Commentary: practical insights to ensure sales force digitalization success: the educator’s perspective

Abstract

Abstract The authors evaluate the implications of Zoltners and colleagues (2021) for contemporary sales education. They commend Zoltners and colleagues for their unique angle in exploring the path to success for sales digitalization through both common reasons of failure and key success factors. Given the primary objective for sales educators to equip students for future employment in the sales industry, addressing the insights and recommendations Zoltners and colleagues present in the education process is necessary. Digitalization in sales continues to evolve and as a result, many practitioners and academics are in a state of “building the bicycle while riding it.” In light of this shift, we believe academic institutions have an opportunity to incorporate several of the insights from the article into their sales courses. In this commentary, the authors address four areas that this article can influence: (1) course curriculum and the case for new content, (2) experiential education and the role of adaptation in selling, (3) career-framing so students have a broader understanding of future sales roles, and (4) cross-discipline partnering in order to minimize silo-based learning.