Ramon A. Avila (Ph.D., Virginia Tech University) is the George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Marketing at Ball State University. Before coming to Ball State, he worked in sales with the Burroughs Corporation. He has held two visiting professorships at the University of Hawaii and another at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Dr. Avila was awarded the 2009 University Sales Center Alliance Distinguished Sales Educator. In 2003, Avila earned Ball State's Outstanding Faculty Award. In April 2002, he received a Leavey Award. This award was given for innovation in the classroom with his advanced selling class. Avila was presented the 1999 Mu Kappa Tau's Outstanding… Contributor to the Sales Profession. He is only the third recipient of this award. He has also received the University's Outstanding Service award, the University's Outstanding Junior Faculty award, the College of Business Professor of the Year, and the Dean's Teaching award every year since its inception in 1987. Avila also sits on five editorial review boards. His primary research is in personal selling and sales management. His work has appeared in the JOURNAL OF MARKETING RESEARCH, JOURNAL OF PERSONAL SELLING & SALES MANAGEMENT, THE JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT, THE MARKETING MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, and the JOURNAL OF MARKETING THEORY & PRACTICE, among others. He is the coauthor of THE PROFESSIONAL SELLING SKILLS WORKBOOK and SALES MANAGEMENT: ANALYSIS AND DECISION MAKING.