Sales Education Foundation

Category Archives: Research

The World of Sales & Sales Education

SEF collects stories, articles and announcements from educators, researchers, professionals and universities. Our foundation has become a information clearinghouse on university sales education, sales research, conferences and news from the Sales programs we support.  Good news should be shared – so let us know what’s happening and we’ll share it here.

SEF Publishes 18th Edition of SEF Annual

March, 2024

Our 2024 theme is “Reimagining Sales.” Within the publication you’ll find articles of interest from our dedicated guest authors. We encourage you to explore each of these and thank our guest authors for their contributions. It’s interesting to note that all the artwork was created through Adobe Firefly, a generative machine learning model that is used in the field of design.

Also, the Top Sales Program and Other Notables listings features over 235 institutions of higher learning. Our SEF Annual Survey allows us to collect, analyze and publish the data self-reported by these institutions. Within the listing you’ll find multiple universities who are our 2024 SEF Sponsors. We thank them for the encouragement and support of SEF!  

Within the 2024 Digital Edition are live links provided by each university that directly connect you with their web page. Be sure to visit the SEF Sponsor universities who support SEF with promotions throughout the listing. SEF relies on their support to continue our mission.

The SEF ANNUAL is a free, downloadable resource for recruiters, educators, students, sales organizations, practitioners and everyone interested in learning more about professional sales education. The SEF ANNUAL has something for everyone.  Enjoy!

Sales Education Foundation Awards 2023 SEF Research Grants

November, 2023

Congratulations to our 2023 SEF Research Grant recipients!

These researchers represent the growing list of professors dedicated to providing timely, practical sales research to the Professional Sales industry and academia. Our 2023 grants have been awarded to:

Valerie Good, Ph.D., from Grand Valley State University, Dr. Amy Greiner Fehl, Ph.D., from Georgia Gwinnett College, and Stephanie Bear Mangus, Ph.D., from Baylor University for their proposal titled, “Exploring the Impact of Salesperson Loneliness.” Speaking for the team, Dr. Good stated, “We are honored to receive this grant for our research on salesperson loneliness. SEF’s support of this project is particularly meaningful as it both supports an all-female coauthor team and the topic of salesperson well-being. Both Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and well-being are critical issues to sales organizations, sales research, and sales education. As a team, we are excited to reflect SEF’s mission in our work.”

Robert M. Peterson, Ph.D., from Northern Illinois University his proposal titled, “When Artificial Intelligence and Natural Intelligence Collide in Sales: Skills Needed and Skill Reshaping.” Dr. Peterson stated, “For years the Sales Education Foundation has supported sales research, and I am honored to be part in this continued quest. The goal is to advance the practice of our profession to improve the buyer experience. AI is new to the buyer-seller process, and I look forward to discovering new knowledge.”   

Proposals were evaluated by an independent selection committee made up of educators and practitioners. Jason Jordan, well known sales management expert, advisor, and best-selling author, chairs the committee. Proposals were made anonymous before distribution to reviewers. Two proposals were singled out from the submissions received.  According to Jason, “The quality and variety of the grant proposals this year was amazing.  It’s exciting to see that the academic community’s commitment to meaningful sales research is continuing to grow.”

We congratulate this year’s recipients and look forward to the completion of their papers and publication.

2023 Barbara Giamanco Memorial Scholarship Recipients Announced

December, 2023
Congratulations to the 2023 Barbara Giamanco Memorial Scholarship recipients! Ten young women from university sales programs were recently chosen to each receive a Barbara Giamanco Memorial Scholarship.

Visit the Barbara Giamanco Memorial Scholarship webpage to find out who they are!

University of Dayton to Support Sales Education Foundation

The University of Dayton (UD) announces its new primary sponsorship of the Sales Education Foundation.  SEF founders Howard and Sally Stevens are both graduates of UD.  When asked about the future, Sally said, “UD’s sponsorship of the Sales Education Foundation ensures its future beyond our lifetime and will foster its growth with an expanded mission.”  She added,  “We are delighted with the alliance.”

Read the press release for details.

 

Visit our Knowledge Center to find many items of interest to anyone in Sales!

  • SEF Awards Two Sales Research Grants for 2021

    Congratulations to our 2021 SEF Research Grant recipients! We are excited to announce our two teams of researchers who have been awarded an SEF Research Grant. These teams represent the growing list of professors dedicated to providing timely, practical sales research to the Professional Sales industry and academia. Our 2021 grants have been awarded to: -Scott Friend,...

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  • Research Explores Critical Question - Hire Experience or "Fresh Recruits?"

    Research Explores Critical Question - Hire Experience or "Fresh Recruits?" For sales managers, one difficult “either/or” choice revolves around whom to hire. That is, is it better for an organization to hire experienced salespeople, or “fresh recruits” straight out of collegiate sales programs? New research led by Willy Bolander at Florida State University, and published...

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  • New Research Explores Critical Question - Hire Experience or "Fresh Recruits?"

    For sales managers, one difficult “either/or” choice revolves around whom to hire. That is, is it better for an organization to hire experienced salespeople, or “fresh recruits” straight out of collegiate sales programs? New research led by Willy Bolander at Florida State University, and published in the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management (JPSSM), provides...

    Read more