Interfirm Structure and Buyer-Salesperson Behavior Impact on Relationship Outcomes

The individual level interaction between the buyer and salesperson can best be understood in the broader framework provided by the inter-firm relationship. Very little research has been conducted that examines both firm level and interpersonal level constructs in the context of business relationships. The primary purpose of this study is to design and test a theoretical model that examines the effect of inter-firm structure and buyer-salesperson behaviors on relationship outcomes. The results suggest that in established relationships, the external environment plays a role in determining the how buyer-seller firms structure their relationships. The way in which the relationship is structured plays an important role in determining how the buyer and salesperson interact. Both inter-firm structure and buyer-salesperson behaviors, in turn, influence buyer satisfaction

Mentoring Characteristics and Functions: Mentoring Influence on Salespeople

Purpose: This paper aims to examine a longitudinal study of mentoring functions and their effect on salesperson attitudes and intentions. Design/methodology/approach: The research is based on a multi-year study of salespeople beginning when the salesperson entered the industry being examined. Findings: The level of interaction between the mentor and protégé was found to be the only antecedent examined that related to the perceived quality of mentoring functions. Age, education and length of employment for both parties; the degree of age and education difference; and the length of the mentoring relationship were not significant. Successful mentoring appeared to be based heavily on a mentor’s willingness and ability to interact frequently with the protégé. Originality/value: This study adds to the literature on mentoring, looking at mentoring in a sales context. Research examining mentoring in a sales setting is much more limited than in many other professions, so the findings represent a valuable addition to the sales mentoring literature. Its influence on sales socialization may be very important

An Investigation into the Antecedents of Organizational Citizenship Behaviors in a Personal Selling Context

The authors report the results of two studies that attempt to model antecedents of organizational citizenship behaviors in a personal selling context. They draw the antecedents from extant research and propose that the willingness to perform organizational citizenship behaviors is related to the job-related perceptions of the degree of organizational fit between the salesperson and his or her firm, level of leadership support, perceived fairness in reward allocation (i.e., distributive justice), and job satisfaction. They hypothesize and test direct and indirect relations with these constructs and organizational citizenship behaviors. Most of these relations were significant across the two studies

The role of self-regulatory mode on acquisition-retention ambidexterity

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop a theoretical model that posits locomotion-assessment ambidextrous orientation as predictor of salesperson acquisition–retention ambidexterity, which as a consequence increases sales. The authors drawing on regulatory focus theory and self-regulatory for this propose. Design/methodology/approach: Salespeople involved in the study represent different firms selling a wide variety of food and household products to a wholesaler, which resells them to supermarket chains. The authors collected data from 231 industrial salespeople. Findings: First, salesperson assessment focus amplified locomotion’s effect on acquisition–retention ambidexterity. Second, salespeople increased their performance by implementing an acquisition–retention ambidextrous orientation that balances prospecting for new customers and growing existing customers. Third, findings revealed a mediating effect of ambidextrous orientation on the relationship between regulatory mode and sales performance. Finally, outcomes supported the conditional moderated-mediated effect of regulatory mode in explaining performance through ambidextrous orientation. Practical implications: Results suggest that salespeople need to equalize their dual orientations in a complementary way to elaborate their selling strategies according to each customer. For example, in an unbalanced orientation, putting high levels of assessment into a sales encounter can reduce the effective and efficient use of time in interacting with customers. Originality/value: The authors further illustrate the importance of using both locomotion and assessment in attaining sales goals (Pierro et al. 2013). This synergistic effect is known as the complementary hypothesis (Pierro et al., 2006a, 2006b). Each dimension complements the other and has a moderated-mediated effect on performance through acquisition–retention ambidexterity

Investigating sales approaches and gender in customer relationships

Purpose: The purpose of this research is an examination of three different types of sales approaches (product-, solution- and provocation-based) on relational outcomes. The type of sales approach influences buyer's assessments about the trustworthiness of the salesperson and the conflict with the salesperson. These outcomes of the sales approach affect the customer's economic and non-economic satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: Using cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 840 organizational buyers, a structural equation model measures the path coefficients of the proposed model and tests the differences in the magnitude based on gender. Findings: The results indicate that sales approaches will differentially influence assessments of trustworthiness and conflict. The magnitude of the influence of the sales approach on outcomes is different between genders. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first empirical study to examine the impact of sales approaches on both genders of organizational buyers

Key account buying team members' emotional responses awarding multi-million dollar sales contracts

Key account sales can have a profound impact on firm success. Our research investigates the decision process of members of key account buying teams during the buying decision process of awarding multi-million dollar sales contracts. Much extant key account literature examines what the salesperson and selling organization should do to win these major accounts, studied from the perspective of the selling organization. We examine the decision process of the members of the key account buying team as they determine which of the companies vying to be awarded these large sales proposals should be awarded the contract. We argue that key account buying team decisions are not simply straight-forward, objective, and rational judgements, but instead also incorporate a wide range of strong emotions elicited during the sales process that impact the decisions of the buying team and that therefore impact the decision of which company should be awarded these multi-million dollar contracts. We argue that members of these key account buying teams experience a broad range of emotions that have a definite role in key account proposal selection, that to-date have not been adequately acknowledged in the . These questions are investigated and a conceptual framework and research propositions are offered

Revitalizing Your National Account Program: The NAM Audit

The decision to establish or retain a national account marketing program is one faced by many firms whose product or service is sold through a business-to-business salesforce. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to determine whether the benefits obtained from establishing and/or maintaining a national account program outweigh the costs. This audit provides a structured approach to help firms decide if a NAM program is right for their particular company. Although, because of differences between firms, it is difficult to establish absolute decision rules, the audit can help a company decide whether to establish/maintain a national account marketing program

Why do salespeople fail?

The article discusses the reasons for the failure of salespeople in selling product, concept or services and also emphasizes on the method of selection criteria so as to match the need of the organization with that of individual's skill. According to the article, characteristics like enthusiasm, good organizational skills, ambition, persuasiveness, previous sales experience, ability to follow Instructions and sociability are required qualities in a sales personnel. Salespeople at the smaller companies consider inadequate product knowledge to be a more important contributor to failure than sales managers. The size of the organization does not appear to have a substantial impact on the salesperson's perceptions of the characteristics which can lead to failure. Salespeople in industrial selling believed that lack of initiative, and lack of personal goals were significantly more important factors in salesperson failure than did sales managers. The article suggests that sales managers need to consider spending more time assessing the personal and professional goals of the sales candidates they seek to hire

Salesperson Evaluation Using Relative Performance Efficiency: The Application of Data Envelopment Analysis

A recurring, but unresolved, issue in salesforce research is the choice of salesperson performance evaluation methodology. Salesforce compensation is typically based on some form of evaluation, and hence the assessment method used is critical. The authors outline several evaluation methods currently in use and their pros and cons. Some methods are purely output or purely input based, and often employ only one indicator of performance. Still other methods use absolute ratios of outputs to inputs, or compare performance with the “average” performance rather than the “best.” The authors propose a data envelopment analysis (DEA) based approach that provides a measure of relative (to best) performance efficiency. An empirical example illustrates the proposed method of salesperson evaluation. The advantages of the proposed approach are discussed along with a description of situations in which its use may be more appropriate

Single Source Supply Versus Multiple Source Supply: A Study into the Relationship Between Satisfaction and Propensity to Stay Within a Service Setting

The relationship between buyer satisfaction and the propensity of a buyer to stay in a relationship may be more complex than earlier research suggests. Building on prior research, two facets of satisfaction are examined. Our findings suggest that satisfaction with the firm and satisfaction with the salesperson each play an essential role in a firm’s decision to stay in a business-to-business relationship. In addition, our results indicate that both the number of suppliers and a buyer’s perception of available alternatives moderate the relationship between satisfaction with the salesperson and a buyer’s propensity to stay in the relationship