Although the idea of classifying sales jobs is around for some time, literature typically makes recommendations to managers that refer to the "generalist" salesperson. However, sales practice has advanced significantly away from such a generalization, developing more specific types of sales jobs, from order- takers to more complex order-getters and order creators.

This project is about understanding the psychological characteristics of salespeople in these different roles, but also customer’s expectations from these roles. Students may (but are not required to) propose a specific company (e.g., in the pharmaceutical industry) that employs all three types of salespeople to serve as a case study for conducting research.