I conducted a study on women’s success, behaviors, and experiences in professional sales. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent that women are successful in professional sales careers and what the driving forces are behind that success. I did this through exploring a variety of factors like historical statistics, recruitment and selection, and women in sales leadership. I conducted both a literature review and informational interviews with sales women to gain valuable insights. The results suggest that women are successful in professional sales in a variety of industries due to several reasons. These reasons include their ability to form strong relationships with clients, to assess client needs, and to stay organized. I recommend that companies take a series of measures such as implementing mentorship programs, changing language used on job applications, and intentionally promoting women in order to attract and retain more women within their sales organizations. This will lead to higher profitability as the workforce is more diverse from a gender perspective.

As graduation season approaches each year, companies are seeking to hire the top talent from different universities all over the world. The battle to hire recent college graduates stems from the desire to hire young, hungry, and excited employees. However, with young age comes a lack of experience and exposure to the work force. The purpose of this thesis is to understand how recruiters from large corporations decide which candidates to hire, specifically candidates who are recent college graduates. Given that recent college graduates have little to no experience, it can be challenging for recruiters to determine their potential performance in each role. In comparison to seasoned professionals who have years of industry experience under their belts, it can be challenging for a recruiter effectively determine a young professional’s skills, work ethic, and industry knowledge.

I have identified and explained the different hiring methods that companies use when recruiting new talent to provide background information for my research. Furthermore, I have also interviewed several recruiters from large corporations in order to gain a further understanding of the university recruitment process, including what works and what doesn’t work. From the gathered research, I discovered key findings surrounding the topics of the interview process itself, how to properly assess a candidate, key components of the process and suggestions for enhancing the process. With this information, I have established recommendations for interviewing college graduates such as incorporating a pre-hire assessment into the process, implementing an on-site experience, condensing the process and clearly defining the interview protocol.

https://rlauren158.wixsite.com/thesis

The objective of this project was to combine my passion for creativity, branding and graphic design into a project that would be personally challenging for me, as well as something that would deliver a result. In considering all these things, I decided to “rebrand the brands we know & love” by picking 5 companies to recreate their logos and redesign the packaging and artwork for one product from each company.

News headlines are filled with unequal treatment in the workplace. However, there are also inspirational stories that encourage young women to face the challenges they are presented as they become executives in corporate America.

The purpose of this study was to interview women executives within corporate America to identify similar means of navigating women-specific issues they may have been presented with within their industry. More specifically, the questions sought to identify how these women became successful within their industry and how their female identities may have provided benefits to them, professionally. Interviewees were selected on a multitude of factors, title and status in company, industry, including availability, mutual connections, and demographics. Interviews were conducted both in person, over the phone, via web video conference and via email. All interviewees were asked the same questions, and interviews ranged from 25-45 minutes each. Each one was recorded and transcribed in order to facilitate comparison between stories, experiences, and other mentions.

The initial intention of analyzing the interviews and stories of these executives was to identify common factors that unified their stories. There were nine categories that the interviews sought to investigate: work-life balance, starting off strong, daily routines, mentorship/support, leadership, impact and legacy, advice and motivation, pros of being a woman, biggest challenges/cons. However, the interviews revealed that there were a plethora of unique factors that identified the stories these women had to tell. Overall, 5/8 of the executives believed that their female identity provided an advantage to them in the corporate sector, 2/8 women said their identity was a neutral factor, and only one woman stated she felt it placed her at a disadvantage. Further, this study concludes that the stories of impenetrable glass ceilings and roadblocks are balanced to some degree by stories of success within the corporate sector. There were 3 key themes for their narratives for success, having a support system, putting yourself first, and giving back.

Companies are constantly looking for a way to increase sales and productivity from their workforce. A popular way to spark motivation and competition is through employee sales contests or incentive-based plans. In theory, these contests are geared to include every employee at the sales level in the organization and are thought to boost motivation across the board. But, sales contests receive substantial attention regarding their effectiveness from the academic and professional press due to some unethical incidents happening at large corporations. There have been many studies regarding the effectiveness of contests, but many have inconclusive results and do not produce a definite answer. Because of this, further research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of such contests used in the professional world. Further research would require a study that is much longer in length, as there are many variables that are behind the psychological factors associated to sales contests.

I conducted a study on the effective design, implementation, motivational factors, and takeaways upon completion of such contests. The purpose of this study is to find out whether or not sales contests are an effective way of motivating a diverse workforce. The results suggest that sales contests are a hyper-efficient tool to increase employee motivation but must be prepared for and implemented correctly in order to achieve efficient results. I recommend that sales managers use contests as a tool to gauge the motivational and behavioral changes in their employees resulting from such contests, instead of just trying to gain more revenue. Also, to combat the growing threat of unethical behaviors as a result of running sales contests, leaders need to implement appropriate measures, like unethical behavior diversion courses.

As two students who have benefitted immensely through engagement in the ASU Professional Sales Program, Emily Herring and Lauren Coles attempt to address the ASU Professional Sales Program as a brand. This is accomplished through an extensive investigation into the current brand in terms of brand inventory and positioning, integrated marketing communications and digital brand strategy, landscape data collection and consumer brand perceptions, and brand development strategies. For this investigation, primary and secondary research via online resources, including competitor websites, articles, etc., was used to analyze the brand and competitors. We collected primary research for the landscape data and consumer brand perceptions via a survey of sales students and coaches from other schools as well as a survey of incumbent participants of the various parts of the program. From this analysis of these data using brand management theory sourced from academic texts, we concluded that there are issues with our brand awareness and consistency. In order to mitigate this, we recommend many changes, the most pertinent and current of which are amalgamated within a holistic 3-pronged positioning campaign. The rest are included in considerations for the future. Within the holistic 3-pronged positioning campaign, the internal and external positioning drive, the customer-driven communications, and the various co-branding initiatives include strong and decisive changes, like changing the name of SPARK, the general student sales club at ASU, and using recaps of events to drive engagement on social media. We hope these changes will engage more students with the ASU Professional Sales Program earlier in their career, with increased dedication to and interaction with the various program offerings.

This paper discusses the levels of job satisfaction amongst practicing lawyers, with a distinction between government-employed lawyers (public) and those in the private sector. The purpose of this report is to provide insight into the joys and sorrows of practicing law and provide those who are curious about becoming a lawyer with the tools to be the happiest lawyer that they can be throughout their career. The paper includes analysis of a primary research survey, comparisons with existing research, and a brief overview of happiness based research. It concludes with personal applications of the knowledge gained. Findings of the project conclude that publicly employed lawyers are, on average, slightly happier than lawyers in the private sector. On a scale from 1-7 public lawyers held an average happiness rating of 6.8, while private lawyers came in at a 6.06. Both factions were found to be satisfied in their work, which can dispel the myth that lawyers in general are unhappy with their job or field. Research into happiness shows that only 40% of an individual's overall happiness can be directly affected by their mindset and actins. The other 60% is comprised of genetic and circumstantial factors. Steps and advice to increase happiness derived from a profession or life are offered. The key to finding satisfaction in the workplace lies in aligning one's strengths with one's values. This paper concludes by imploring those who seek a job in the legal field to spend time understanding what their values are, and pursuing satisfaction in the workplace instead of prestige or pay.

Almost all surfboard wax on the market today is made of paraffin wax, a product made from crude oil. Paraffin wax is not an environmentally friendly product for surfers. I believe that there is a market for and environmentally friendly surfboard wax. My thesis/creative project will be to create this business and prepare it for launch. My main deliverable will be a business plan detailing:
• An Executive Summary
• Description of the Business
• Market Analysis Summary
• Sales and Marketing Strategy
• Company Management Summary
• Funding Plan
• Financial Projections
• Appendix if Necessary
By the time I defend, the ECO-Wax (Working Title) business will be ready to launch.

Becoming good at selling is a nuanced skill. Many pivotal techniques are often not communicated properly in the training and onboarding phases, leaving many members of the sales force "crippled" before they even get into the field. We set out to discern the "best practices" of selling, and the underlying causes as to why they work. Through meticulous research obtained via study of experiments, sourced articles and other academic papers we compiled a thorough outline detailing the most efficient ways to build a relationship with the buyer and close the sale. From there we discussed the methodology to implement those skills into a complete sales training program. This paper serves as an informational guide to the necessary skills to complete a sale and how to train for those skills.

The rising age of the Baby Boomer generation has made a significant impact on the workforce, leaving leadership gaps that Generation X is unable to fill. This leaves an opportunity for the Millennial generation to step up and use their strengths and skills to become stronger leaders of the business and sales industry.
To bridge the gap between the growing sales industry there is the ability to properly train Millennials so they are successful and stay within their roles longer. By attacking this problem from a university level by strengthening sales programs as well as having employers understand and respond to needs of the Millennial generation, this will create an overall successful Millennial salesperson that will stay with their employer long term.
Strengths and weaknesses of this generation are also important to understand. Millennials are known to be tech-savvy, open-minded, collaborative, and connected, resourceful networkers. They also carry weaknesses and stereotypes of being lazy, lacking communication skills, impatient, entitled, and demanding of feedback and work flexibility. From an employer, they expect a large salary as well as a good culture, manager feedback, a mentor, work-life integration, an employer with a social responsibility mindset, and a sense of purpose.
An analysis of 12 sales programs at various universities across the country helped to understand what is being taught and offered to students as well as commonalities and differences that make a strong sales program. Commonalities among these programs include, about 250+ students, high job placement, sales labs, hosting and competing in sales competitions, and a desire to expand and grow their programs. Unique aspects of various programs were partnerships with the sales industry, hosting fundraisers, student ambassadors for the sales program, CRM courses, and internships and competition requirements.
Primary research was conducted to understand various sales development programs from companies in the sales industry. The 12 companies that participated in this research were from Arizona State University’s Sales Advisory Board. These companies completed a survey that provided detailed information of their onboarding and training process as well as their opinions of Millennial employees.
From this research, recommendations were formed for employers,
• creating a collaborative and innovative culture
• A mentorship program
• work flexibility
• continuous learning
• sense of purpose
As for Arizona State’s Sales Program, recommendations include,
• a mentorship program between Sales Scholars and the Sales Advisory Board
• creating a sales lab
• implementing CRM curriculum in classes
• continued support from the Board and alumni of the sales program