Selling the value: Perceptions of value from key stakeholders in university sales centers

The presence and influence of university-based sales centers are growing at a substantial rate, with 61 universities having membership in the University Sales Center Alliance (USCA) as of 2021, up from 52 in 2020 and 8 in 2002. While the function and appeal of having an interface exist between sales students, sales faculty, and sales center partners are apparent, the value created by sales centers for these diverse stakeholders remains underexplored. The present research explores the value derived by these stakeholder groups by conducting and analyzing 41 depth interviews of students, university faculty and administration, and members of partnering firms who are currently involved with university-based sales centers. A 3 x 2 matrix of the perceived value derived from sales centers, consisting of other vs. self-oriented, intrinsic vs. extrinsic, and active vs. passive, is presented across these stakeholder groups. The results suggest that value stemming from university-based sales centers often differs between stakeholders, suggesting that sales center administrators should not assume that value derived from sales centers is static or universal across the stakeholder groups.