Salesperson Resistance to Change - Essay Example

Resistance is most noticeable in humans, whose daily activities are susceptible to change in every form and character of their existence. In business, resistance is the obstacle to surmount or conquer, especially when it comes to introducing new ideas, policies, protocols, and products. This paper seeks to highlight resistance as a natural condition and its application in successful product change in business with special emphasis on sales personnel.

            A business’ sole purpose is to make a profit at the end of the day’s activities, and when market conditions change, it requires businesses to formulate new ways of conducting business. Most businesses have a sales perspective that involves designated individuals who carry out the task of marketing and actualizing product(s) sales. According to Jaramillo et al, salespersons are more predisposed to resist change if they think it will increase their workload. For a business entity to achieve a successful product change, especially where its sales team is concerned, it needs to ensure that the team maintains its self-efficacy and autonomy (Jaramillo et al. 549). This would ensure that these individuals continue to maintain a harmonious and beneficial relationship with their customers.

            According to research conducted by Jaramillo et al, resistance to change exerts a negative influence on a salesperson’s performance and customer responsiveness. Managers at all business levels can help reduce resistance by explaining how proposed changes positively affect their workload. Businesses can also provide greater job autonomy to salespersons, which gives them the opportunity to implement these changes according to the nature and situation of their respective fields of service. The positive reception of change by a sales team in a business translates to the effective and efficient achievement of goals that prompt the need for change.