Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The sales stereotype has been studied since the beginning of the last century; in particular, the perceptions held by university students are relevant, because they may be reluctant to consider a career in sales due to common misconceptions about the profession. This is even more relevant as the role of the salesperson has evolved over the years, and companies are interested in hiring this profile from HEI. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the change in sales, and new skills, activities and paradigms are challenging the profession.
OBJECTIVE:
Aiming to address a potential gap in sales education, this paper examines the perceptions of salespeople among university students, and students’ orientation toward sales careers in a changing sales environment.
METHOD:
Focus group methodology using a special technique of animal metaphors was used to examine how the most noticeable characteristics of animals are mapped onto salespeople.
RESULTS:
The pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods seems to confirm the persistence of the overall students’ perceptions of the salesperson but at the same time new competences and skills emerge for a new generation of salespersons.
CONCLUSIONS:
These findings update and enrich the existing literature with a new work on sales stereotypes that sheds light on students’ perceptions of salespeople after the pandemic.
Introduction
Current work aims to examine stereotypes salespeople among students. Previous literature has already evaluated the lack of student awareness, negative perceptions and stereotypes of vendors and salespeople, and their impact on student sentiment toward sales [1–3]. Students, in fact, show to know little about sales and its evolution over the decades, and the low propensity towards the possibility of working in sales has persisted for over 50 years [4].
Selling in today’s business environment also requires an increasingly high degree of professionalism, skills, and knowledge of adaptation and consulting services [5]. B2B salespeople play a more important role not only in building and developing relationships with customers, but also in being seen as value creators [6, 7]. Today’s sales force must be an intelligent, motivated, competent, and well-trained individual capable of responding to an ever-changing business environment [8].
To better face the challenges of modern business and selling, companies look for adequate and qualified salespeople among graduates [3, 10]. Students, on the other hand, have tendentially avoided applying for sales positions [9, 10]. However, many graduates in marketing and business often spend at least part of their professional lives in sales, either while transitioning from one job to another or as their first job after graduation [11]. Despite the fact that there is a persistent lack of qualified sales professionals in the international job market and that negative perception represents a major obstacle to the sales career [12], there has been little attention and research on the topic in recent years. This work tries to to explore the misconceptions over sales as a job and the consequent assumptions towards salespeople [2, 13]. It should be noted that in the last 5 years, and especially in the Covid-19 pandemic, the role of technology in sales has evolved and a new professional profile emerged (such as inside sales person and customer success managers), and new competences seem to be relevant for sales people [14]. Technology stack and the increased level of tech adoption and infusion show us a new sales world. In this vein, is the role of the sales stereotype changed? For that reason, this exploratory research was conducted to: analyse the perception on salespeople and selling among HEI students, where sales education research is scarce in under-investigated contexts, as are Italy and Slovenia. provide an insight on the sales stereotype after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Data were collected and analysed using a qualitative research method. The paper is structured as follows: First, the literature review concerning salespeople’s stereotypes and student perception, second, the study methodology is introduced, and the results are presented and discussed third. Finally, some implications, limitations and possible further development.
Literature review
Since the 1950s, the academic and business literature has found students’ perception that sales is a less desirable and less rewarding profession, and this negative attitude continues to this day [15]. The main themes addressed by these studies examined the description of the stereotype rather than the factors that generated and maintained the negative sentiment over time [16]. In general, stereotypes can be described as overgeneralized, illogical, or rigid beliefs about members of particular groups [17]. Stereotypes are a simplification of reality and represent “widely shared assumptions about certain types of people” [18]. Stereotypes imply judgments about the distinctiveness of certain personality traits of a group [17]. The effects of stereotypes can vary, but in most cases, they tend to be negative [19]. Unfortunately, group stereotypes continue to exist in the field of sales [20, 21]. Given the variety of profiles of sales professionals, many studies examined the associations and perceptions on salespeople and confirmed that the term “salesman” is generally associated with the stereotype of the “travelling salesman” [16]. Staunton22 (1958) carried out a qualitative study aimed at understanding the terms associated with the word “salesman” (hereafter, the main keywords “travel”, “money”, “personality”, “talkative”, “commission”, “appearance”, “high pressure”, and “aggressive”). Staunton23 himself (1962), in a survey involving over 1,000 subjects, pointed to the presence of many recurring beliefs concerning the career and the figure of the salesman. Among other expressions noted by Staunton23 (1962) are: “The salesman has to lie and be deceitful to succeed”, “the art of selling brings out the worst in people”, “one has to be arrogant and overbearing to be successful in selling”, “sellers are prostitutes, because they lose their values for money”, “selling is not a job for a man with talent and brains”, and so on.
A further contribution was made by Thompson24 (1972) in the Harvard Business Review, where the author wrote: “Salesmen have been ridiculed, despised, condemned and (only) occasionally praised”. According to Thompson24, salespeople are an embodiment of everything that young people find less attractive within the company. The results of the reported studies have obviously given strong support to the continuing need to find better ways to understand fully perceptions regarding personal selling, so as to determine what companies and universities can do to correct this situation of the undesirability of a career. Recently, Peltier and colleagues [15] examined the four perceptual dimensions of students’ intention to pursue a career in sales: sales profession, salespeople, sales knowledge, and sales ethics. Because students’ perceptions are no longer consistent with new trends that require more teamwork and the use of technology, educators must look for “ways to motivate interest in professional selling early in students’ educational careers” [15].
Without presenting a better view of what selling really is, attracting students to selling programs will prove difficult,” claim Fournier and colleagues [12]. A deeper appreciation of the development and relevance of the role of salesperson can have a positive effect on students’ motivations to select a career in sales. There is scant work gauging the level of students’ understanding of the evolving experience of salespeople [2]. Shifting the conversation to the skills required by salespeople, it is interesting to note that the majority of new hires in the marketing sector (61%) are for a digital marketing position, making it the leading area of marketing specialisation [25]. Indeed, digital marketing technology skills predominate the list of hard skills sought after by employers [26]. The key problem is that companies often fail to find qualified candidates for digital marketing. The sector has a digital skills gap [25]. As can be seen, there have been numerous efforts in the digital transition of marketing, and, consequently, in marketing education [27–29], in comparison to the sales area.
In view of the growing importance of technology, sales technologies have driven a shift towards interactivity, connectivity and the search for ongoing relationships, which appear to have not only decreased some traditional sales activities, but also transformed the role and activities undertaken by the salesperson [30]. Increasing technological developments such as digitalisation, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning continue to have significant implications for personal selling and sales functions in terms of how they identify, approach and communicate with target customers, manage the pre- and post-sales process, and create and nurture the customer knowledge base [31, 32].
Some of the other technical skills looked-for by employers include the ability to employ strategic marketing [33]; the ability to produce a return on investment; sales training [34]; and analytical, technological, and financial scoreboard skills [35]. Notwithstanding the radical transformation of sales roles, a number of ‘traditional’ skills will still be significant in the future. The growing demands of selling solutions internationally necessitate a deeper understanding of the interpersonal communication skills required of sales professionals [36]. “Interpersonal skills include such skills as knowing how to cope with and resolve conflict and understanding, persuading and getting along with others, the ability to listen, and empathy” [37].
However, the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the sales digitisation and increased the need for digital skills of salespeople [38]. Even before the pandemic, both sales and marketing digitisation and Artificial Intelligence were beginning to impact sales growth [31]. The pandemic accelerated digital transformation of the sales profession through omnichannel sales, technology-enabled sales, and e-commerce [39]. The post-pandemic technological shift that has changed the entire sales “ecosystem”, was primarily customer-driven [14]. New technologies, adopted by customers during the pandemic, represent a further evolution of sales and salespeople. Technological innovation ensures market acceptance, stimulating companies to evolve their offers, improve customer relations, communication and distribution [14].
Considering the sales transformation during the pandemic, this research proposes the students’ perception on sales professionals follows the changes in their tasks and competencies. The new sales environment and responsibilities adopted during and after the Covid-19 pandemic may have changed students’ perceptions on salespeople. Although there have been calls for more research on international sales [13, 40], the perceptions on salespeople have been studied mainly in the United States, with only a few exceptions where studies focused on Europe [2].
In this study, we focus on two research questions. Firstly, we explore how HEI students in Italy and Slovenia perceive salespeople and selling. Secondly, we investigate whether the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the sales stereotype and, if so, how. By examining these two research questions, we aim to provide a more complete understanding of the perceptions of sales among HEI students in these under-investigated contexts and the impact of the pandemic on the sales stereotype.
Methodology
Sampling
The focus group methodology was chosen for the development of this exploratory research. Focus groups combine interviewing, participant observation and group interaction [41]. They are particularly useful in investigating people’s thoughts, because the interaction between participants can elicit particularly rich data and ideas [42]. Four focus groups were conducted in which a total of 28 university students participated. The focus groups were conducted to ensure the best possible comprehension of the topic, and to stimulate discussion among each group of students with different levels of education and experience (participants in Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programmes) [4]. Participants were recruited at the Marche Polytechnic University (Italy) and the University of Primorska (Slovenia). The two universities from two neighbouring EU countries with different cultural and economic backgrounds, jointly develop educational programmes in the field of Sales and Marketing and train the new generation of sales professionals. The purpose of conducting focus group discussions with students was to obtain data regarding their ideas, attitudes, understanding and perceptions, as well as learn their typical vocabulary and thinking patterns when they talk about the research topic [42].
Sample
The first focus group consisted of 4 Master’s degree students in different curricula (Marketing, Finance, Economics and Business Law, and Administration, Finance and Controlling): 2 self-defined female students and 2 self-defined male students. The average age was 26.75 years, and the age ranged from 23 to 35 years. The second focus group consisted of 7 Bachelor’s degree students in Business Economics: 3 self-defined female students and 4 self-defined male students. The average age was 21.29 years and the age ranged from 21 to 22 years.
As far as the University of Primorska (Slovenia) is concerned, the forms for conducting both focus groups were prepared in the English language. All students were fluent in English and during both focus groups nobody asked for any clarification. The first focus group consisted of 8 Bachelor students from a Marketing course, 2nd year professional programme: 6 self-identified female and 2 self-identified male students. The average age was 21.1 years, ranging from 20 to 23 years. The second focus group consisted of 9 Master students from the Strategic Business course: 5 self-identified female and 4 self-identified male students. The average age was 32 years, ranging from 23 to 45 years. The description of the research sample is presented in Table 1.
Focus groups –sample’s description
Focus groups –sample’s description
During the focus grup sessions, data were collected through a variety of techniques: video records and transcripts; student notes and researcher comments on group dynamics. With respect to the Marche Polytechnic University (Italy), both focus groups were conducted in Italian, the first language of the participants, then translated into English.
All the focus groups were moderated in a manner that can be described as a combination of structured and semi-structured interviews. Participants answered in writing, followed by a discussion. The participants were guaranteed anonymity by assigning numbers and letters as codes. With reference to the Marche Polytechnic University, the first focus group was conducted on 9th December, 2022 from 2:15 pm to 3:30 pm (overall duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes) on the Teams platform, while the second one was conducted face-to-face on 15th December, 2022, from 6:30 pm to 7:20 pm (overall duration: 50 minutes). Both focus groups at the University of Primorska were conducted in person on 8th December, 2022. The first focus group was conducted from 8:45 am to 9:45 am (overall duration: 1 hour). The second focus group was conducted from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm (overall duration: 1 hour). Focus group discussions were conducted by a senior and/or a junior researcher.
Procedure
Following the abductive approach and the focus group guide, students were first asked to associate an animal with a salesperson. Animal metaphors are a specific cognitive mechanism by which people often conceptualise the people in the world of business and commerce [43]. Animal metaphors have already been used to investigate the content of salesperson stereotypes among students [4, 44]. Metaphors imply observations [45], and facilitate the way we organise and communicate information [46]. According to the Conceptual Metaphor Theory [43], metaphors help us translate novel and complex ideas into familiar, concrete, and simple ideas and scenarios. Animal metaphors, in particular, facilitate the rapid transfer of knowledge by placing information in a familiar context [46]. By using the focus group methodology, we elicited animal metaphors to explore how the most noticeable characteristics of animals and their recognisable behaviour patterns are mapped onto salespeople. The aim of this phase was to form a set of ‘Most Associated Characteristics’ (MACs) of salespeople [18]. In the second phase, we asked students about the most important sales activities and skills. Considering the sales transformation due to new technologies [28, 29], and especially during the Covid-19 pandemic [39], we finally stimulated the discussion about the newly adopted activities and skills of sales professionals.
Since interviewees’ initial reflections are considered by scholars to be more indicative of actual thoughts, interviewees were only asked to take notes of their prompt feedback during the focus group sessions. The attributes derived from the interviewees’ notes and dialogues, which were compared and checked for redundancy by the research team, were coded guaranteeing a minimal interpretive bias and, thanks to the animal metaphor described previously, produced a set of MACs.
Results
This section is illustrated as follows: each subparagraph presents firstly the results from the focus groups conducted at the Marche Polytechnic University, and secondly those from the focus groups carried out at the University of Primorska.
Students’ perceptions of sales professionals
In order to understand the participants’ general perception on salespeople better, we asked them to associate an animal with the salesperson, thanks to the metaphor technique, namely, “Associate an animal with the salesperson.” (see Table 2), without specifying if the salespeople under investigation were B2C or B2B. The answers of the participants from the Marche Polytechnic University were fox (a.v. = 5), dolphin (a.v. = 1), cat (a.v. = 1), feline (a.v. = 1), dog (a.v. = 1), monkey (a.v. = 1), and snake (a.v. = 1).
Summary table of identified animal metaphors for sales professionals (Italian Focus groups)
Summary table of identified animal metaphors for sales professionals (Italian Focus groups)
The same technique and focus group protocol were used with the participants at the University of Primorska. Through the metaphors, these participants listed the personal characteristics and behaviours of salespeople, as presented in Table 3. In the list we find: fox (a.v. = 3), parrot (a.v. = 3), bird (a.v. = 2), dolphin (a.v. = 1), cat (a.v. = 2), tiger (a.v. = 1), panda (a.v. = 1), grasshopper (a.v. = 1), ant (a.v. = 1), spider, (a.v. = 1) and fly (a.v. = 1).
Summary table of identified animal metaphors for sales professionals (Slovenian Focus groups)
Looking at the quotes in Tables 23, we can see a number of interesting aspects that emerge prominently. Firstly, the salesperson is associated with heterogeneous animals: predators, felines, social animals, animals more inclined to aggressiveness and autonomy, others more inclined to loyalty and obedience. In most descriptions, the salesperson is seen as a person who is very attentive to his/her surroundings (just like a feline that “when it decides to move, it knows when and how to do so”, Interviewee 10/i, Table 2) and who must necessarily be able to communicate with the counterpart and establish a lasting and consolidated relationship (just like a dolphin “who is social in its heart of hearts... extroverted and communicative”, Interviewee 11/s - Master’s student; Table 3). Like a calm predator, the salesperson knows exactly “when to be patient, when to be active and how to be effective” (Interviewee 6/s, Table 3). It is, therefore, crucial to “understand the customer’s needs fully, adapt to them and study the offered product” (Interviewee 11/i, Table 2), while maintaining the “focus on business objectives” (Interviewees 9/i and 10/i, Table 2). Like a clever fox, a sales professional is not only “able to adapt to the markets, but is also able to adapt others to its goals” (Interviewee 16/s, Table 3). The salesperson figure is seen as a combination of savoir faire derived from direct experience, cunning, empathy, cynicism, diplomacy, acumen, and resourcefulness.
A quick glance at the quotes from the results highlights that the main sales situations the students refer to are communication and negotiation, as well as some reference to post-sales, in particular, customer relationship and complaint management. In addition, the emphasis was placed on the “methodological aspect”, the choice of “the right timing of a sales proposal and the modalities” (Interviewee 9/i, Table 2), and the “ability to shape and customise the sales approach”, just like a cat “that behaves differently depending on the context it is dealing with” (Interviewee 11/i –Table 2). The cat alternates between moments of playfulness and charm, more relaxed, in which it grants you more trust (Interviewee 14/s, Table 3), and others in which it is more serious, more cynical (Interviewee 10/i, Table 2). With a “cat-like friendliness and charm, the salesperson attracts and involves people” (Interviewee 14/s, Table 3). As we can see, Interviewee 10/i and Interviewee 14/s do not emphasise the typical traits of aggression and ferocity, but the coexistence of two aspects: the establishment of a trusting relationship with the human (and, in the case of the seller, the customer), and the focus on objectives, which can be food, rest, play (and, in the case of the seller, sales objectives).
However, a deeper analysis of the quotes may help to understand the complexity and ambiguity of some answers. Although some answers associate the salesperson with predators (e.g. a fox or cat) or animals with predatory instincts (e.g. a dog or a tiger), or even dangerous animals (e.g. a snake, a spider), the underlying motivations do not give rise to an overall negative opinion of the professional figure under analysis. For example, Interviewee 1/i (Table 2) and Interviewee 1/s (Table 3) chose the fox because “it is cunning and wit”. However, maybe because of the animal chosen, or just because of the perception they had of salespeople, both also pointed out that “the term ‘cunning’ does not have a negative meaning”, but, on the contrary, it is a form of distinct inventiveness to achieve a certain aim. It is not interpreted as cunning for manipulative purposes.
Even the concept of “persuasion” does not take on a negative meaning, i.e. a mere work of forced conviction, aimed at inducing someone (in this case, the customer) to act against their will. On the contrary, persuasion is understood as an effective and efficient, positive, convenient, evident and clear way of communicating that can only find in the interlocutor full cooperation and conscious assent and approval. In fact, as Interviewee 4/i (Table 2) and Interviewee 11/s (Table 3) argued, the persuasion, in the positive sense of the word, is the ability to convince people that a particular product or service is the best on the market.
Furthermore, it is worth dwelling on the response of the dolphin, particularly with regard to the aspect of sociality. Interviewee 9/i (Table 2) and Interviewee 11/s (Table 3) stated that “the dolphin is a very socially active animal, also empathetic”, and clarifies that he/she refers to ideal salespeople as socially active, capable of establishing strong relationships and empathising with customers, understanding their needs and adapting flexibly. This response is appealing, because it refers to an ideal mature and professional managerial approach to sales that appears to be more relationship-oriented. This is interesting, especially thinking about the emerging themes in the field of professional selling [47].
In addition, in order to enrich the responses with the projective word association technique, each respondent was asked to name specific characteristics or traits of the animals they identified with the salesperson, but also to prompt further description. Looking at the list of attributes of the Italian Focus groups (see Table 4), the most cited are flexible/adaptable (a.v. = 12), cunning (a.v. = 9), creative (a.v. = 8), empathetic (a.v. = 7), intelligent/wit/sharp (a.v. = 6), and persuasive (a.v. = 5). The attributes chosen by the participants of the Slovenian Focus groups (see Table 5), show the most cited were communicative / sociable (a.v. = 14), flexible / adaptable and persistent (a.v. = 9), inventive / innovative (a.v. = 6), agile / fast, friendly, cunning, persuasive and diligent (a.v. = 4). In general, a strong presence of positive attributes is noticeable in all four focus groups. However, the negative stereotypes are still present.
Characteristics associated with a salesperson (Italian Focus groups)
Characteristics associated with a salesperson (Italian Focus groups)
Attributes associated with a salesperson (Slovenian Focus groups)
When students were asked which skills are associated with these activities, they responded mainly with “soft skills” as positive personal qualities (e.g. empathy, persuasion, pragmatism, flexibility, interpersonal skills, listening skills, creativity, curiosity, leadership, emotional intelligence, multidisciplinary, adaptability, collaborative approach and overview) rather than with “hard skills” (e.g. analytical skills, language knowledge, organisational skills, and digital skills). It is consistent with the students’ emphasis on customer relationships throughout the duration of all four focus groups. Below we present summary Tables comprising some of the most significant quotations with regard to the activities and skills associated with the salesperson (Table 6 for Italian Focus groups and Table 7 for Slovenian Focus groups).
Summary table of quotes on sales activities and on sales skills (Italian Focus groups)
Summary table of quotes on sales activities and on sales skills (Slovenian Focus groups)
With regard to the impact of technology on salespeople’s role and on sales activities, it is widely believed among participants that the salesperson must have the ability to adapt readily to the changing technological environment –whose noticeable acceleration was determined predominantly by Covid-19 (see Table 8 for Italian Focus groups and Table 9 for Slovenian Focus groups). The lack of digital skills, which are considered to be needed strongly, and the need to implement technological tools (such as CRM systems) in the company in order to manage customer relationships and interactions better, emerge predominantly among the Italian participants. Crucial are the ability to analyse and interpret the enormous amount of data, to know how to use the technological tools available, and to choose the right ones according to the predefined objectives (e.g. dissemination of information, product presentation, promotional campaign). On the other hand, there is a prevailing belief among the Slovenian participants that technology is and will be playing the crucial role in the sales profession. The participants pointed out that digital skills, both personal and organisational, will determine the sales in the future. Digital skills are likely to go beyond the use of new technologies for the main sales activities. The salesperson of the future will have a deep understanding of technological trends and innovations and how they can impact their activities. “Salespeople must be engaged with new technology, for example, new software, in a way that is productive for him/her and his/her customers.” (Interviewee 17/s, Table 9). In addition, the participants pointed out the new integrations of sales and marketing activities in the context of new technologies. Sales will “go hand in hand with marketing and creative industries” (Interviewee 2/s, Table 9), as it works closely with data specialists, web developers and social media professionals.
Summary of quotes on the impact of technology on sales and on needed skills for the future (Italian Focus groups)
Summary of quotes on the impact of technology on sales and on needed skills for the future (Italian Focus groups)
Summary of quotes on the impact of technology on sales and on needed skills for the future (Slovenian Focus groups)
Last but not least, some ethical questions were raised about the technological future of sales activities. It has been researched widely that the ethical skills and reputation of a salesperson have a great impact on customer trust, and influence the salesperson-customer relationship 48]. Customers are already pressuring organisations to improve their salesperson–customer relationships and to rethink their sales operations in order to gain more trust. In the post-pandemic digital age, it seems even more attention will have to be paid to the trust between the salesperson and the customer.
The present work aimed to explore the salespeople stereotypes among university students, also taking into account the Covid 19 pandemic, which had a significant impact on the technology sector and sales skills. Regarding the first research question on how HEI students in Italy and Slovenia perceive salespeople and selling, the results seem to confirm the presence of a stereotypical image of salespeople among the participants. The participants pointed to the still strong and deep-rooted presence of stereotypes associated with the figure of the salesperson. However, on a purely personal level, the participants believed that sales activity is anything but fraudulent, with the mere intent to persuade, manipulate and convince customers to buy. Students tend to refer to the dichotomy between the transactional paradigm (short-term orientation; focus on price) and the relational paradigm (mid- to long-term orientation; customer loyalty) as a reference for defining stereotypical and ideal sales approaches. Apart from lacking experience and a full understanding of the role of the salesperson, students recognise the importance of the relationship between salesperson and customer based on trust, but some of them also recognise the hunting/proactive attitude of salespeople to capture new customers by exhibiting a more aggressive trait [47].
The second research question is consistent with the first, but has been dropped in the post-pandemic period - has the Covid-19 pandemic affected the sales stereotype, and if so, how? In general, it can be said that rapid digital transformation to a pandemic-proof organisational model is essential to thrive in a post-Covid-19 world. Comparing pre-pandemic to post-pandemic periods, no particular differences emerge in terms of students’ perceptions on sales professionals, other than the fact that it has become extremely important to acquire and/or improve digital skills in order to remain relevant and not lose competitive advantage.
Pedagogical implications, i.e. the new generation sales competencies and metaphor-based vocabulary instruction for business/marketing students can be drawn from these findings to alter the stereotypical image of sales professionals. For sales educators, updating sales competences in the curriculum can be emphasized in several ways. Exposure to a new generation of sales professionals, either live or through digital media, could help change students’ perceptions about the nature of the sales profession. This approach should be used to compare the competences to be taught with what students have experienced in less professional sales interactions. In this process, educators can use animal metaphors to highlight the modern and positive characteristics of salespeople. For example, when educators and students associate salespeople with the metaphor of a dolphin (known for its intelligence and friendliness), it can help students see sales professionals as collaborative, skilled communicators who work to help their customers, rather than pushy or manipulative. The use of animal metaphors in sales and marketing curricula could have a range of benefits for business/marketing students, including changing negative perceptions of the sales profession, increasing student engagement, developing their empathy, and enhancing their communication skills.
In conclusion, this work has some limitations due to the cultural homogeneity of the sample, and to the fact that this work continues to analyse only the students’ perceptions, while in fact it should be possible to conduct further research in a cross-cultural framework and include other subjects in the analysis (such as the companies or the teachers). Finally, these types of work on students’ perceptions on salespeople could provide quantitative testing of these research stimuli, engaging a social science, multidisciplinary approach.
Footnotes
Acknowledgments
The authors have no acknowledgments.
Author contributions
Conception: Silvio Cardinali and Aleksandra Brezovec.
Methodology: Aleksandra Brezovec.
Data collection: Giulia Amadio, Aleksandra Brezovec and Silvio Cardinali.
Interpretation or analysis of data: Giulia Amadio and Aleksandra Brezovec.
Preparation of the manuscript: Giulia Amadio and Aleksandra Brezovec.
Revision for important intellectual content: Silvio Cardinali.
Supervision: Silvio Cardinali.