Dr. Charles M. Futrell

Charles M. Futrell is Professor of Marketing in the Mays College of Business at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He has a B.B.A., M.B.A., and Ph.D. in marketing. Dr. Futrell is a former salesperson turned professor. Before beginning his academic career, Professor Futrell worked in sales and marketing capacities for eight years with the Colgate Company, The Upjohn Company, and Ayerst Laboratories.

Dr. Futrell’s research in personal selling, sales management, research methodology, and marketing management has appeared in numerous national and international journals, such as the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Marketing Research. An article in the summer 1991 issue of The Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management ranked Charles as one of the top three sales researchers in America. He was also recognized in Marketing Education, Summer 1997 as one of the top 100 best researchers in the marketing discipline. His work has earned him several research awards. Presently Charles is researching how sales personnel’s faith impacts their job stress, satisfaction, performance, customer service, turnover, and how student's faith influences the stresses in their lives.

Professor Futrell served as the American Marketing Association's Chair of the Sales and Sales Management Special Interest Group (SIG) for the 1996-1997 Academic year. He was the first person elected to this position. Charles was elected Finance Chair for the Sales SIG's 1998 - 1999 term. In 2005, this AMA group presented Charles with its Lifetime Achievement Award for commitment to excellence and service in the area of sales. In 1999, TAMU's Association of Former Students awarded him the Lowry Mays College and Graduate School of Business Distinguished Teaching Award. Mu Kappa Tau, the National Marketing Honor Society, recognized Charles for exceptional scholarly contributions to the sales profession in 2000. This is only the fourth time this recognition has been bestowed since its creation in 1988. Sales and Marketing Executives International recognized Charles as Marketing Educator of the Year in 2007.

In the Spring of 2001, Dr. Futrell was chosen as a Fish Camp (Texas A&M University's Freshman Orientation Camp) Namesake. Fish Camps are named after faculty members who have made a significant impact on Texas A&M, and nominations for the award are made by students, which makes it a very prestigious honor for instructors. In 2002, Charles was selected as a mentor for beginning freshmen. The Freshman Business Initiative (FBI) is a program designed to enhance the experience of incoming business freshmen. He is an associate faculty advisor for Impact, a four-day Christian summer camp for entering freshmen involving 500 freshmen and 300 advisors. Charles has also been on the Leadership Team of TAMU’s officially recognized Christian Faculty Network of over 250 scholars.

Dr. Futrell has written or co-written eight successful books for the college and professional audience. Two of the most popular books are -- Fundamentals of Selling: Customers For Life Through Service, tenth edition, and ABC's of Relationship Selling, tenth edition, both published by Irwin/McGraw-Hill publishers. These books are used in hundreds of American and international schools. They also appear in a Canadian edition and have been translated into Chinese, Polish, and Brazilian Portuguese textbooks. his sixth edition sales management textbook is free to web users all over the world. See http://futrell-www.tamu.edu.

Professor Futrell's books, research, and teaching are based upon his extensive work with sales organizations of all types and sizes. This broad and rich background has resulted in his being invited to be a frequent speaker, researcher, and consultant to industry. Dr. Futrell has been teaching for over 30 years at the university level.

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