Anderson/Dubinsky/Mehta, Personal Selling, Second Edition1

Chapter 1: Introduction to Personal Selling: It’s a Great Career!

CASE 1.2

What? You Want to Be a Salesperson?

Paula Majors is graduating from Ohio University with a degree in marketing this June. Paula comes from an achievement-oriented family. Her father is a certified public accountant, and her mother is a lawyer. Everybody says that Paula has inherited her father’s analytical approach to problem solving and her mother’s drive and determination to do well.

On her resume, Paula decided to keep her job objective fairly general: Beginning-level job in sales or marketing that offers an opportunity for creative use of my abilities and career development.After interviewing with several companies who visited campus during the fall and winter months, Paula has received three job offers—all in sales. Two of the jobs were sales trainee positions with large Fortune 500 companies where she would first complete an intensive training program before being assigned to a sales territory. The third job was as a salesperson with a small manufacturer of art supplies covering about two-thirds of the Ohio market.

With the two large companies, Paula would have a straight salary the first year while completing her training program, then go on 80 percent salary, 20 percent commission. At the small company, the training program is only three weeks long and her compensation would be 70 percent salary, 30 percent commission. Salaries for all three jobs were about the same, and each provided a car.

Paula asked three of her college professors for advice about which of the jobs she should take. Each of them gave Paula perspectives on the three jobs, but each said that the final decision was up to Paula.

Finally, Paula decided to call her parents to ask their views. She had been reluctant to do this because she knew both her mother and father were negative about a sales career. Paula managed to have a brief conversation with her mother. After quickly telling her mother about the three job offers, her mother replied, “Paula, you know that your father and I want you to make up your own mind about a career, but I think you ought to consider some alternatives besides sales. We’d like to see you use your education. It doesn’t take any special abilities to be a salesperson—except the willingness to push products on people even when they don’t need them. And where does a sales job lead? You can’t be a salesperson all your life. With the constant travel and living out of a suitcase, I’d be concerned about your safety. A woman doesn’t belong in sales, especially if she plans to have children. When you raise a family, you’ve got to settle down and be home at night with your children. Why don’t you try for a large company’s management training program so that you have a chance for promotion and a good salary? Maybe I’m idealistic, but I’d also like to see you choose a career where you can make a positive contribution to society. You know, make a real difference. Honey, I have to run now or I’ll be late for my dinner meeting, but let’s try to find some time to talk about it this weekend.”

Feeling a little depressed after hearing her mother’s comments, Paula lay down on her sofa and began to think about what she would say to her father and mother when she called them on Sunday.

Questions

Why do you think Paula’s parents resist her going into a sales career? What misconceptions about personal selling do they have?

To convince them that sales is the right place to begin her business career, what points should Paula make when she calls her parents?

If Paula cannot persuade her parents to see personal selling in a positive way, what would you advise her to do?