Impact of stereotype threat on sales anxiety

Salespeople are aware that many customers have negatively stereotyped the sales profession. Consequently, salespeople may become defensive and fearful about how customers perceive them. This phenomenon is called ‘stereotype threat.’ Stereotype threat from customers may be triggered by many stimuli, such as verbal or nonverbal behavior from the focal group (i.e., customers), comments from coworkers, or information from the media. We argue that similarity with customers and sales managers should reduce stereotype threat. Using a survey of professional salespeople, the results show that salespeople are less likely to experience stereotype threats when they perceive themselves to be similar to their managers, but contrary to expectations, not when they feel similar to customers. The results also show that stereotype threat increases anxiety, which can reduce organizational commitment. However, help-focused coping from others in the sales organization will help salespeople cope with their anxiety. The implications of this research will help sales managers reduce stereotype threat and help salespeople cope with this phenomenon.