The Top Ten Sales Articles of the 20th Century

Abstract

The dawn of a millennium brings reflection on accomplishments and progress over the prior century. A common exercise is to identify the “best of the best” in a variety of fields of endeavor (e.g., music, science, art, or literature). In this article we identify the “best of the best” in academic research concerning sales management and professional selling. We conducted a survey of practicing sales academics to identify the “Top 10” sales articles of the century. Each of these articles is briefly reviewed, with attention to its purpose, content and contribution. A citation analysis was also conducted to validate the expert opinion rankings. In total, the results present an intriguing perspective on the accomplishments of the sales academy and its progress as a scholarly community.