Industrial Salesperson Development: A Career Stages Perspective

Abstract

The scope of research on the development of salespeople has been very limited, in part because of an incomplete conceptual framework of salespeople's life and career changes. As a first step toward improving this situation, this article presents a framework of developing career concerns in the form of career stages. Career objectives, developmental tasks, personal challenges, and psychosocial needs of each career stage are discussed, and propositions are developed regarding the influence of career stages on salespeople's effectiveness.