The Role of Grit and Emotional Exhaustion in the Selling Process

ABSTRACT Purpose The focus of this article is to provide an overview of the existing business-to-business literature on two sales constructs that have been of interest to marketers. Although relatively new to the sales literature, the first construct is grit. This construct has been studied in a wide variety of manners for 130 years; however, within the sales literature, this construct has only been explored for the past three years. The second construct has been investigated in the sales literature for over 20 years is emotional exhaustion, which is one of the three dimensions of burnout. Furthermore, this article then introduces the eight manuscripts included in this special issue which expand marketing’s knowledge on these two constructs of interest. Research Implications Currently in the sales literature, there is a lack of research containing the grit construct. This article contributes to the marketing and sales literature by showcasing the importance of researching grit in sales. In addition, this article discusses the most popular researched burnout dimension, emotional exhaustion. Although emotional exhaustion has been studied in the sales literature, there is still additional research needed in order to fully understand the intricacies and situations that might lead to or result from a salesperson’s experiencing emotional exhaustion. Further, as with many underexplored constructs, such as grit, there is also an inconsistency in the research findings related to the relationship between grit and emotional exhaustion. Therefore, this article examines this inconsistency and provides some additional research ideas for consideration. Practical Implications This article calls attention to two constructs that can impact a sales organization’s long-term success. Prior research on each of these constructs is provided which highlights what a sales organization should and should not do in order to increase grittiness and reduce emotional exhaustion levels of their salesforce. Originality/Value/Contribution This article contributes to the literature in several meaningful ways. First, this article provides a detailed table of articles previously published in the sales literature that include the construct of grit. Second, this article investigates emotional exhaustion and its role in the sales process. A brief discussion on how grit might impact emotional exhaustion is also provided. Finally, based on prior research as well as insights gleaned from the eight articles included in this special issue, future research opportunities and suggestions are presented.