Selling & sales management in action: The importance of various motivational factors to college students interested in sales positions

With the increasing emphasis of personal selling in the curriculum of colleges and universities (Bragg 1988) it is not surprising that many sales recruiters are targeting college students for entry level sales positions. The more information recruiters have about this unique population the greater the odds are that they will be able to recruit excellent candidates and retain them as successful salespeople. Several studies have been reported in the literature which can help recruiters of college students understand this environment. The general attitude that students have towards selling as a career have been investigated on several occasions (e.g. Dubinsky 1980, Bellenger, Bernhardt, and Wayman 1974; Paul and Worthing 1970; Dubinsky 1983). Specific concerns and needs of women college students re-lated to a selling career have also been the subject of much attention (e.g. Muehling and Weeks 1988; Cook and Hartman 1986; Comer and Jolson 1985).