Strategic and organisational determinants of sophistication in deployed sales force automation systems within three industry sectors in the UK

Abstract

This paper investigates strategic and organisational context determinants of the sophistication of adopted sales force automation (SFA) systems in three UK industries: financial services, pharmaceuticals, and building/construction. Sophistication of adopted systems is associated with the organisation placing greater emphasis on information orientation, which is itself driven by an increased integration of IT and sales coupled with increased organisational slack. Increased integration of IT and sales is itself driven by increased strategic importance of sales coupled with increased use of internal communication networks. Importantly, a firm's marketing orientation, although also driven by the strategic importance of sales, has no impact on either information orientation or SFA sophistication. We discuss the implications of our findings to aid understanding of SFA implementation failure.     

推销人员道德失范的影响因素及对策分析

改革开放30年以来，我国市场经济逐步发展，然而社会转型和经济转轨使得社会的道德状况面临严峻考验，道德建设的新问题和新要求使得社会应充分关注站在市场前沿的推销人员。针对影响推销人员道德状况的因素进行归纳分析，提出了改善推销道德状况的对策，以期补充推销人员道德建设的研究和应用。     

Examining the Relationship Marketing,Marketing Productivity Paradigm

Abstract

The authors examine the relationship marketing research literature and identify three schools of thought regarding relationship marketing. The Inter-organizational, customer relationship, and customer valuation research perspectives are described and representative studies are discussed. The predominant conceptual approaches to marketing productivity in the research literature are identified and described. The shareholder value model of Srivastava, Shervani, and Fahey (1998) is selected as the most useful conceptual framework linking relationship marketing and marketing productivity. The linking constructs of customer equity and brand equity are identified as the critical conceptual connections between relationship marketing and marketing productivity. A research agenda is suggested, covering both conceptual and operational issues for further development of both relationship marketing and marketing productivity.     

Social Influence and Contextual Utilization of Customer Relationship Management Technology in an International Field Sales Organization

Building from related interdisciplinary theories, this research identifies social influence–related variables that are linked to customer relationship management (CRM) technology utilization within an international business-to-business field sales force. Field sales employees (n = 147) in a multinational organization from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States were surveyed to test the research model. Four of 7 primary hypotheses were supported, predicting more than 65% of the variance in the research model. Effort expectancy, uncertainty avoidance, collective performance expectancy, and internal/organizational social influence all showed antecedent significance to contextual utilization of CRM technology. The results of this study suggest that group-oriented individual decision making and the related concept of institutional collectivism are equally as important as individual-oriented decision making in the international utilization of organizational technology. Based on the strong significance shown in the results of this study, it would also be wise to consider cultural value–derived uncertainty avoidance in practical development of training and implementation of multinational CRM systems.     

Investigating the Moderating Effects of Perceived Technological Change on Sales Force Acceptance

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Prior literature has shown that the acceptance of new technologies can improve the long-term performance of sales forces and firms. However, new technologies are likely to introduce obstacles to acceptance, especially for those technologies that represent a massive change for the user. Sales force members who drastically change their work processes in order to integrate a technology sacrifice both time and effort and may be distracted from their primary goals (e.g. hitting deadlines or sales goals). Thus, we investigate how perceived technological change can negatively moderate individual motives to accept a new technology. Furthermore, we analyze how managerial support can help overcome the acceptance issues caused by perceived technological change.

Methodology/approach: Data for this study was collected from 163 sales force members via an online survey. Respondent data was collected using a private market research firm that provides access to online panels. We utilize structural equation modeling for factor analysis and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression for testing the hypotheses.

Findings: We find that perceived technological change negatively moderates the influence of individual goal orientation on to acceptance of new technology. We also find that managerial support, as opposed to team goal commitment, will positively moderate an individual’s goal orientation onto acceptance of new technology. This suggests that managerial support is necessary in order to encourage acceptance of technologies that present drastic change for the end user. Post-hoc analysis takes a deeper look into potential curvilinear effects, a three-way interaction, and differences among categories of technologies. This analysis reveals that the negative influence of perceived technological change specifically affects the acceptance of behavioral-based technologies, as opposed to outcome-based technologies, thus necessitating the moderating influence of managerial support.

Contribution: This study demonstrates the acceptance issues presented by technologies associated with drastic perceived technological change. This article identifies and suggests how to more appropriately enhance acceptance of technologies that introduce drastic changes by sales force employees, thus enhancing potential long-term organizational performance.     

销售标准化的创建执行及对销售绩效的影响

通过描述与分析销售标准化对销售绩效的影响,认为企业实施销售标准化有利于提高销售绩效;产品、顾客群体及销售渠道影响销售标准化的创建;销售人员的选拔、培训与考核及销售管理与控制体系影响销售标准化的执行,销售标准化、销售人员选拔培训与考核及销售管理与控制体系综合影响销售绩效;企业应根据所处的发展阶段及市场环境的变化,不断调整销售标准化的流程与构成要素,实现销售流程再造,实施新的销售标准化。     

Preliminary Investigation of Entertainment Strategies Involving Alcohol: Implications for Professional Sales Education and Training in Business Markets

Purpose: With increased numbers of business to business (B to B) firms hiring professional sales students, it is important that both sales educators and sales managers understand entertainment’s influence and its potential consequences in the professional sales environment. This study examines the perceived role entertainment plays in today’s sales process and the importance of integrating entertainment topics into sales education and sales training. The purpose of this study is to update the sales entertainment literature, record its current importance in the age of sales systemization, and propose entertainment strategies and guidelines that can be shared in both corporate sales training programs and university professional sales curricula.

Methodology/approach: Partial least squares (PLS) methodology (SmartPLS 2.0) was used to examine the model and assess the relationships between the constructs and their indicators. Data was first gathered via online and in person surveys distributed to a total of 59 sales executives. To determine whether there were significant differences between path coefficients, PLS multi-group analysis was used (PLS-MGA) to compare sales practitioners’ response to sale educators and sales students. This method was used because conducting pair-wise group comparisons can result in family-wise error.

Findings: Results indicate significant positive relationships exist between entertainment orientation, internal bonding activities, and sales performance. The results confirm the path coefficients for the 3 groups, sales practitioners, sales educators, and sales students, did not differ significantly. Therefore, all groups rated external entertainment as being important to achieve sales performance and internally for bonding with co-workers.

Originality/value/contribution: The responses of B to B sales professionals, sales educators, and sales students are compared regarding their perception of entertainment in developing and managing sales relationships. Based upon the findings, sales professionals are provided with insight about the perceived role entertainment plays

in today’s selling environment and offered recommendations for collegiate classrooms and corporate on-boarding sessions that improve the knowledge of and ability to successfully manage entertainment of internal and external customers.     

创意的网络广告给促销带来的影响

世界已经进入信息时代,以国际互联网络为基础的信息技术正在改变着我们的生活方式、工作方式和商务方式。从万维网到电子邮件,正逐渐成为广告媒体用以接触消费者,向消费者传递信息的强有力的工具。互联网络的前景正在以前所未有的速度在全球范围内普及开来。在适当的时间向人们传递适当的广告,能给商家带来不可预测的促销影响,能产生更大的经济效益。     

Building Bridges: The Company-Customer Relationship

ABSTRACT

With increasing emphasis on relationship selling, a bond is often formed between the salesperson and each customer. When a salesperson leaves to work for a competitor, customers may follow. Small companies are particularly vulnerable since they lack the resources necessary for many sales force retention strategies. The suggestion is made that such companies can implement “bridging strategies,” company-level relationship strategies designed to supplement the relationship between the sales rep and the customer, with the distinct objective of retaining customers following salesperson defection. Using the three levels of relationship marketing described by Berry and Parasuraman (1991), specific bridging strategies are identified and analyzed. The pharmaceutical industry is discussed as an example.     

Learning-Oriented Sales Management Control: The Case of a Pharmaceutical Company

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The primary goal was to identify organizational conditions for developing a learning-oriented behavioral control system, an issue that has been neglected in previous studies.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The authors conducted a case study of Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim (NBI).

Findings: We found that a behavior-based sales management control system facilitates learning by salespersons when 1) the focus is on skill development, 2) fewer key performance indicators are being used, and 3) supportive supervision and knowledge sharing are promoted.

Research Limitations: Because this was a single case study, it is necessary to investigate other cases in other countries and to compare the results with those of NBI to develop theories about learning-oriented behavior control systems.

Practical Implications: In the early stages of sales reform, sales managers and medical representatives should not use multiple process indicators for multiple evaluations; rather, they should use a small number of process indicators (e.g., number of visits per day) so that all individuals concerned about a problem can share information and promote improvement.     

正式控制对销售绩效的影响机制研究--一个被中介的调节作用模型

基于目标设定理论,构建了一个被中介的调节作用模型,探讨正式控制(包括结果控制和行为控制)对销售人员绩效的影响。实证结果表明：结果控制、行为控制分别与销售绩效显著正相关;结果控制与行为控制对销售绩效有交互的影响效应,结果控制与行为控制较强时,销售绩效更高;销售人员的顾客导向行为对上述交互效应与销售绩效的关系起部分中介作用。本研究的结论说明销售管理者需要通过结果控制为下属设置目标,配合使用行为控制提供反馈,从而激发销售人员迎合顾客需求的销售行为,提升其销售绩效。     

Meta-Analysis of the Long- and Short-Term Effects of Sales Promotions on Consumer Behavior

ABSTRACT

This article presents a meta-analysis aiming to assess the short- and long-term effects of sales promotions on consumer behavior. We found 221 studies addressing this relationship. Our final sample provided 139 observations. First, the results revealed a significant relationship between sales promotion and both purchase intentions and sales volume. Second, we identified significant and positive connections with brand loyalty, perceptions of quality, consumer attitudes, and switching costs for consumers. Third, we noted that the sample type, the number of promoted products and sample size partially moderated the relationship between sales promotion and short/long-term effects.     

The Myth of the Salesperson: Intended and Unintended Consequences of Product-Specific Sales Incentives

Product-specific sales incentives (PSIs), or "spiffs," have instigated conflict in business and sales for more than fifty years. PSIs are exactly what they sound like: incentives offered by manufacturers to salespeople to encourage them to promote certain products above those of competitors. PSIs have provoked considerable controversy. They are sometimes likened to "bribes," in that their purpose is to motivate salespeople to offer advice that might contradict what they would otherwise recommend. If a salesperson's job is to sell an array of products, how is it equitable for him or her to receive additional compensation for selling certain products above others? In addition, how are we to justify the bias that the presence of PSIs introduces into the selling process. There is concern that this causes negative consequences for stakeholders, including manufacturers, retailers, salespeople, and, of course, customers. How does this affect the competitive process?The research conducted explores the reaction to PSIs by people of different ages. It reveals a correlation between age, education, and reaction to PSIs. The findings correspond with the Josephson Institute of Ethics report, which found that younger adults tend to exhibit higher tolerance for unethical behavior. Examination of PSIs, like other sales incentives, reveals intentional and unintentional consequences to a wide array of stakeholders. The research indicates that there is value inherent in considering both the propriety and manner of implementation of sales incentives, such as PSIs.     

A Comparison of Physicians' and Attorneys' Attitudes Toward Advertising

No abstract available for this article.     

Allocating a Promotion Budget between Advertising and Sales Contest Prizes: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective

This paper develops and analyzes a normative model for allocating a fixed, short-term promotion budget between product advertising and prizes of a rank-order sales contest for a homogeneous sales force when sales are driven by both personal selling effort and advertising. The model provides insights into how the optimal budget allocations vary with the synergy between advertising and selling effort, sales force size, salesperson risk-tolerance, perceived cost of effort, selling effectiveness and sales response uncertainty. The analysis highlights the need for and value of close coordination between marketing and sales management in designing a promotion program involving both advertising and sales force incentives.     

The Transition from Product to Solution Selling: The Role and Organization of Employees Engaged in Current Business

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This research investigates how to manage and organize existing employees when launching a solution sales strategy, specifically addressing whether it is possible to migrate existing sales representatives active in product sales to solution sales, and whether it is possible to combine the roles.

Methodology/approach: A case-based approach was applied to a multinational firm, engaged in business-to-business sales that simultaneously launched a solution sales strategy in 17 countries. In-depth interviews with 29 managers and sales representatives were performed to inductively identify why some countries succeeded in the launch, while others did not.

Findings: Because of fundamental differences in approach between solution and product sales, those countries where the solutions and product businesses were separated performed better. The difference in required capabilities and mindset meant that migrating sales representatives from product to solution sales is problematic.

Research implications: This research offers evidence of differences in mindset and approach between different marketing and sales strategies, extending the conclusions to how these differences affect the possibility of migrating existing sales representatives when launching a new selling strategy. Whether to separate service and product sales has been debated. The present results indicate that separating the current product business from the new solution business facilitates the successful implementation of the new strategy. In the case company, the solutions represent a mixture of product and services, suggesting that the problem is not the difference between products and services, but rather different selling strategies and approaches that require different capabilities.

Practical implications: When launching a solution sales strategy, the solution business should be separated from the current product business at both the organizational and personnel levels. Solution sales necessitates a particular approach and capabilities, making it unadvisable to transfer sales representatives and managers to the new solution business based solely on previous product sales success. Instead, a new skill profile must be developed taking account of the requirements of a demand-driven solution strategy.

Originality/value/contribution: Consensus is lacking as to whether to separate product and service businesses. This article extends the debate to the field of solution

sales, demonstrating that separation is needed to succeed in launching a solution sales strategy. Furthermore, this research extends our knowledge of the difference in approaches between different selling strategies, covering the possibility of successfully migrating existing sales representatives to a different selling strategy.     

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。     

Revisiting Gender Role Stereotyping in the Sales Profession

This paper revisits the issue of gender stereotypes in sales professions given new views of what makes for effective sales performance and sales management. Women's continued disadvantaged position in the sales profession is documented, and the role of gender role stereotypes in sustaining this situation in the profession is examined. The paper then turns to the newly emerging, ostensibly "pro-female", view of sales. This emphasises the importance of building and sustaining relationships – qualities that women have traditionally been stereotyped as "good" at. Despite the positive emphasis accorded to women's skills in this new sales landscape, the ethical problems which arise from constructing this debate around the issue of gender are explored. In particular, the extent to which the view of women as "good at relationships" constitutes a stereotype is examined, and the value of this stereotype for redressing women's disadvantaged position from the perspectives of justice and utility is set out. In the final part of the paper we look at potential avenues for future theory and research which may help bring into focus a new view of gender role stereotypes in sales.     

Non-Price Sales Promotion Impact and Moderator Role

Despite the importance of non-price sales promotions in new-product introductions, little is known about the impact of their characteristics in different time periods and the role of moderating variables. This study examines the effects of different levels of promotion desirability and relatedness in promotion time periods and post-promotion time periods. It also examines the effects of the need for cognition variable as a possible moderator. Research results, from a between- and within-subjects experimental design, add value to the literature by providing new insights for designing promotion programs and building brands. Implications are discussed and ideas for future research are given.