Antecedents of adaptive selling among retail salespeople: A multilevel analysis

The literature on adaptive selling behavior has grown rapidly over the years, with heavier emphasis placed on industrial/professional salespeople and less attention given to retail salespeople. This study contributes to addressing this imbalance by examining the effects of two salesperson factors (selling skills and affective commitment) and two company-level variables (empowerment and behavior-based control) on the adaptive selling behavior of retail salespeople. Using data obtained from a two staged sampling procedure (105 companies and 419 salespeople), we employ a multilevel analytical procedure to model the effects of the salesperson and organizational factors on adaptive selling behavior of retail salespeople. The results indicate that selling skills and affective commitment directly influence adaptive selling while empowerment and behavior based control only indirectly influence adaptive selling behavior. Based on the findings of this study, implications for managing retail salespeople as well as limitations and suggestions for future research are presented.     

The influence of salesperson skill,motivation, and training on the practice of customer‐oriented selling

Why is customer‐oriented selling not practiced widely? The purpose of this research was to identify the relationships between factors that may be related to the practice of customer‐oriented selling: Salesperson job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and skills. A survey of 109 retail salespeople provided insights into the relationships between these variables. The findings focused on the importance of the relationships existing between salesperson skills, training, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and salesperson customer orientation. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Differences in Turnover Predictors between Multilevel and Single Level Direct Selling Organizations

Turnover among its salespeople is a significant issue for direct selling firms because attrition impacts the size and continuity of revenue generation by a firm's sales force. While turnover rates in direct selling are high overall, turnover rates and intentions to quit differ significantly between multilevel (ML) and single level (SL) forms of direct selling organizations. This study examines whether specific demographic and behavioural/attitudinal characteristics of direct salespeople correspond to differences in turnover between ML and SL salespeople. For many demographic variables there are significant differences between ML and SL salespeople, but none of these differences correspond to differences in quitting intentions. There are also significant differences between ML and SL salespeople on the behavioural and attitudinal variables studied. Analysis revealed that the relationship between some of these variables and quitting intentions differed substantially between ML and SL salespeople. These variables included job satisfaction, organizational commitment, perceived image of direct selling in the marketplace, and the importance of the job characteristics of work rewards and career growth. Specific managerial implications follow from these findings.     

Empowering salespeople: Personal,managerial, and organizational perspectives

The traditional seven steps of personal selling have remained virtually unchanged since the early 1900s. Meanwhile, the actual roles and duties of salespeople have pushed far into customer relationship management (CRM). Psychologically and professionally, salespeople need greater empowerment for their expanding CRM responsibilities. However, empowerment is a complex process requiring several individual, managerial, and organizational changes for successful implementation. As part of the empowerment process for its salespeople, companies need to provide supporting structures, processes, and incentives for customer‐oriented behavior. At the same time, the Internet and other telecommunications advances in the macroenvironment are accelerating empowerment changes in personal selling—mainly on the customer side of the exchange. To effectively and efficiently carry out their growing yet still poorly defined CRM roles, salespeople need to be comprehensively empowered, trained, motivated, and rewarded. Companies that most effectively empower their salespeople should reap substantial rewards in profitability and loyalty from both their salespeople and customers. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Examining the link between salesperson networking behaviors,job satisfaction,and organizational commitment: Does gender matter?

Sales professionals are embedded in an array of social interactions through their networking behaviors, yet the literature's understanding of these effects on job-based attitudes is relatively limited. Further, research suggests that men and women, not only network differently, but also often benefit in different ways from networking. This study examines the extent to which gender moderates the relationships between three forms of salesperson networking behaviors, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. The data from a survey of 179 salespeople indicates that networking behaviors are related to job satisfaction and commitment in sales. However, the relationships vary for male and female salespeople. When analyzed separately, job satisfaction relates positively to professional networking for women, while job satisfaction relates positively to peer networking for men. In addition, peer networking directly relates to organizational commitment for women, rather than mediated by job satisfaction.     

Managing the Real Estate Salesforce Through Career Stages

Rcsearchers have identified four career stages hat employees pass through: exploration, establishmcnt, maintenance, and disengagcrnent. This study explored the impact of real estate salespeople's career stages on attitudes toward their jobs and perfor- mance. The sample consisted of 241 full-time real estate salespeople in Missouri. The results of this study showed that Ule lowest levels of organizational commitment, job involvement, perceived job chal- lenge, and job satisfaction were found for real estate salespeople in the exploration stage and the disengagement stage of their careers. Real estate salespeople in the exploration stage had lower job perfor- mance than did real estate salespeople in the other career stages. Suggestions for motivating salespeople in a service industry are provided.     

Servant Leadership,Proactive Work Behavior,and Performance Overall Rating: Testing a Multilevel Model of Moderated Mediation

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The goal of this paper is to investigate whether salesperson proactive behavior mediates the relationship between sales manager servant leadership and salesperson overall performance rating by the sales manager. Moreover, it examines whether salesperson customer orientation and political skill moderate the sales manager servant leadership ? salesperson proactive behavior ─ salesperson overall performance. Design/methodology/approach: Empirical analysis is based on dyadic data from 181 industrial salespeople and their sales managers in a range of different industries (including both manufacturing and service industries). To analyze the multilevel moderated mediation process, this investigation uses Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM). Findings: Sales manager servant leadership was positively related to salespeople overall performance rating through their proactive behavior except when their customer orientation was low. Moreover, this relationship between sales manager servant leadership and overall performance rating through proactive work behavior was stronger the greater the salespeople consumer orientation and political skill. Research implications: The study suggests that sales manager servant leadership is indirectly related to salesperson overall performance rating through salesperson proactive behavior. The findings also support subsequent research on salesperson values, skills, and behaviors as moderators in the servant leadership – proactive behavior – overall performance rating relationship. Understanding how these salesperson factors interact with sales management leadership to produce organizational outcomes (e.g., stress, engagement, organizational commitment) are questions that sales researchers may wish to pursue via further study. Practical implications: Sales managers should employ servant leadership to stimulate salespeople proactive work behavior. This study clearly indicates the salespeople need to adopt customer orientation and to have political skill. Hence, sales managers need to try to improve the customer orientation and the political skill of their salespeople through selection procedures or training programs. Originality/value: The relationship between sales manager servant leadership and salesperson overall performance through proactive work behavior has not been addressed and tested in the literature to date.     

Drown or Blossom? The Impact of Perceived Chronic Time Pressure on Retail Salespeople's Performance and Customer–Salesperson Relationships

For retail salespeople chronic time pressure, a perpetual perception of being rushed for time, is a prevalent and pervasive phenomenon in their daily sales jobs. Despite this practical relevance, consequences of perceived chronic time pressure on retail salespeople's selling behaviors, such as adaptive selling, and selling performance are not well understood. Thus, the authors investigate the effect of retail salespeople's perceived chronic time pressure in interactions with customers and its impact on retail salespeople's adaptive selling behavior, customers’ purchase outcomes, as well as salespeople's overall objective performance. Analysis of dyadic data from 291 salesperson–customer interactions from a large B2C furniture retailer revealed an inverse U-shaped curve for the relationship between retail salespeople's perceived chronic time pressure and their adaptive selling behavior. The chronic time pressure–selling outcome relationship strongly depends on the contingencies of retail salespeople's goal orientations and perceived organizational support and has implications for retail research and practice.     

Formalization,Role Stress,Organizational Commitment,and Propensity-to-Leave

Abstract

This study of Korean industrial salespeople (N = 140) examines the relationships among organizational formalization, role stress, organizational commitment, and propensity to leave. Although most of the theoretical and empirical research in this area was done in the United States, this study examines whether the same concepts could be applied to a culturally different salesforce. The results of the structural modeling analysis suggest that overall the model of job variables and propensity to leave developed in the U.S. could be applied to a Korean salesforce. However, some culture-related differences do exist in the nature of specific relationships.     

The effects of mentoring on salesperson commitment

This paper examines the impact of having a mentor on mentoree affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization and occupation. Hypotheses are developed comparing salespeople with and without mentors, and mentorees with mentors inside and outside of the organization. Data was collected from a national sample of salespeople. The results indicate that having a mentor is positively associated with mentoree affective and normative organizational commitment, and affective, continuance and normative occupational commitment. Results also indicate that organizational mentors, as opposed to external mentors, are more strongly associated with mentoree affective and normative organizational commitment. Finally, organizational mentors do not have a greater impact on the facets of mentoree occupational commitment than mentors outside of the organization.     

工作满意度、情感承诺和工作投入对工作技能评价结果的影响

In this study, we surveyed 272 post-holders from four different occupations, namely, public servants in charge of HR administration, software engineers, web editors, and newspaper advertisement salesperson. We found that the three job attitude variables of job satisfaction, affective commitment and job involvement all have significant effects upon job skill importance ratings and skill level ratings after controlling for occupational and demographic variables. Further comparison revealed that job satisfaction has a greater influence upon the above two ratings than affective commitment and job involvement. Also, we studied several occupations comprehensively in the present article, which is beneficial to a deeper understanding of factors influencing job analysis ratings and is thus of great importance to future job analysis research and practice. __________ Translated from Xinli xuebao 心理学报 (Acta Psychological Sinica), 2007, 39(1): 146–154     

Power-Base Effects on Salesperson Motivation and Performance: A Contingency View

Purpose: The sales literature shows that motivation is a key determinant of salesperson performance. The literature also suggests that how managers use social power will have an effect on important organizational outcomes, including salesperson performance. This study examines the five bases of social power that sales managers use (reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert) as moderating influences in the salesperson motivation (extrinsic and intrinsic)—salesperson performance linkage.

Methodology/approach: Data was collected from 128 salespeople using a cross industry survey. Eight hypotheses were developed and tested using SmartPLS (partial least squares).

Findings: The authors found support for five of eight hypotheses. Results and significant findings suggest that sales managers can impact sales performance in extrinsically motivated salespeople by using coercive and legitimate power. For intrinsically motivated salespeople, sales managers can impact sales performance by using coercive, legitimate, and referent power.

Research implications: Related to social power theory, the study suggests that salesperson performance is dependent upon a salesperson’s combined motivation orientation and the base of power used by the sales manager. The study also sets the stage for subsequent research on how managerial power can be studied as a moderator for other personal salesperson characteristics (e.g., self-esteem, self-efficacy, locus of control) and salesperson performance. In addition, understanding how these other personal characteristics interact with managerial bases of power to produce other organizational outcomes (e.g., job satisfaction, organizational commitment) are questions that sales researchers may wish to pursue via further study.

Practical implications: For practicing sales managers, the research study can provide guidance as to how they may tailor their use of power to best impact salesperson performance. For a manager to understand the motivational makeup of each salesperson, open communication and dialogue must occur at the onset of their relationship. Having the knowledge of what drives each salesperson, a manager can modify their leadership style (and choice of power base) to suit the situation. Customizing these sales management approaches may also have long-term benefits for the organization as studies show that doing so can lead to reduced levels of turnover as well as increased levels of performance.

Contribution of the article: This study is important to sales research, theory, and practice. The authors contribute to the selling and sales management literature by extending motivation and social power theories into the sales domain by showing that managerial power may be a key moderating determinant between a salesperson’s motivation and his/her sales performance. For practicing sales managers, we provide some insight and guidance for understanding how to throttle or moderate their use of various social power bases when dealing with individual salespeople who may differ in their motivation orientation, age, and degree of selling experience.     

Customer‐oriented selling: Exploring the roles of emotional intelligence and organizational commitment

Professional salespeople are often placed in situations where role conflict and ambiguity are prevalent. They are generally expected to sell a firm's products and services to generate immediate profits, while simultaneously building customer satisfaction and promoting lifetime customers and the long‐term economic viability of the firm. The concept of customer‐oriented selling illustrates the conflict, as salespeople are required to forgo immediate benefits in lieu of long‐term rewards. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships existing between customer‐oriented selling, emotional intelligence, and organizational commitment. The results indicate that a salesperson's customer orientation level is significantly related to emotional intelligence. Implications of the findings indicate that managers should consider using emotional intelligence as a selection and human‐resource development tool, as improvements in emotional intelligence are correlated with greater levels of customer orientation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Boundary Spanners' Satisfaction with Organizational Support Services

SUMMARY

Internal services (i.e., support services) are an important form of organizational support for external boundary spanners (e.g., salespeople, customer service representatives). Internal services such as information systems, market research, training, accounting, and facilities support are intended to allow boundary spanners to better serve the firm's customer. Little research, however, has addressed factors that influence a boundary spanner's satisfaction with such services. The research presented here offers insight into how internal communication by both managers and service providers impacts a boundary spanner's satisfaction with support services. Results indicate that service provider and manager communications are largely complementary and that satisfaction with service outcomes, rather than service quality, appears to have an enduring impact upon a boundary spanner's overall job satisfaction. Implications for future research are addressed.     

Ad Element Liking and Its Relationship to Overall Ad Liking

Abstract

This study explored differences in affective response content across three cultures and the role of these responses in predicting overall advertising liking. Based on a field survey, subjects from England, Norway and Spain evaluated cosmetic ads on a series of liking scales. Ad content was coded into elements reflecting product- or ad-related affect based on existing theory on ad evaluation criteria and on the theory of central and peripheral routes to persuasion. This study revealed that it might be difficult to achieve sameness in likeability even for international brands and beauty types. However, quite consistently across cultures, the findings suggest that the same affective processes along a peripheral route influence overall liking across cultures. Implications are drawn for future practice and research.     

Motivating industrial salesforce with sales control systems: An interactive perspective

This research examines the interactive effects on industrial salespeople's intrinsic and extrinsic (I/E) motivation of outcome control, activity control, and capability control above and beyond their main effects. I/E motivation are disaggregated into their cognitive and affective dimensions. Moderated regressions using a sample of industrial salespeople find that (1) outcome control and capability control have positive interactive effects on task enjoyment and recognition seeking, (2) outcome control and activity control have a positive interactive effect on compensation seeking but a negative interactive effect on task enjoyment, and (3) activity control and capability control have a negative interactive effect on recognition seeking. Moreover, we find that compensation seeking has a stronger positive effect on sales performance when salespeople deal with more new customers whereas the opposite is true for challenge seeking; compensation seeking appears to elevate job satisfaction only when there is a lower percentage of new customers but the positive effect of recognition seeking on job satisfaction is enhanced when salespeople handle a higher number of new accounts. These findings offer important theoretical and managerial implications by providing compelling evidence that sales control interactive effects should be considered when studying relationships among sales control systems, salesperson motivation, and job outcomes.     

Attitudinal Correlates of Brand Commitment

Abstract

Although brand commitment has been a recurrent theme in loyalty research, the construct is not well understood with regard to its formation and its links to other key attitudinal variables. Integrating consumer research and relationship marketing theory, this paper suggests two routes to the development of affective commitment and proposes a model of brand commitment with satisfaction, trust, and brand-person fit as antecedents and exclusive purchase intention as an outcome. The model was tested across three product categories and received substantial empirical support. Implications, limitations and future research directions are discussed.     

An Emotion-Based Model of Salesperson Ethical Behaviors

Academic research studies examining the ethical attitudes and behaviors of salespeople have produced several frameworks that explore the ethical decision-making processes to which salespeople adhere when faced with ethical dilemmas. Past literature enriches our understanding; however, a critical review of the relevant literature suggests that an emotional route to salesperson ethical decision-making has yet to be explored. Given the fact that individuals?? emotional capacities play an important role in decision-making when faced with an ethical dilemma, there is a need for empirical research in this area. We address this issue by outlining and testing an emotion-based model to study the ethical attitudes and behaviors of salespeople in a relational selling context. Building on the cognitive-affective model proposed by Gaudine and Thorne (J Bus Ethics 31:175?C187, 2001), we outline a framework that incorporates higher order prosocial emotions: capacity for concern and capacity for guilt. We include salesperson??s role clarity within the organization as a moderator to examine person?Csituation interaction.     

The Interplay of Emotion Regulation and Sales Experience in Salesperson Conflicts: Evidence from an Emerging Economy

ABSTRACT

It is human nature that personal interactions are often charged with emotions and laden with conflicts. Workplace encounters are not immune from this reality. Despite this, few studies have examined ways to reduce interpersonal conflict in the workplace. This study examines the interpersonal impact of emotion regulation on salesperson relationships with stakeholders. Using structural equation modeling, results of the analysis showed that salesperson's regulation of emotions was negatively related to interpersonal conflict with co-workers as well as with customers; and positively impacted customer-oriented sales behaviors. The results also support the moderating role of selling experience in the relationship between emotion regulation and interpersonal conflict with customers. That is, the negative relationship between regulation and conflict with customers is stronger for salespeople with lower sales experience. These findings put forward important managerial implications with regard to the recruitment and training of sales professionals.     

Impression Management Tactics and Performance Ratings: A Moderated-Mediation Framework

Purpose: The objective of this study is to contribute to the sales management literature by analyzing whether self-monitoring dimensions (the ability to adjust the presentation of one’s self and the sensitivity to the expressive behaviors of others) play a moderating role in the use of impression management—supervisor liking—performance rating nomological network.

Methodology/approach: Empirical analysis is based on dyadic data from 122 industrial salespeople and their sales managers in 9 different industries. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze the psychometric proprieties of the measurement scales, and conditional process analysis was used to test the proposed hypotheses.

Research implications: The results obtained indicate that the use of supervisor-focused impression management tactics is an indirect antecedent of a salesperson’s performance rating through sales manager liking, but not the self-focused tactics. Results also show that a self-monitoring dimension i.e., the ability to adjust the presentation of one’s self, moderates the “impression management—supervisor liking—performance rating” chain. These results provide an increased understanding of the processes involved in sales managers—salespeople’s interactions.

Practical implications: The main implication for salespeople is that the use of impression management tactics to influence performance ratings only is effective when they use supervisor-focused tactics because attempts to influence via self-focused tactics will not have any effect. The most important implication for sales managers’ is that not all impression management tactics are successfully executed and that the identification of combinations of impression management tactics and the levels of salespeople’s self-monitoring can positively influence performance appraisals by generating evaluative biases. Given that evaluative biases can produce inequitable behaviors by sales managers in the task assignments and support provided to the salespeople, it is important that sales managers are aware of when they can occur (i.e., when salespeople with a moderate ability to adjust their self-presentation use supervisor-focused tactics).

Originality/value/contribution of the article: This article contributes to the existing knowledge by two important means. First, this study proposes a model and presents an empirical test of constructs that mediate (i.e., supervisor liking) and moderate (i.e., self-monitoring dimensions) the “use of impression management tactics—sales manager liking—performance appraisal” relation. This model responds to calls for studies that analyze how impression management tactics are related to performance appraisal and when the relation between the use of these tactics and performance rating occurs. Two, this study uses data from both salespeople and their sales managers, which minimizes any risk of common method variance bias.