Elon faculty members Earl Honeycutt and Sharon Hodge, and marketing student Kelley Blakewood, presented their article "Turnover and the Sales Force" at the 2009 National Conference in Sales Management that will be held in Norfolk, Va., from March 25-29.
The paper’s abstract:
“Turnover among the sales force is a significant problem that can be traced back to improper management of the sales force. For example, sales firms often hire the wrong person, fail to provide proper training, and offer little on-the-job support. In most firms the sales manager is primarily responsible for hiring, training, and managing the salesperson. In this paper, a plan is developed that measures salesperson perceptions about their organizational fit, training, role clarity, organizational support, and relationship with sales management. A structural equation model is formulated that will employ LISREL to assess the overall impact of these five drivers on job satisfaction and likelihood to leave the sales position. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that contribute to uncontrollable or voluntary salesperson turnover.”