It performance appraisal, or through succession planning.
also provides a framework for tying together many disparate The next component is direction, which is the information
areas of career development that have been handled separately salespeople receive on career opportunities within their firm.
or ignored in sales management literature. Direction may include socialization, career workshops,
They say that more loyal and productive sales forces can be individual career counseling, and career information services.
the reward for organizations which help their salespeople The third and final major component of the model is
effectively plan their careers, but warn that morale may suffer development, a process of trying to build on strengths and
if expectations are raised without being accompanied by overcome weaknesses by taking actions to ensure salespeople’s
career progress – something which may have a negative success and preparing them for future opportunities.
impact on job satisfaction and lead to increased turnover. Development might include mentoring, job enrichment,
Although promotion to a managerial role is often a coaching, training programs, job rotation, and tuition
salesperson’s goal, it might be detrimental for a company to
assistance programs.
lose an excellent salesperson and gain a less effective manager.
There is some controversy as to whether senior salespeople
The company should consider making the professional selling
or sales managers make the best mentors. Where a high
side of the career path more attractive so that advancement by
potential salesperson is being groomed for a management
way of increased responsibility and earning power can be an
position, a manager may be the best choice. However, some
alterative to becoming a manager.
firms find that salespeople’s grassroots knowledge of
Donald W. Jackson, Jr et al. suggest several actions firms can
customers, products and services, coupled with their own
take to ensure successful career development programs –
perhaps the most important factor contributing to success sales skills, makes them ideally suited to do the training and
being top management’s involvement and support. They say: mentoring of newcomers.
Skills inventories – listing people’s experience, particular
Top management must encourage sales managers to develop their
salespeople and must develop a culture that is supportive of career skills and interests – should also be considered in the process.
development. Reliable, up-to-date skills inventories enable sales managers to
take full advantage of the talent in the sales force – a valuable
Salespeople must take responsibility for managing their own tool not just for short-term projects or assignments, but for
career development, setting goals and being aware of finding suitable people to fill job openings.
opportunities, because what works for one person might not
be appropriate with someone else and might even be counter- (A précis of the article “Examining career development programs
productive. Managers must also act as coaches, counselors for the sales force”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for
and confidants – skills for which they should get training. Emerald.)

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