Co-creating sales management curricula with practitioners – insights on competencies for future sales managers. Part I.

The dynamic field of sales is experiencing a transformation, necessitating a nuanced approach to sales management education. Sales managers must adeptly navigate operational and leadership challenges in a landscape marked by advanced technology, evolving generational expectations, and seismic geopolitical shifts. This research employs an exploratory workshop methodology to identify the core competencies required of future sales managers, aiming to bridge the gap between academic rigor and industry relevance. Through the engagement of 20 industry professionals, the study delves into comprehending the multifaceted role of sales managers, who are often catapulted from successful sales roles into managerial positions without pertinent leadership training. The findings underscore the necessity for a curriculum that harmonizes practical skill sets with theoretical groundwork while prioritizing personal traits such as ethical conduct and resilience. The study recognizes the challenges posed by globalization, compliance demands, and generational diversity in the workforce, revealing that while market understanding and customer insights remain vital, the effective management of internal and external environmental changes is crucial for future-oriented sales leadership. The proposed curriculum, derived from workshop insights, reflects a synthesized perspective tailored to contemporary sales management exigencies with direct implications for the industry. Limitations due to the focus group size and geographic scope signal the need for more extensive research, including diverse stakeholder viewpoints, to enrich the education paradigm for aspiring sales leaders.

1 Introduction

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of co-creating curricula with practitioners in higher education and training. This recognition is rooted in the understanding that practitioners possess valuable industry knowledge and expertise that can significantly enhance the relevance and effectiveness of educational programs (Zhang and Jin 2010). Moreover, involving practitioners in curriculum development fosters a collaborative approach, where academia and industry join forces to bridge the gap between theory and practice (Taylor and Bovill 2017). By collaborating with practitioners, educators can ensure that the curriculum aligns with the current industry demands and equips students with the necessary competencies and skills required to succeed in sales management (Bridgstock et al. 2019). When building new curricula, it is crucial to identify the specific competencies and skills required in the sales industry. To do so, it can be meaningful to include practitioners in the process of determining what competencies are needed for future graduates. Therefore, the collaborative nature of co-creating curricula with practitioners is essential to address this gap and better prepare students for careers in sales management. Studies supported by both practitioner and academic sources identify major gaps between practice and curricula in higher education (Spiller et al. 2019; Vriens et al. 2019).
As the business-to-business environment has progressively changed within the past decade, this requires updating sales curricula in the European educational system to sufficiently accommodate new skills and competencies in selling and sales management (Nielson et al. 2021; Spiller et al. 2020). Changes in the B2B environment occur inside sales organizations and in customer relations; external changes include changes in buying patterns and purchasing behavior (Cuevas 2018). In addition, internal changes include the rapid acceleration of technology (Bongers et al. 2021) and changes to the workforce, like an increased focus on wellbeing (Dugan et al. 2023). These changes have forged a series of changes to the role of salespeople (Bongers et al. 2021). As roles and tasks for salespeople are changing, so are those of sales managers. This poses challenges to the educational system, in which the salespeople and sales managers of the future are to be educated.
Traditional sales management courses might include teaching elements such as „Sales effectiveness“ (Cravens 2012), Training and Rewards (Johnston 2012), „Structuring the sales force“ (Zoltners et al. 2012b), „Designing sales territories“ (Zoltners et al. 2012a), „Salesperson behavior and motivation“, „Salesperson performance and recruitment“ (Johnston and Marshall 2022), and while these are still relevant and essential elements of Sales Management practices, the role of a sales manager is evolving. New technologies such as AI tools can support many traditional sales management tasks (see, for instance, the Sales Tesch Landscape). This leaves the sales managers with new tasks, such as bridging the human-technology collaboration (Alavi and Habel 2021) and ensuring individual, organizational, and societal well-being (Dugan et al. 2023). To do this, future sales managers need different competencies. These new competencies needed are, e.g., technological capabilities such as data analytics or hybrid selling (Johnston and Marshall 2022). Other competencies might include negotiating in complex situations (Alavi and Habel 2021; Bages-Amat et al. 2020; Schäfer et al. 2023) and more. Reports from Gartner and Mckinsey (Bages-Amat et al. 2020; The future of sales in 2025: A Gartner trend insight report 2020) demonstrate the need for close collaborations with industry to ensure that educational curriculum is aligned with the needs and demands of the industry. From an educational perspective, this poses the relevant question of what to teach, what to include in sales curricula for future sales leaders, and how to include industry in curriculum development.

2 Sales curriculum development

Sales curriculums in higher education are routinely developed with input from industry professionals, including senior-level sales executives (Luthy 2007). The decision to pursue sales education is influenced by students’ appreciation for creativity, people skills, and their interests and abilities (Allen 2014). However, there is a need for a more customer-oriented approach to sales education (Allen 2014). There is a call to expand sales education at universities and a need to understand sales programs’ curriculum offerings and teaching practices (Spiller 2020) to better focus sales education programs on the needs of industry.

3 Co-creating curricula with practitioners

The concept of co-creating curricula, particularly in higher education, has gained traction recently (Bovill and Woolmer 2019; Taylor and Bovill 2018). This approach involves, for instance, students and academic staff working together to design and develop the curriculum to enhance the learning experience (Taylor and Bovill 2018). The success of this approach is contingent on the conceptualization of the curriculum and the position of the learner within it (Bovill and Woolmer 2019; Taylor and Bovill 2018), making the scoping of educational and didactic reflections essential to the development of new curricula. Despite the challenges, co-creating curricula have been found to align with several principles of good practice in undergraduate education (Taylor and Bovill 2018). Furthermore, integrating community partners in co-creation is beneficial, particularly in tourism pedagogy (Boluk et al. 2019; Miller et al. 2019). Several approaches have been presented to participants in the co-creation process, such as involving students (Bao et al. 2023; Hero and Lindfors 2019), parents (Schäfer et al. 2023), and industry partners (Shrivastava et al. 2022; Amante and Fernandes 2022). Amante and Fernandes present that higher education has adapted to the increasingly globalized and digital world by opening partnerships with local businesses beyond internships. This opening has clearly benefited stakeholders and even positively affected the national economy. While much of this research has focused on the co-creation of short-term learning, our goal was to co-create the entire curriculum for a part-time bachelor-level sales manager education, based on the idea that selling education is already in place at both bachelor (part-time) and master level (full time) (www.ufm.dk). However, specifically, sales management education is scarce, and due to the large number of sales managers, especially in SMEs, who often do not have formal education, the need for specialized sales management education for this demographic is evident. Since sales managers are already working, the program would have to be part-time to allow them to continue in their profession while acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge in sales management.
An often-perceived struggle with curriculum generation is the schism between academic rigor and industry relevance (Shrivastava et al. 2022). This should not be considered an either/or prospect. However, the aim is to give appropriate managerial backup and attention to participant fatigue, achieving a relevant curriculum while adhering to the rigor of taxonomy possible. In the case study, the co-creation process involves industry partners and points to several key factors that are instrumental in overcoming the rigor vs. relevance schism, such as support from senior management, the capability to recruit suitable industry partners, preparatory work to identify levels of industry involvement and strong relationships with executive champions in partner organizations. The case study presents a matrix that plots curriculum content on the two axes of Theoretical abstraction and Organizational relevance. This matrix allows for a systematic approach to balancing academic rigor and industry relevance in the cocreation of the curriculum (Bovill and Woolmer 2018).
In a 2007 study (Cone and Woodard 2007) focusing on real gains for PepsiCo and its customers, it was found that using different learning modalities, including blended learning and action learning, as well as learning through actual and relevant practice, helped to develop business acumen and innovation skills for sales leaders. Arndt et al. (2014) present a study focusing on the industry relevance side of this argument by examining what a curriculum should include to lead to a performance benefit in the early stages of the student’s sales career. The key findings are that a sales curriculum should include questioning and customer orientation skills. Moreover, while skills such as adaptive selling are critical, the study did not find an immediate performance benefit. Other papers, such as Pierce (2019), focus on the existing curricula offered by educational institutions and list suggestions on relevant topics to include. The study included a comprehensive survey regarding the inclusion of various sales-related topics. It found that the top reasons for this inclusion were the high demand from the industry for qualified salespeople and a positive employment outlook. The study’s key findings are detailed as an extensive list of eight essential skills recommended to be incorporated into a sales curriculum. These skills are crucial for individuals looking to excel in sales, offering a valuable foundation for success in the competitive sales environment. By integrating these skills into training programs and educational curricula, aspiring sales professionals can enhance their abilities, adapt to market demands, and build a strong foundation for a successful career in sales. A similar focus on the actual career benefit of a sales education is taken by (Knight et al. 2022) in a study that investigates the preparedness of graduates of a sales education. While they found graduates to have confidence in and report benefits from their understanding of the sales process, they also found that graduates were less prepared to handle rejection and maintain perspective and confidence. In summary, research suggests that a comprehensive sales curriculum should include a combination of theoretical knowledge and technical skills and focus on industry relevance and curricula development.

4 Towards a new sales management bachelor program

In the Danish educational system, few programs offer dedicated sales education (www.ufm.dk). In part-time education, there are no existing programs for sales management. One nationally offered education offers a specialization in sales and marketing, but there is a need for a more comprehensive and specialized bachelor’s degree program in sales management. This paper addresses this need by proposing co-creating a new sales management bachelor’s degree program in collaboration with industry practitioners and educational institutions. The specific goal of this case was to investigate what to include in a new part-time bachelor’s degree in Sales Management. We conducted a facilitated workshop with a co-creation process involving sales executives to achieve this goal. Through this collaborative approach, the workshop aimed to gather insights and input from industry practitioners regarding the knowledge, skills, and competencies that should be included in the curricula.
To ensure an inclusive curricular development process, a workshop was hosted with the collaboration of 20 seasoned professionals from the realm of sales management. This workshop aimed to amalgamate practical insights with academic perspectives, thereby shaping a robust curriculum for sales management education suitable for European higher education institutions. The workshop was meticulously designed to adhere to the following parameters:
• Duration: Allocated 1 hour and 45 minutes.
• Participants: Engaging approximately 20 distinguished sales leaders, trainers, supervisors, or CEOs who possess profound expertise in fostering sales capabilities (Table 2).
• Goal: To elucidate the competencies and practical wisdom essential for sales leaders’ flourishing in the dynamic business landscape.

5 Methodology

This single case study is based on a collaborative workshop with industry practitioners. The workshop was advertised via Linkedin to potential interested parties in Denmark. An invitation was distributed via the local chamber of commerce. To incentivize practitioners to participate in the program, the workshop included three elements: 1) An update from sales researchers on current sales research results, 2) The collaborative facilitated co-creation session, and 3) a networking lunch.
Our research team, with extensive knowledge and a passion for sales management, was responsible for facilitating this workshop. Mindful of potential challenges, we made a conscious effort to avoid dominating the discussion. We aimed to create an environment where the depth of participant knowledge could enhance our collective understanding, ultimately optimizing the curriculum design process. Recognizing this, we commissioned an external facilitator to facilitate the workshop. This decision was informed by the need to cultivate unimpeded dialogue amongst the expert attendees. Drawing inspiration from prominent theorists such as Karl E. Weick and Frank J. Barrett, we envisaged the workshop as an improvisational ‘jam session.’ This approach was intended to steer the contributors towards a collaborative gestation of This approach was intended to steer the contributors towards a collaborative gestation of insights, exploiting their advanced practitioner sagacity and aptitude for creativity and intuition in fostering new paradigms of understanding (Weick 1995; Barrett 2012).
The interplay between tacit knowledge and explicit inquiry was integral to the workshop’s success. The facilitator, a novice in sales, instantiated a beginner-expert dynamic, which necessitated her to elicit participants’ expert responses through objective probing, thereby allowing their nuanced experiences to enrich our academic inquiries. This paradigm, drawing on the scholarly work of authors such as Nonaka & Takeuchi, and Polanyi, valorizes the implicit knowledge that practitioners possess, which often remains unarticulated but is critical to expertise (Nonaka 1994; Nonaka and Takeuchi 1995; Polanyi 1967).
Establishing a small structure is also present in the process through which participants shape their improvisation. The facilitator made a short slideshow with four slides, each with a selected theme:
• A good sales leader.
• Most essential challenges for sales leaders today.
• Focus when developing leadership talent.
• Preferred organizing of a sales leader education.

Each theme had two questions, one about the theme in general and one designed to unlock participants’ practical experience and the sharing of concrete examples that could serve as deliberate initiatives to activate thinking and sensemaking (Weick 1995, p. 90-1). About the first theme, the questions looked like this: What is the most essential characteristic of a good sales leader today? Describe an example of how you create value as a leader in your organization today. Instructions for the process were identical for each slide. Participants were to grab post-its and pens on the table, brainstorm the questions for 3-5 minutes, and then reveal their contributions to each other before engaging in explorative dialogue. After 10 minutes, the facilitator broke off the dialogue to gather the main points collectively and disrupt groupthink (Janis 1971). This was inspired by a process known as the „turn-and-learn”, which is designed to counter socio-psychological processes that lead to cognitive bias, such as the „bandwagon effect,” where we become uncritical of a statement because we think that everyone thinks this, or the „halo-effect, where we tend to agree with people of high status (Brown 2018). These processes are important as sensemaking and creative improvising depend on interruptions (Weick 1995). Giving participants questions and these instructions corresponds to giving jazz musicians a jazz standard, key, and tempo and asking them to perform. The key is to provide just enough structure to ensure that participants constitute a system but not so much that the system exceeds a loose coupling and overdetermination manifests (Weick 1998, p. 543). During participants’ improvisation, it is key that the facilitator manages to balance interruptions when the energy and creativity lessen and guidance when divergence becomes too great and destroys participants’ „sense of cohesion” (Antonovsky 1987). In this, the facilitator plays the band leader role, ensuring navigation and pressure of a „steady beat” (Berliner I Weick 1998, p. 543).

End of Part I.

Literatúra/List of References

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Kľúčové slová/Key words

sales management, competencies, management education, curriculum
riadenie predaja, kompetencie, vzdelávanie manažérov, učebné osnovy

JEL klasifikácia/JEL Classification

M12, M31

Résumé

Spoluvytváranie učebných osnov riadenia predaja s odborníkmi z praxe – poznatky o kompetenciách budúcich manažérov predaja. Časť I.
Dynamická oblasť predaja prechádza transformáciou, ktorá si vyžaduje diferencovaný prístup k vzdelávaniu v oblasti riadenia predaja. Manažéri predaja sa musia obratne orientovať v prevádzkových a riadiacich výzvach v prostredí poznačenom pokročilými technológiami, vyvíjajúcimi sa generačnými očakávaniami a seizmickými geopolitickými zmenami. Tento výskum využíva metodiku prieskumného workshopu na identifikáciu kľúčových kompetencií požadovaných od budúcich manažérov predaja s cieľom preklenúť priepasť medzi akademickým opodstatnením a relevantnosťou pre priemysel. Prostredníctvom zapojenia 20 odborníkov z odvetvia sa štúdia zaoberá pochopením mnohostrannej úlohy manažérov predaja, ktorí sú často katapultovaní z úspešných pozícií predajcov do manažérskych pozícií bez relevantného vodcovského vzdelania. Zistenia zdôrazňujú potrebu učebných osnov, ktoré zosúlaďujú praktické zručnosti s teoretickými základmi a zároveň uprednostňujú osobnostné vlastnosti, ako je etické správanie a odolnosť. Štúdia pracuje s výzvami, ktoré predstavuje globalizácia, požiadavky na dodržiavanie predpisov a generačná rozmanitosť pracovnej sily, a odhaľuje, že hoci pochopenie trhu a prehľad o zákazníkoch zostávajú životne dôležité, pre vedenie predaja orientovaného na budúcnosť, je rozhodujúce efektívne riadenie zmien vnútorného a vonkajšieho prostredia. Navrhovaný učebný plán, odvodený z poznatkov z workshopov, odráža syntetickú perspektívu prispôsobenú súčasným požiadavkám riadenia predaja s priamymi dôsledkami pre toto odvetvie. Obmedzenia vyplývajúce z veľkosti cieľovej skupiny a geografického rozsahu signalizujú potrebu rozsiahlejšieho výskumu, vrátane rôznych pohľadov zainteresovaných strán, s cieľom obohatiť paradigmu vzdelávania pre začínajúcich vedúcich pracovníkov v oblasti predaja.

Recenzované/Reviewed

15. March 2024 / 30. March 2024