Selling the experience: studying the impact of real-world experiential learning on sales knowledge

Abstract

University sales programs play an important role in preparing graduates to work in sales roles. Corporations benefit from hiring well-prepared graduates through savings of training time and costs. Experiential learning activities, including role-plays, are a common method used by sales educators to train students in the classroom. They have been shown to increase sales knowledge which directly impacts sales performance. However, there are a lack of studies that explore the value of experiential learning activities developed with corporate business partner involvement. This article describes a study that used an experimental design to test the difference in sales knowledge measured through pre and posttest surveys between students that completed a client-based role-play developed with a business partner as compared with those that completed the same role-play exercise without revealing the identity of the business partner. A review of experiential learning in sales education is followed by a description of the study design and role-play assignments along with analysis of the results and implications for future teaching and research.