Motivating Sales Entrepreneurs to Change: A Conceptual Framework of Factors Leading to Successful Change Management Initiatives in Sales Organizations

Abstract

Competitive intensity in the marketplace in concert with the behavioral, technological and managerial dynamics have impacted the entrepreneurial role of the salesperson (Anderson 1996). Such changes in the competitive environment can place so many demands on the sales force that it can render a sales force obsolete (cf. Colletti and Chonko 1997). Given the entrepreneurial nature of salespeople, the problem of initiating change in an organization is particularly acute. The authors address the need for more research on the determinants of successful sales force change management and their impact on important sales outcomes by presenting a conceptual framework and research propositions concerning salespeople as entrepreneurs in learning organizations.