The Art of Sales: Aditya Gupta

by Valerie Figueroa

When Dr. Aditya Gupta teaches at Texas State University's McCoy College of Business, he doesn't just talk about sales strategy or market dynamics. He talks about people, their motivations and fears, and the connections that turn transactions into long-term relationships.

"The first thing I realized is, sales is about connections," he says. "It is not just about money, how much we are charging or what we are selling. It's about people."

A focus on relationships — whether between businesses, sales teams, or students and their mentors — runs through every aspect of Gupta's work. An associate professor of marketing at McCoy College and a faculty member of the college's globally ranked Center for Professional Sales, Gupta says he blends academic research with the reality of an industry constantly being transformed by technology.

Before entering academia, Gupta spent almost a decade in the information technology and telecommunications industries, where he led product development teams, worked in marketing and presales, and helped close multimillion-dollar contracts. Gupta said he was always drawn to the human side of it.

"It's about understanding what clients' fears are, what their problems are," he says. "As a salesperson, genuinely being a consultant and helping them overcome those problems."

He recalls leading an "experience center" for C-suite clients, where his team demonstrated technology solutions such as interactive voice response systems, the software used in automated customer service. Gupta's team went beyond a simple pitch and built an experience.

"We would set it up to work for an airline," he says. "They can actually experience how it would work. It was the biggest differentiator for us. We saw that the deals coming through this experience center, the time that it took to close the deal was cut short, and these deals were more profitable for us."

Entering the world of academia
Gupta hadn't originally planned to shift his career to academia. During his MBA at the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, a professor encouraged him to consider the research aspects of business after noticing Gupta's inclination toward it.

"You always seem interested in deeper research questions, and your analysis is more thorough than just crunching numbers," Gupta recalls his professor saying. "You're asking questions — why? Have you considered the research side of things and doing a Ph.D.?"

That conversation was a pivotal moment in his career.

"As an employee at a firm, you can help that firm do better," he says. "But through your research, multiple businesses can benefit, and society can benefit as well."

That curiosity led him to The Pennsylvania State University, where he earned his Ph.D. in marketing and was awarded a doctoral fellowship from the Institute for the Study of Business Markets. His subsequent research focused on the complex networks that are the foundation of business relationships, that is, the social and ethical dynamics that influence how organizations operate.

Gupta's research has appeared in journals including the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Business Research, Production and Operations Management, Journal of Business Ethics, and Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management.

His latest research, "The Countervailing Effect of Job Crafting on Salesperson Ethical Behaviors: The Role of Meaningful Work and Organizational Interventions," published earlier this year in the Journal of Business Ethics, an FT-50 journal, explored "job crafting" — the act of salespeople reshaping their roles — and the sometimes unintended ethical consequences.

"Job crafting is a double-edged sword," Gupta says of the study's findings. "Salespeople can actually benefit from it … but when they start cutting corners, the ethical behavior goes down."

The project was inspired by shifts he observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when remote work gave employees more autonomy, sometimes leading to a temptation to stray from typical organizational norms. The study found that while proactive job crafting — such as finding more resources and making the job more challenging — could lead to stronger ethical outcomes, while cutting back on perceived "demands" led to the opposite. To combat this, Gupta says that ethical leadership and organizational support could help “amplify the positives and reduce the negatives.”

In the Classroom
At McCoy College, Gupta emphasizes the use of research and real-world insights in the classroom. He teaches courses in sales management, sales technology, and sales force automation, combining lessons in data and operations with empathy and ethics.

"I'm really proud of our sales center," he says of the college's Center for Professional Sales, where he works closely with marketing faculty and sales students. "We are ranked the number one sales program in the world. The foundation of this program was laid 20 years ago by Mrs. Vicki West, and we are continuing to grow it.”

As technology continues to evolve, driving sales efficiency and growth, the sales center has integrated new tools into the curriculum, including "Second Nature," an AI-powered role-playing software that allows students to practice sales conversations with simulated buyer personas.

"Our students can actually role-play with a computer AI interface, which role plays a buyer," he says proudly of the innovative software. "You can choose a persona too — such as an easygoing buyer, a finicky buyer, or one from a technological background."

The software doesn't replace traditional practice; it enhances it, he says.

"It will keep our students at the forefront of technology," he says. "We can showcase this to our corporate partners that our students are delivering more value through this program."

Still, he reminds students of the potential consequences of overusing generative AI.

"Don't blindly use it," he warns his students. "If you're going to blindly use it, it is actually going to de-skill you. When you're sitting in front of your customer, you will have to have that conversation. Because you're so dependent on AI, you don't have the mental maps of formulating those sentences yourself."

The balance of technological literacy and human authenticity will define a new generation of business leaders.

"Use AI smartly," he says. "Relationship building is all about investing in your customers, putting them first, being a consultant to them, and being there to help them."

Building Relationships in Sales
For Gupta, the art of a sale starts long before closing a deal.

"It's doing your homework," he says. "Most successful salespeople who outshine others actually do their homework on the customers, understand what the customer's needs are even before going to meet that customer."

He stresses the value of preparation, empathy, and curiosity, and how these foundational tenets turn into deeper connections.

"Be a problem solver and not a product seller," he says. "I'm here to solve your problem through our conversations. I'll uncover your problems and then proceed to sell you a solution for that problem."

In classroom discussions, Gupta shares case studies, news stories, and new research. Whether it's new legislation, a merger announcement, or a change in interest rates, Gupta says it can help students make connections from academic settings to the real world.

"Rather than using academia to drive talking points, I help my students develop a larger perspective," he says. "Often in sales, students miss connecting those dots. But when you have that discussion, you see that lightbulb go on."

Gupta, who has worked and studied in India and the United States, says he brings a global perspective to his teachings to broaden his students' understanding.

"Coming from India, I see a developing economy where things are changing at a rapid pace," he says. "It's cutthroat and quite competitive. And again, relationships matter. How business gets done is through relationships, and that's applicable all over the world.

As Gupta prepares the next generation of sales professionals, he continues to study how technology influences business behavior. One project he is working on examines how disruptions affect the adoption of new technology and whether "micromanaging" new rollouts can be beneficial during times of uncertainty.

"Often there is this notion that micromanagement is negative," he says. "We find that in terms of disruptions, micromanagement is useful because salespeople themselves are struggling as to what to do with this."

Early findings suggest that managerial guidance can help employees adjust more quickly and perform more efficiently when using new technologies.

Another project focuses on the impact of generative AI and its rapid integration into the sales profession. Although still in its early stages, Gupta and his co-authors are investigating how organizations approach training and adaptation in an environment where technological change is moving faster than businesses can respond.

"Firms need to take a very different approach to training compared to what they have done in the past," he says.

Despite his many achievements in research and his success in the technology and telecommunications industries before entering academia, Gupta finds his role as a professor to be highly gratifying.

"The most rewarding part is seeing some of our former students coming back to hire our students," he says. "The other thing that makes my day or semester is at the end of the semester, if just one student sends a thank you email saying, 'Your class actually made a difference,' that's the biggest reward in this career. You can have five publications, but what matters is making a difference in the lives of students."

In his free time, Gupta channels his energy into a range of interests, including staying up to date on technology, financial market news, and Formula One racing (he's a Ferrari fan). He also follows college football, though he admits with a laugh that Penn State is "not doing that well."

During the pandemic, he says he discovered the power of yoga and meditation, activities that have become a daily habit.

"It's a great way to balance your body and mind," he says.

The intersection of data, empathy, ethics, technology, and humanity defines his academic vision. He believes the future of business isn't just about faster systems or more innovative machine tech, it's about relationships built on understanding.

"As a salesperson, a researcher, a teacher, you have to always remember: we're in the business of people," he says. ✯