Becoming an MRO salesperson: A study of the initial stages of assimilation into a sales organization

Every year companies involved in MRO sales (maintenance and repair operations) spend hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to recruit and retain effective sales people (Barksdale, Bellenger, Boles, & Brashear, 2003). This research examines the different socialization processes experienced by individuals involved in MRO sales. Participants were asked how they secured their sales positions, how they established their organizational and personal networks, and ways they were socialized into their jobs. Several stage models of socialization that have been validated in the marketing literature, for industrial sales populations, provide the basis for this research.