Salesperson Listening: A Replication And Extension Of The ILPS Scale

The primary purpose of this study was further testing of the ILPS scale (Castleberry, et al. 1999). The sample consisted of 101 salespeople from three business-to-business firms in the Midwest.  In addition to the ILPS exhibiting good reliability, results are consistent with prior research indicating a significant positive relationship between listening ability and salesperson performance.  Results also found a significant positive relationship between listening ability and adaptability and age.  Contrary to past salesperson listening research, females were found to be better listeners than men, and there was no significant relationship between listening and salesperson experience. Implications for managers and researchers are offered.&nbsp

Effective Interpersonal Listening in the Personal Selling Environment: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Nomological Validity

A study develops and validates a measure of the degree to which salespeople practice effective listening. After defining and discussing the construct, the development of a paper-and-pencil self-report measure of interpersonal listening in the personal selling (ILPS) context is described. The validity of the measure was assessed via a mail questionnaire with a sample of 604 salespeople from a variety of firms and industries. Both performance and sales experience were significantly correlated with the ILPS scale. There were no significant relationships between ILPS and gender, age, or industry type. The 14-item ILPS scale that emerged from the purification process was shown to have acceptable reliability estimates, as well as evidence of face, convergent, and nomological validity

Salesperson Empathy and Listening: Impact on Relationship Outcomes

This study fills an important gap in the literature by developing a conceptual model that links salesperson empathy and listening skills to three outcome variables. Responses from a mail survey of 162 buyers from a variety of business organizations were used to test this model using structural equation modeling. The model has an excellent fit (χ^sup 2^ = 1.511, GFI = 0.99, AGFI = 0.94), and indicates a strong positive relationship between empathy and the following: salesperson listening, trust in the salesperson, and satisfaction with the salesperson. Also, listening is positively related to buyer\u27s trust in and satisfaction with the salesperson, but not with future interaction expectations. Trust in and satisfaction with the salesperson were positively related to future interaction expectations