ABSTRACT
The introductory chapter will explore why research into sales practice is increasingly important to all organisations. Research into the role of sales in business will be discussed, and essential definitions will be introduced. Some of the key challenges that the discipline is facing such as the development of virtual selling environments, advances in sales technology, changing customer demands, and agile and adaptive sales management will be considered, as they are forcing sales organisations to adapt to survive. This chapter will explore key topics, such as customer acquisition and the sales pipeline, adaptive sales, developing the value proposition, and advances in sales technology and provide a road map to the challenges faced by sales organisations.
