A conceptual framework for successful salesperson role change management

Purpose This study aims to provide a conceptual framework on salesperson role change process and, based on the framework, builds propositions to assist future empirical research in business-to-business sales force management and to help sales organizations better understand the changing salesperson role and successfully redesign their sales model. Design/methodology/approach This study reviews and discusses the dynamics observed in the current marketplace and uses appraisal theory to claim that salesperson role change is individual salesperson’s affective decision and subsequent action after a cognitive appraisal of surrounding environmental changes. To support, this study presents a dichotomous classification on salesperson role and presents salesperson role change process that shows individual salespersons’ decision selectively made in the process. Findings Salesperson role change is individual salesperson’s affective decision and subsequent action after a cognitive appraisal of surrounding environmental changes. The role change is individual salespersons’ decision selectively made in their role change process. In the process, they either replicate or transform their (prior) experience for learning and skill changes that subsequently change their role. The individual-led role change may not be found in every salesperson. Originality/value Advancing the traditional view on the evolving role of salespeople, this study holds a view for both unchanging and changing nature of salesperson roles. This study uses appraisal theory to show how salespeople make an adaptive decision based on the evoked emotions to change (or not to change) their roles. Unlike the earlier frameworks, the current salesperson role change process shows how individual salespersons opt to change their roles.