97mma052

AN ANALYSIS OF SYLLABI IN PERSONAL SELLING

AND SALES MANAGEMENT COURSES: LESSONS
FROM THE LEADING EDGE

Michael R. Luthy, Drake University

ABSTRACT

A non-probability sample of thirty-eight personal selling,

sales management, and advanced sales techniques syllabi was
collected. An analysis was performed to determine the practices
and teaching pedagogues currently used ranging from textbook
selection and other resource usage to course activities and
the level of active learning employed.

INTRODUCTION

During calendar year 1996 two significant conferences

were held addressing selling and sales management issues.
The first, the annual National Conference on Sales Management
held in Anaheim, California in late March, drew approximately
45 academics that teach and conduct research in the areas of
personal selling and sales management. The second, New
Horizons in Personal Selling and Sales Management: A
Conference in Research, Teaching, and Practice, held in
Florida during the summer, was attended by over 55 academic
professionals from the United States, Canada, Germany, and as
far away as Australia. Additionally, both conferences
featured presentations and discussions with business
professionals.

A major component of both conferences was an emphasis on

the exchange of ideas and practices involved with teaching in
the areas of personal selling and sales management. To
enhance the planned sessions on teaching methodology, prior
to the start of each conference registrants were encouraged
to bring multiple copies of their most recent syllabi to the
meetings. In each case, the result was not only a lively
exchange of ideas on how colleagues were teaching in the areas
but also a tangible resource in the form of a collection of
syllabi covering courses in personal selling and sales
management.

This paper represents a content analysis of those

syllabi. More specifically, issues ranging from textbook and
other resource usage to course activities and the level of
active learning are discussed. This paper is intended for
those individuals that are interested in how their
colleagues, both domestically and internationally, are
designing and implementing their courses.

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THE SAMPLE

Approximately 45 syllabi were collected at the two

conferences. A final sample of 38 syllabi from 31 academic
institutions was used in the analysis after eliminating
duplicate syllabi that were provided by those individuals
attending both conferences. The academic institutions
reflected in the sample (see figure # 1) that provided course
syllabi reflect a diverse cross section of higher education:
public and private institutions, varying student body size,
and geographic location.

Figure 1
Institutional Sources of Course Syllabi

Selling Course Syllabi (n=15) Sales Management Course

Syllabi (n= 16)

Ball State University Ball State University

Boise State University
California State University - Fullerton (2)
ersity
California State University - San Bernadino
e
Clemson University
East Carolina University
Edith Cowan University
y
Georgia State University
Illinois State University
Texas A&M University University of Arkansas - Little
Rock
University of Arkansas - Little Rock
University of Georgia
University of Toledo
Western Michigan University
tario
Hybrid Course Syllabi (n=6)
ity
Boise State University
Bowling Green State Univ
Bridgewater State Colleg
Drake University
East Carolina University
Illinois State Universit
Purdue University
Texas A&M University
University of Georgia
University of Nebraska
University of Notre Dame
University of Tennessee
University of Western On
Western Michigan Univers

Miscellaneous Related Cou

rse
Alverno College Syllabi (n=l)
Brigham Young University
Texas Christian University Illinois State Univers
ity
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of Texas at Arlington

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University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh

The author would like to thank the following people for providing
their syllabi: Ramon Avila, Don Barclay, Ed Bashaw, James
Boles, Michael Boorom, Lucette B. Comer, Alex Ellinger, Michael J.
Etzel, Charles Futrell, Michael Humphreys, Sylvia Keyes, Doug LaBah
n
Thomas W. Leigh, Michael R. Luthy, Ronald B. Marks, Donald A.
McBane, Mark A. Moon, Richard L. Pinkerton, Richard E. Plank, D. Re
id,
Gary K. Rhodes, Greg Rich, Shannon Shipp, Kirk Smith, Ravi Sohi,
Thomas H. Stevenson, Ray Thomas, Judy Wagner, Michael R. Williams,
and Jim Zemanek.

SELLING COURSES

Of the thirty-eight course syllabi in the final sample,

fifteen were directly related to the selling process and
selling skills. The most frequently used course title was
Professional Selling. Other course titles included Personal
Selling, Principles of Selling, Sales, Sales Operations, and
Psychology of Personal Persuasion.

Given the wide variety of educational materials

available that address topics related to the selling process
and sales skills, educators have at times an overwhelming
selection to choose from. The number of more traditional
textbooks available is reasonably manageable at a dozen or
less. The potential problem in terms of material selection
comes in the offerings available through the so-called
popular press including: books, magazines, Internet sites,
audio tapes, etc. If, as many of the marketing departments
for these organizations would have you believe, these outlets
provide cutting-edge information on selling and related
topics, academics may want to more strongly consider
incorporating them into their courses. An examination of the
selling syllabi do not indicate that academics are making
extensive use of these resources (see figure #2). Virtually
all courses use a textbook as their primary resource.
Selected other syllabi use a limited number of secondary
resources. Beyond this, a variety of other miscellaneous
resources and/or required materials were listed on the
selling course syllabi including reserve readings, course
packets at local copy shops, university writing guides, and
blank videotapes to be used in conjunction with videotaping
in-class presentations.

Figure #2
Textbook Usage in Selling Courses

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# of # of
Syllabi Principle Resource Syllabi Secondary Resource
(s)

7 Selling: Building Partnerships 1 Your Executive Ima

ge
by Weitz, Castleberry, and Tanner by Victoria Seitz
1 The Sales Presenta
tion
Manual by David Re
id
1 Spin Selling by Ra
ckham

2 Fundamentals of Selling 1 Professional Selli

ng
by Charles Futrell Skills Workbook by
Avila,
Ingram,LaForge and
Williams
1 Getting Through to
People
by Jesse Nirenberg

1 Professional Personal Selling 1 The Sales Presenta

tion
by Rolph Anderson Manual by David Re
id

1 Conceptual Selling 1 The Sales Presenta

tion
Manual by David Re
id

1 Professional Selling by Coppett and Stapels

1 ABC's of Relationship Selling by Charles Futrell

1 Professional Selling: A Relationship Approach by Clabaugh and F

orbes

1 no textbook listed on syllabus

In terms of the activities designed into selling courses

in the sample, 100 percent used at least one examination to
assess student knowledge of selling concepts and practices
(see figure #3). Some who used multiple exams skewed them
toward the earlier portion of the academic term in order to
allow project presentations to be the focus of the latter

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portion of the semester or quarter. Beyond exams, role play

assignments were the next most frequently employed learning
method.

Figure #3
Selling Course Activities

Percent of Sample
Course Activity Syllabi Using

Examinations 100%
Role Play Assignment 67%
Sales Presentation 47%
Written Sales Proposal 33%
Quizzes 20%
Mini Case Studies 13%
Ride with Sales Representative 13%
Article Presentation 6%
Miscellaneous Other Writing Assignments 40%

An examination of figure #3 indicates the extensive use

of active learning pedagogues in the selling course. This was
also reflected in most of the syllabi's descriptive sections
where course philosophy, teaching philosophy, and the overall
goals of the course were presented. It seems intuitively
correct that courses in selling (compared to courses in sales
management) should involve more active learning assignments
since the ratio of skill development goals to knowledge
building goals is higher than in other courses. While evident
to varying degrees in the syllabi sample, there is a general
emphasis on providing students with those experiences that
allow them to learn about the field beyond the knowledge
contained in the textbook.

SALES MANAGEMENT COURSES

Perhaps not surprisingly, Sales Management was the most

frequently used title for this type of course. Others
included Sales Administration and Sales Force Management.
Regardless of the title used, these sixteen syllabi reflect
courses designed with either a minimum, or in some cases no,
treatment of selling skills.

As with the personal selling courses, there is a

variety of materials for educators to select from when it
comes to course design. Traditional textbooks as well as a
veritable mountain of books, journals, and periodicals from
the popular press exist that address topics that could be
covered in sales management type courses (e.g. motivation,

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training).

In comparing the primary resources used by

academics in the sample of sales management syllabi to those
in the personal selling area, there is not as clear cut a
consensus as to the textbook of choice (see figure #4). In
general, there was a correlation between the textbook
selected for the sales management course and the relative
emphasis placed on personal selling topics. For those
teachers that wished to cover personal selling topics to a
greater extent, how those topics were addressed in the
textbooks appeared to be a factor in their selection.

Figure #4
Textbook Usage in Sales Management Courses

# of # of
Syllabi Principle Resource Syllabi Secondary Resource(s)

4 Sales Management: 1 Sales Force: A Sales

by Ingram and LaForge Management Simulation
by Wotruba and Simpson

1 Sales Management Simul

ation
by Day and Dalrymple

4 Management of a Sales 1 Sales Management Simul

ation
Force by Stanton, by Day and Dalrymple
Buskirk,and Spiro 1 Sales Force: A Sales
Management Simulation
by W.E. Patton
1 AMA Handbook for Succe
ssful
Selling by Kimball

3 Sales Force Management 1 The Sales Management

by Churchill, Ford, Simulation by Dickinso
n and
and Walker Faria

2 Sales Management 1 Don't Fire Them, Fire

Them
by Charles Futrell Up by Frank Pacetta
1 Sales Force: A Sales
Management Simulation
by W.E. Patton

1 ABC's of Selling 1 Sales Management Simul

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ation
by Charles Futrell by Day and Dalrymple

1 Sales Management 1 The Force

by Dalrymple and Cron by David Dorsey

1 text not used

Activities and the rationale for their inclusion in the

sales management courses followed generally the pattern
established in the personal selling courses (see figure #5).
While some form of examinations were used in all Sales
Management syllabi in the sample, they were accompanied by a
mixture of skill based activities that focused on active
learning by the student. In particular, sales management
courses tend to make use of at least one group activity.
Major projects (e.g. development of a sales training program
and manual; interviewing salespeople, sales managers, and
buyers; and scripting, videotaping role plays, and then
presenting the results as a learning module for the class)
and/or a computer based simulation were identified by
virtually all of the sales management syllabi examined.

Figure #5
Sales Management Course Activities

Percent of Sample
Course Activity Syllabi Using

Examinations 100%
Cases 56%
Major Project 50%
Computer Simulation Game 38%
Quizzes 25%

Miscellaneous Other Writing Assignments 25%

HYBRID COURSES

In the sample of syllabi collected, six were classified

as hybrid courses due to the respective author's own choice to
title the course. All of these hybrid syllabi included both
Selling and Sales Management in their titles. An examination
of the educational resources used in each course indicates no
clear cut consensus (see figure #6). The perfect split
between sales management and personal selling texts reflects
the overall emphasis the individual instructors placed on the
two topics. In only one course syllabi was the topical
coverage approximately even. In the others, there was an

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emphasis on one or the other consistent with their textbook

selection. For those syllabi, the coverage of the dominant
subject area ranged from 75 to 90%.

Figure #6
Textbook Usage in Hybrid Courses

# of # of
Syllabi Principle Resource Syllabi Secondary Resou
rce(s)

2 Sales Management 1 Sales Managemen

t Role
by Douglas and Cron Plays by Moncri
ef and
Shipp

1 Personal Selling: An Interactive 1 Role Playing fo

r the
Approach (Allyn & Bacon) Collegiate
Professional Se
lling
Course by Boatw
right
and Luhrsen

1 Sales Force Management 1 Conceptual Sell

ing
by Churchill, Ford, and Walker by Miller and H
eiman

1 Selling Today 1 The One Minute

Sales
by Manning and Reece Person by Spenc
er and
Wilson

1 Selling: Building Partnerships by Weitz, Castleberry, and Ta

nner

Activities in these courses tended to be aligned with the

major emphasis of the course, either personal selling or
sales management However, those linked to active learning
strategies were heavily featured (see figure #7).

Figure #7
Hybrid Course Activities

Course Activity Percent of Sample

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Examinations 83%
Sales Presentations 83%
Sales Observation Assignments 50%
Cases 33%
Role Play Exercises 33%
Major Project 17%
Quizzes 17%

Miscellaneous Other Writing Assignments 33%

OTHER RELATED COURSES

The lone remaining syllabi of those collected was for a

course designed as an advanced selling course beyond the
introductory offering. That course, titled "Seminar in
Advanced Professional Selling" uses the text Quality Selling
Through Quality Proposals by R. F. Kantin and M. W. Hardwick
as its primary educational resource.

This course involves a myriad of activities from a book

review, a written sales proposal and a final exam to a sales
negotiation project and a computer modeling project. The
focus is very much on the active discovery and development of
advanced skills in the selling area beyond those that would be
the focus of the prerequisite introductory selling skills
course.

CONCLUSIONS

While the syllabi collected for this paper represent a

non-probability sample, there is information of value for
those instructors who are either designing a course in
selling or sales management or consider in redesigning their
present courses. For courses in both areas, instructors are
stressing active learning through activities, (whether
individual-oriented, group-oriented, or a mixture of both)
that augment knowledge contained in lectures and the primary
textbooks used in the courses. The range of activities vary
for the different courses but stress exposure to industries
and individuals in the selling and sales management fields as
well as critical thinking, written communications, and oral
presentation skills.

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