The salesperson's role clarity and task clarity in direct marketing

Abstract

Direct marketing is being used more and more often to support, rather than take the place of, salespeople in the field. However, when new techniques are not properly introduced, many salespeople reject them, either because they fear being replaced by the new methods or because they feel inadequate about their potential effectiveness in the operations launched. The present study shows how certain characteristics of the salesperson and certain organizational measures can increase the salesperson's perception of both role clarity (the part played by direct marketing in the company strategy) and task clarity (the direct marketing skills of the sales staff).