Personal Selling and Sales Management in the New Millennium

Abstract

Several behavioral, technological, and managerial forces are dramatically and irrevocably changing the way that salespeople and sales managers understand, prepare for, and accomplish their jobs. Field salespeople, operating out of mobile virtual offices, are being empowered and becoming increasingly independent as they shift focus from selling to serving customers. Meanwhile, the sales manager's job is evolving more toward that of channel manager—overseeing a hybrid sales force serving customers in diverse electronic and field channels. A flexible, continuous learning and adapting environment is required for personal selling and sales management success in the 21st Century.