Gregory A. Rich (Ph.D. from Indiana University, 1995) is a Professor of Marketing whose research has focused primarily on how leadership theory impacts the management of salespeople. Greg has published 15 articles in a variety of marketing and organizational behavior journals, including Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Personnel Psychology, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, and Journal of Business Research. He is the author of a sales management textbook, co-author of a professional selling textbook, and co-developer of the management simulation game Cantopia. He is on the editorial review board of the Journal of Professional Selling and Sales Management. For over 20 years, Greg has served as a sales coach of students competing at the National Collegiate Sales Competition and other similar events. In 2020, he was named Sales Educator of the Year by the American Marketing Association Selling and Sales Management SIG.
Rhett Epler (Ph.D., University of Wyoming) is an Assistant Professor and Chair of the Thurmond School of Professional Sales and Negotiations at Old Dominion University. His research focuses on sales technology, incentive design, and how salespeople adapt to customer needs. Dr. Epler’s work has appeared in leading academic journals, including the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of International Marketing, and Human Resource Management. Additionally, he serves on the board for the National Conference in Sales Management (NCSM) and on the Editorial Review Boards for the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Industrial Marketing Management, and the Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing.
At the undergraduate level, Dr. Epler teaches professional selling and advanced sales. He employs highly innovative classroom approaches designed to build student confidence, communication, and sales skills. These activities include experiential improv training and live performances alongside Brad McMurran, a renowned improv comedian from the Push Comedy Theatre in Norfolk, Virginia. Bringing real-world expertise to the classroom, Dr. Epler has worked professionally in B2C and B2B sales as a licensed real estate agent and mineral rights broker. He also serves as a faculty advisor for his university′s Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE) chapter, remaining an enthusiastic advocate for students as they enter the professional world.
