The changing environment of selling and sales management.

Although effective selling and sales management are often critical to marketing success, the stature of this research domain--and progress of knowledge within it--have fallen behind other areas. Difficulties in data access and the perception of some that sales is not integral to marketing may

have contributed to this situation. Although there is a rich tradition of research in selling and sales management and vigorous ongoing research efforts, as evidenced by the discourse published in and fostered by the Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, much of our knowledge rests on models and assumptions that were advanced in past decades and that may need revision in light of rapidly evolving demands of the marketplace. According to Rackham and DeVincentis:

   Sales forces are caught in the middle. On one side, their customers
   have changed dramatically in terms of how they purchase
   and what they expect. On the other side, their own
   corporations have shifted, going through downsizing, restructuring,
   and cost cutting. Traditional boundaries such as those
   between sales and marketing have crumbled. Salespeople have
   to cope with more products, introduced faster with shorter
   life cycles, and less competitive differentiation. (1999, p. ix)

These authors touch on the myriad changes occurring in the sales force. Adopting a historical perspective, however, leads to the realization that, in some respects, the more things change, the more they stay the same. For example, it is interesting to compare Rackham and DeVincentis's observations with those of Kahn and Schuchman as they surveyed the environment of selling over 40 years ago:

   The 1960s promise to be a period of more intense competition
   that current managements have yet experienced. The signals
   are now clearly discernable:

   * A rising tide of new products and imports.

   * A growing saturation of markets for older products.

   * An increasing invasion of markets by firms formerly regarded
     as noncompetitive.

   * The spread of automation with its enormous output
     potential. (Kahn and Schuchman 1961, p. 90)

The comparison of these perspectives, so similar across four decades, suggests that dynamism in the selling environment occurs, at least to some (perhaps significant) extent, along dimensions that remain consistent over time. It also seems likely that the same types of change that managers confront today will present challenges for sales managers 20 and more years from now. Even so, change presents challenge, and it is critically important for research in selling and sales management to address the realities of the evolving marketplace.