REMOVING RETICENCE LEADING TO TRANSFORMATION IN NEGATIVE PERCEPTION THROUGH EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Abstract

The high demand in salesforce could not generate business students' shift towards this profession despite prevailing global unemployment. Removing students' reticence about sales careers can help motivate them to espouse sales careers, meet this demand-driven profession's challenges, and help eradicate unemployment. This study examines the impact of role-playing and guest speaker expert presentation through experimental research design by using a randomized trial method in changing students' negative perceptions about a sales career with the intent to pursue it. This study used the t-test analysis that depicted the students' perception regarding sales career and the regression analysis that elucidate a direct impact of student' perception on their intent to pursue a sales career. The results show that role-play and presentation by guest speaker interventions significantly impact the changing students' negative perceptions about sales careers. The regression analysis shows that all sales perception subscales directly impact students' intent to pursue a sales career. The study is useful for policymakers, sales experts, researchers, and practitioners.