Coaching in the Sales Profession: What part can coaching through literature play in dealing with a contemporary “Bartleby”?

Abstract

This article makes a case for using Herman Melville’s 1853 short story “Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall-Street” to support new sales staff. Rock and Schwartz’s (2006) ideas on brain-based coaching have been reinforced by an exploration of a literary approach to coaching in order to demonstrate how to support sales people. The study used feedback from salespeople in mainly the recruitment and publishing industries. Data collected suggest that new sales recruits are frustrated at not knowing what standards they are expected to meet. Findings also suggest that there was merit in using literature as part of a coaching development exercise and that literature such as “Bartleby” could be a source of help in navigating work situations.