An Exploratory Analysis of the Impact of Salesperson Customer-Orientation on Sales Force Productivity

Abstract

Consumer sovereignty is a concept that is well-established in the marketing literature. It is widely assumed the customer satisfaction is a crucial variable in determining the long-run prosperity of a business. Since the sales force often has the most contact with the customer, it seems logical that their efforts toward satisfying the client would be imperative. The selling orientation-customer orientation (SOCO) scale developed by Saxe and Weitz (1982) was used to determine the customer-orientation of 180 real estate sales personnel. The results of the research indicate that real estate sales representatives can practice customer-oriented selling without fear of losing sales due to their being too “soft” in their selling methods. In addition, the results indicate that companies wishing to enhance their sales personnel's level of customer-orientation may do so through professionally designed sales training programs.     

Why sales reps should welcome information technology: Measuring the impact of CRM-based IT on sales effectiveness

This study seeks to answer the following question: Can sales representatives enhance their performance through their acceptance of information technology (IT) tools? Using data collected from two companies, we show that despite uncertain results and the frequent resistance among salespeople to IT interventions, IT acceptance indeed has a positive effect on sales performance. This occurs because salespeople using IT expand their knowledge and, in turn, gain improved targeting abilities, enhanced presentation skills, and increased call productivity. Thus, sales representatives have a strong incentive to accept IT because doing so is likely to sharpen their own job performance.     

论保险公司的人力资源管理

人力资源管理之所以重要是因为人力资源是保险公司获得可持续性竞争优势和财富的源泉 ,是公司核心竞争力的基础。中国入世 ,中国保险业要想在竞争中占居优势地位 ,就应重视人力资源管理 ,根据人力资源的不可效仿性、高度流动性和溢出性 ,通过持续人力资源开发与培训 ,建立市场经济体制下的用人机制 ,采取有效的员工激励机制 ,使员工各尽其能为公司做出最大贡献 ,最终确立保险公司的核心竞争优势 ,实现保险公司的可持续稳定发展。     

Sales Training in a Dynamic Market

Abstract

The Singaporean hotel industry is examined, with particular emphasis on me differences between global and local sales force training. Empirical evidence indicates that there is a wide divergence between global and local practices. It appears that global firms perceive that sales training leads to greater sales force performance and view sales training as being part of their strategic marketing plan. Global firms also employ a more formal training curriculum, focus on “soft” competencies, and have an established training culture. Conversely, local firms rely upon “on-the-job training (OJT)” and appear not to understand that sales training programs can be a source of competitive advantage. Managerial implications and suggestions for future research are presented.     

The relationship between ethical and customer-oriented service provider behaviors

This study examines the relationship between the ethical behavior and customer orientation of insurance sales agents engaged in the selling of complex services, e.g. health, life, auto, and property insurance. The effect of ethical and customer-oriented behavior, measured by the SOCO scale (Saxe and Weitz, 1982), on the annual premiums generated by the agents is also investigated. Customeroriented sales agents are found to engage in less unethical behavior than their sales-oriented counterparts. Further, sales-oriented agents are found to perceive greater levels of unethical behavior among their significant others. Alarmingly, higher levels of sales premiums are found among those agents who engage in unethical behavior.     

上海中外资保险公司竞争力排名研究

从实证角度出发,通过运用主成分法构建评价模型,对近期上海主要中外资保险公司的竞争力进行排名和比较分析。研究结果发现:中外合资寿险公司较中资寿险公司更具市场竞争力,而中资产险公司竞争力显著落后于外资保险公司;同时,无论是在寿险还是产险领域,中资保险公司与外资或中外合资保险公司的差距主要表现在综合运营能力方面。     

中国商业银行跨业兼营寿险和证券风险收益模拟分析

本文使用模拟合并的方法分析了中国商业银行跨业兼营寿险和证券的潜在风险和收益,季度数据显示商业银行跨业兼营寿险和证券在一定寿险和证券资产比重下能增加银行的收益,并提高单位风险的报酬。研究结果同时表明,合适的寿险和证券业务资产比重对于达到最佳的跨业兼营效果是必不可少的。而从公共政策的角度来看,商业银行跨业兼营寿险和证券能显著降低其自身破产概率。     

Ladder of competencies for education middle managers in England

Utilising new empirical research this study adapts an existing literature-based competency framework into a hierarchy of competencies needed for education middle managers in England to be effective in their role. The study involved a national survey (n = 164) of further education middle managers and is the first quantitative study investigating the role since 2002. The original contribution of the study is the development of a new ladder of competencies for education middle managers which outlines a suggested ordering of competency development with due consideration to prior training and qualifications. This can enable an improved approach to recruitment, selection and development of education middle managers. The paper presents parameters for consideration when developing competency frameworks for roles more widely which include: prior training, experience, expectations, and challenges of the post-holder as well as the external working environment. It highlights the value of such considerations and demonstrates the importance in paying due regard to them.     

中国寿险公司偿付能力状况的评价

构建寿险企业偿付能力状况指标评价体系,对17家寿险公司的绩效进行因子分析,比较了中外寿险公司之间绩效的差距,揭示了目前中资寿险公司的偿付能力危机问题。分析表明提高偿付能力应从提高资产质量、提足责任准备金、提高投资收益率三个方面入手。     

Choice of Distribution System in the New Zealand Life Insurance Industry

Using 1988–93 panel data drawn from the New Zealand life insurance industry, this paper examines empirically the notion that the choice of distribution system is an efficient contracting solution to incentive conflicts between owners, managers and sales agents in life insurance firms. Consistent with what was hypothesised, the empirical results suggest that choice of distribution system is distinguished by organisational form, firm size, and sales commission. However, contrary to expectations, the variables representing product diversity and asset specificity were found not to be statistically significant. The empirical results thus lend mixed support for prior predictions.     

Beneficiaries or policyholders? The role of women in Swedish life insurance 1900–1950

In the second half of the nineteenth century, women were depicted as dependents and beneficiaries and men as breadwinners and policyholders in Swedish life insurance sales promotions. Furthermore, life insurance was assumed to be a middle-class concern. The notion of the life insurance policyholder as ‘middle class’ and ‘male’ was first contested with the introduction of industrial life insurance, i.e. life insurance for the working classes and also, to a large extent, the rural population in Sweden. The industrial life insurance business contributed to the growth of a large proportion of female life insurance policyholders from the rural and working classes. This article illuminates the contrast between ideological representations of women as the opponents of life insurance in sales promotions and the real actions and roles of women in business history.     

危机中物流企业服务项目新探

物流成为十大产业振兴规划的一员,旨在长期促进中国经济的发展。但是,由于第三方物流企业的物流服务的深度和广度有限,使企业危机重重。唯有满足客户、社会、行业的需求,开拓新的市场,才能在竞争中获得企业发展。因此,企业可以开展新的物流服务项目:第一,信息咨询服务,帮助企业将产品运往适销对路的地区;第二,商品展销服务,帮助工商企业缩短销售半径;第三,仓储超市服务,服务农村经济,提高农民生活质量;第四,物流集成服务,帮助企业做大做强。同时分析了当前实施这四个项目的条件。     

Exploring communication differences between women and men sales representatives in a relationship selling context

The purpose of this exploratory research is to investigate the different styles of communication used by women and men sales representatives in relationship selling. An analysis of in-depth interviews revealed that the language used by women sales representatives is more conducive to building customer trust and more suggestive of relationship selling behaviour than the language used by their male counterparts. That women sales representatives may draw upon nurturing language and behaviour learned in developing other relationships (wife, mother, daughter, sister or friend) to build customer relationships is consistent with role theory and supports a theoretical explanation for the lower levels of role conflict surprisingly reported by women sales representatives in previous research. The results suggest that in a relationship selling task, marketing managers should consider using sales representatives with a 'feminine' style for sales jobs requiring extensive customer relationships. Directions for future research are also suggested.     

中国保险业顺周期性的实证分析

本文在现有关于保险公司保险周期研究的基础上,对保险公司经营中的顺周期性进行实证研究。通过选取中国17家保险公司2003-2009年年度数据作为分析样本,利用面板数据模型进行实证分析,发现保险公司的顺周期效应显著;此外,还发现寿险公司的承保业务强于财险公司而投资业务弱于财险公司。本文建议对保险公司采取逆周期监管,提高保险公司经营的平稳性,促进金融体系稳健经营。     

自我监控人格对销售绩效的影响研究

销售人员绩效高低直接影响公司的生存与发展。现有自我监控与个体绩效的关系研究结果存在不一致。本文以保险销售员为研究对象，采用结构方程和层次回归方法，研究自我监控人格与个体销售绩效之间的关系，研究提出并验证了销售员自我监控人格与销售绩效呈倒“U”型关系的假设，期望能为提高企业绩效和销售管理有所贡献。     

Activity-based Costing (ABC) and the Life Insurance Industry

This paper describes the concept of activity-based costing (ABC) and examines its relevance to the life insurance industry. The paper contends that the high overheads and diversified product lines of many life insurance companies makes them appropriate environments within which to apply ABC. It is considered that ABC can provide at least three important benefits to a life insurance company, namely: more accurate cost information, closer insights into the costs of production and better information concerning the strategic consequences of business decisions. These attributes can help a life insurance company to achieve important business objectives, such as the management of expenses and the continuous improvement in the quality of its products and services. However; the transition to ABC is not easy and it cannot be seen as a panacea for all corporate woes. Nevertheless, the paper concludes that with sound project management, an ABC system can provide life insurance companies with much better information for activity management and the achievement of longer term strategic goals.     

Fostering enterprise architecture education and training with the enterprise architecture competence framework

Enterprise architecture (EA) implementation refers to a set of activities ultimately aiming to align business objectives with information technology infrastructure in an organization. EA implementation is a multidisciplinary, complicated and endless process, hence, calls for adequate education and training programs that will build highly skilled personnel (called enterprise architects) with diverse competencies. This development of domain‐specific competencies is also supported by European policies on education and vocational training. To this end, the authors present training uses of the Enterprise Architecture Competence Framework (EA‐CF). EA‐CF is a proposed conceptual model that describes EA competencies in compliance to the European e‐Competence Framework (e‐CF). The authors argue that EA stakeholders can consult the framework regarding competencies they want to underpin and thus identify the corresponding skills, knowledge and attitudes that result as learning outcomes in EA courses and training programs.     

An empirical study of the international marketing strategies of e‐commerce companies

This study surveyed a random sample of 136 e‐commerce companies to provide baseline information about their marketing and international marketing strategies. The findings show that one in five companies do not market internationally and another four in ten generate 10% or less of their sales from international markets. About half of the companies reporting international sales did not adapt their strategies to the international markets. This may have contributed to the failure of many of these companies. A more savvy use of international marketing strategies by e‐commerce companies could be very helpful to their future well‐being. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Adaptive selling in a call center environment: A qualitative investigation

Technological changes and innovations have created the means by which organizations can centralize the selling function into a call-center environment. While there are numerous benefits to this centralization, the fact that potential customers are drawn to a call center via telephone or Web-based communication media from a wide geographic area heightens the need for sales representatives to perform adaptive-selling behaviors. In this study we found evidence to confirm this belief, suggesting that a premium is placed on sales representatives who can accurately assess each situation using limited information (e.g., through tone of voice) and then to correctly adapt their behavior to fit the situation. The results also offer implications for Web-based call centers that link sales representatives with potential customers through text-based communication.     

Internet pharmaceutical sales: attributes, concerns, and future forecast

Internet pharmaceutical sales continue to skyrocket as healthcare providers and consumers are increasingly relying on the efficiencies and convenience that is available via such transactions. Managed care companies, increasing demands to reduce healthcare inefficiencies while maximizing the quality of patient care is a significant contributing factor to the expanding utilization and success of online pharmaceutical sales. However, with the expansion of Internet pharmaceutical sales, healthcare providers, pharmacy benefit management and insurance companies, and consumers realize new opportunities and risks. This paper will review the attributes and concerns associated with online pharmaceutical sales, discussing current and pending legislation intended to more effectively manage these parameters.