Changing the narrative: introducing the CARE framework for salesperson well-being

Although there has been a recent increase in research on salesperson well-being, much of it remains fragmented, using abstract frameworks with general rather than individualized implications for practice. In contrast, this research takes an ethics-of-care lens to present a holistic, proactive, and personalized process for sustained salesperson well-being. Adopting a hermeneutic approach, we build on existing sales research, practitioner literature, and in-depth interviews with both sales leaders and frontline salespeople to develop the CARE framework—Cultivate, Assess, Reinforce, Empower—and situate it along a Continuum of Care that spans promotion, prevention, treatment, and recovery. CARE complements established approaches by embedding a continual, relational process of care into everyday sales management, while articulating tensions and tradeoffs. This framework highlights the dual nature of care in sales organizations: the provision of resources and support structures and the cultivation of emotional trust, psychological safety, and a culture of well-being. A key insight is that resources must be paired with genuine sentiment to deliver a positive benefit for frontline salespeople. We conclude with a future research agenda integrating our ethics-of-care framework into existing sales research streams.