Sales faculty research collaborations with industry partners

At the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, the sales faculty is redefining how academia and industry can collaborate to solve real-world challenges. By working closely with industry partners, they're driving research that doesn't just add to the academic field but also creates actionable insights to impact how businesses operate. Here's a look at some of the groundbreaking work that these researchers are leading, aiming to equip sales leaders and professionals with tools and strategies that make a difference.

Lisa Beeler, associate professor of marketing

Beeler has worked with several industry partners during her time in academia, including telecommunications companies and medical device sales. One co-authored study, called "Alleviating the negative effects of salesperson depression on performance during a crisis: Examining the role of job resources," explored the negative consequences of depression over time in the sales profession. Traditionally, sales is a stressful job that has high risk and high reward. Through her research, Beeler saw that the most effective technique a sales manager can use to help their employees when they are faced with depression due to job stress is by providing them with time and resources to seek mental health care.

"As sales managers, we often feel the need to constantly help and motivate, but sometimes the best approach is to step back and ask, 'How can I help them tap into other resources, like their family or mental health support?' Instead of trying to motivate when it just won't work," Beeler explains. "That shift in perspective is something we've focused on recently."

Beeler is eager to expand her research and hopes to collaborate with more local companies. "I've worked with many industry partners and would love to collaborate more with local businesses. [The sales faculty] have a lot to offer small businesses here, and we want to solve problems to help them bolster their success."

Ryan Mullins, professor of marketing

Ryan Mullins has built his research career around solving the real-world challenges that sales organizations face. His work has spanned industries and topics, but more recently, he has focused on salesperson compensation and the evolving role of technology in sales.

In one of his studies, Mullins explores how companies can craft compensation packages that genuinely attract and retain top talent-something that's increasingly crucial in a competitive job market. "For many young sales professionals, understanding their first compensation offer is overwhelming. The packages are complex, with many factors that aren't always clear," Mullins explains. In this environment, applicants often make biased decisions that over-emphasize certain factors over others. "Our research aims to break down these pitfalls so that new hires can make informed decisions that align with their personal and financial goals."

In another project, Mullins investigated the critical factors for success in digital transformations. His research reveals that frontline managers play an outsized role in framing and communicating the expected outcomes from a change to digital selling. At the same time, a lack of collaboration between marketing and sales teams is often a major stumbling block, undermining the effectiveness of digital selling initiatives.

Mullins believes that partnering with businesses enhances the relevance of academic research. "We take a scientific approach, yes, but we also make sure we're solving the problems that today's sales leaders care about. Working directly with organizations ensures that our insights are practical and implementable."

Alec Pappas, assistant professor of marketing

Pappas has collaborated with a range of industry partners throughout his academic career, including companies in sectors like retail and technology. In one recent study, Pappas examined how competitiveness influences both performance and employee retention in sales. Sales teams often have an internal, competitive culture with leaderboards and performance comparisons, but Pappas' research suggests that shifting the focus toward self-improvement or competing with external rivals rather than colleagues can activate a salesperson's competitiveness more positively, boosting both team morale and productivity.

"In sales, there's this idea that intense internal competition improves results," Pappas explains. "But encouraging people to improve their own past performance or compete with outside teams can be even more effective. It builds a stronger team and avoids animosity that could contribute to turnover."

Another study Pappas has been working on addresses the potential of unlocking valuable communication data hiding in plain sight to understand employee behaviors. "Most companies collect data from messenger platforms and emails, but they're not sure how to use it yet. By tapping into this largely unused data set, we can better understand or even eventually predict behaviors within a work environment," he says.

Visit our research webpage to learn more about research at the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business.

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