{"title":"Adaptive selling in business-to-business markets: Contextual boundary of a selling strategy from retailing","authors":"W. Cron, S. Alavi, Johannes Habel","doi":"10.1080/08853134.2022.2113092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2022.2113092","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract A recent study of a selling strategy adapted by some retail salespeople recommended that salespeople should expeditiously disengage from a customer interaction when they believe that a customer with whom they are interacting is unlikely to make a purchase (Cron et al. 2021). The question addressed in this study is whether this sales strategy is similarly effective for salespeople in a B2B context. The B2B context for this study is a low purchasing complexity environment where the majority of sales revenue stems from customers’ reordering current supplies and equipment. Similar to the outcomes observed in a retail environment, the results suggest that B2B salespeople’s use of an NC2 strategy (short for No Conversion, No Conversation) increases sales revenues if salespeople work in an environment characterized by time scarcity and if they are relationship building oriented. Critically, if B2B salespeople apply the NC2 sales strategy with a low relationship building orientation, results show detrimental effects of the strategy over time. This potentially harmful effect did not emerge in retail settings. Moreover, unlike the results in a retail setting the effectiveness of the NC2 sales strategy does not depend on salespeople’s experience. For practitioners in B2B settings these findings are meaningful and actionable.","PeriodicalId":47537,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47550373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Riley G. Dugan, Nawar N. Chaker, Edward L. Nowlin, Dawn Deeter-Schmelz, Deva Rangarajan, Raj Agnihotri, Omar S. Itani
{"title":"Preparing for, withstanding, and learning from sales crises: Implications and a future research agenda","authors":"Riley G. Dugan, Nawar N. Chaker, Edward L. Nowlin, Dawn Deeter-Schmelz, Deva Rangarajan, Raj Agnihotri, Omar S. Itani","doi":"10.1080/08853134.2022.2108821","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2022.2108821","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The response from many firms to the recent COVID-19 crisis underscores a more fundamental and overarching question: How should salespeople and their firms prepare for and respond to sales crises more generally? In response, a group of sales scholars recently convened at the American Marketing Association’s Winter Conference to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing salespeople and their firms before, during, and after a sales crisis. Thus, based on this session and subsequent follow-up discussions, this paper develops a framework detailing how the sales function should prepare for, withstand, and learn from a sales crisis. In so doing, we argue that sales crises can originate internally and externally to an organization and can impact the entire sales organization, the sales manager, and/or individual salespeople. Moreover, viewing a sales crisis simply as a turning point rather than a devastating event, we highlight the implications for salespeople and their managers who must inevitably deal with sales crises and the changes involved. Finally, we conclude with potential future directions for sales scholars interested in exploring the impact of crises on the sales function, as the next sales crisis is likely just around the corner.","PeriodicalId":47537,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48586001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brian N. Rutherford, Scott C. Ambrose, B. Waguespack
{"title":"Burned out on the road: Burnout’s impact on job satisfaction among road warriors","authors":"Brian N. Rutherford, Scott C. Ambrose, B. Waguespack","doi":"10.1080/08853134.2022.2113091","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2022.2113091","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study examines relationships between the dimensions of burnout and aspects of job satisfaction among road warrior salespeople. Considering the heavy costs associated with replacing these high value salespeople, greater understanding of burnout and job satisfaction among road warrior salespeople is important for both researchers and practitioners alike. The study first examines travel and hotel nights to refine the road warrior definition for salespeople. Next, the study investigates relationships between the burnout dimensions (personal accomplishment, depersonalization, and emotional exhaustion) and four job satisfaction dimensions (policy, pay, supervision, and customer). Findings indicate that emotional exhaustion directly affects satisfaction with policy, thus highlighting the importance and impact of emotional exhaustion on the initial dimension of the job satisfaction model. Then, indirect relationships between burnout dimensions (personal accomplishment and depersonalization) and job satisfaction are examined. Fourth, the study further examines the importance of satisfaction with policy in relation to three of the job satisfaction dimensions (pay, supervision, and customers).","PeriodicalId":47537,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45900446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Relationship conflict in stores: a longitudinal study of intra-store conflict on salespeople’s helping, customer-oriented behavior, and customer purchase behavior","authors":"Michel Tremblay","doi":"10.1080/08853134.2022.2116334","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2022.2116334","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Although the service-profit chain model has been studied widely, little is known about the processes and conditions of store-level relationship conflict to an increase or decrease in customer purchase behavior. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the cumulative effects of relationship conflict on changes in unit-level helping, the effect of salespeople’s helping behavior on customer-oriented behavior (COB), and the subsequent impact on changes in customer purchase. To test these relationships, data points were collected from 1,523 salespeople observations and 13,005 customers across 116 pooled stores assessed in six waves over more than 6 years. The findings revealed that stores with a long history of low relationship conflict consistently displayed high helping behavior. Results show that helping growth depends on the degree of conflict intensity and asymmetry; the intensity of relationship conflict led to an increase in helping behavior when conflict asymmetry is high and to a decrease of such behaviors when conflict asymmetry is low. Results also showed that store-level helping behavior had a positive effect on COB, which in turn had a cumulative positive effect on changes in customer purchase behavior.","PeriodicalId":47537,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49351702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the drivers of B2B end user engagement","authors":"Amy Greiner Fehl, Valerie Good, Todd J. Arnold","doi":"10.1080/08853134.2022.2120488","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2022.2120488","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract While engagement has enjoyed an abundance of academic and practitioner attention recently, few studies have examined engagement from the perspective of end users utilizing products and brands at work. In acknowledgement of the important role end users play in B2B sales and service ecosystems, the current study applies both social exchange and social identity theories to illuminate the process through which B2B end user engagement develops. By using scenarios with random assignment – an under-utilized approach in sales research – our results suggest that the perceived interactivity of supplier firm activities moderates the relationship between cognitive engagement and behaviors such that it nudges end users toward proactively advocating for the supplier firm brand. Moreover, the supplier firm activity is even more effective when a salesperson personally introduces the initiative to end users. Hence, with intentional and interactive connection, salespeople can influence end user engagement behaviors and add value to the sales process, a key insight for supplier firms. Finally, we explore two key drivers of end user engagement: end user work identity and need to belong. A better understanding of how and why end user engagement and subsequent behaviors develop will help salespeople connect more effectively with end users and ultimately drive more sales. These contributions meaningfully increase our understanding regarding contextual influences of end user engagement within the B2B sales arena.","PeriodicalId":47537,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41483244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vishag A. Badrinarayanan, Sreedhar Madhavaram, K. T. Manis
{"title":"Technology-enabled sales capability: A capabilities-based contingency framework","authors":"Vishag A. Badrinarayanan, Sreedhar Madhavaram, K. T. Manis","doi":"10.1080/08853134.2022.2108823","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2022.2108823","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract As organizations emerge from the disruptions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is becoming evident that the sales function has shifted irrevocably toward increased reliance on technological resources to facilitate inherent processes and activities. Integrating research from the dynamic capabilities and sales capabilities literature, this study examines why some organizations are more adept than others at harnessing and leveraging emergent technological resources to enhance sales operations. Specifically, we develop and test a theoretical framework of the antecedents and consequences of technology-enabled sales capability, a firm-level operational capability that captures the embeddedness of technology in sales processes and activities. The framework proposes that three firm-level dynamic capabilities—technology-sensing capability, vigilant market learning capability, and adaptive sales capability—are positively related to technology-enabled sales capability, which in turn is positively related to financial performance and customer relationship performance. The framework also explores the moderating effects of top management technology advocacy and two environmental variables—technological and market turbulence—on the development and deployment of technology-enabled sales capability. Based on findings from data gathered from 224 business-to-business sales managers, we extend theoretical and managerial contributions and provide directions for future research.","PeriodicalId":47537,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2022-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49019033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Heiko Fischer, Sven Seidenstricker, J. Poeppelbuss
{"title":"The triggers and consequences of digital sales: a systematic literature review","authors":"Heiko Fischer, Sven Seidenstricker, J. Poeppelbuss","doi":"10.1080/08853134.2022.2102029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2022.2102029","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The megatrend of digitalization has the potential to fundamentally change sales practices. This is because digital technologies impact the entire sales organization and can significantly support the daily work of salespeople or even replace human salespeople. Despite the growing interest in digital sales in practice and academia, the phenomenon remains little understood. Therefore, this article looks at (1) the triggers of digital transformation in sales and (2) how the digital transformation in sales affects the sales environment and the role of the sales function in firms, before presenting (3) unanswered research questions on digital sales. Our literature review provides an overview of the current body of knowledge on digital sales and reveals that technology is not entirely replacing human salespeople. Indeed, whilst the customer-sales relationship (information, communication, and interaction) is changing, the future of sales is likely to be a mixture of digital and non-digital channels. The literature review also reveals that the keys to competitive advantage are analyzing customer needs, applying technologies to meet the new relationship requirements, making data-driven decisions, and changing the sales function.","PeriodicalId":47537,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2022-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42895923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transformational and transactional sales leadership during a global pandemic","authors":"S. Alavi, Pia Anna Ehlig, Johannes Habel","doi":"10.1080/08853134.2022.2101462","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2022.2101462","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Transformational (TFL) and transactional leadership (TAL) are foundational leadership styles in sales practice and have been intensively studied by past sales research. However, prior research conflicts on the effectiveness of TFL and TAL to help salespeople cope with the persisting changes of a global pandemic, such as COVID-19. Combining leadership theory with perceived uncertainty theory, we develop and test a longitudinal growth model explaining how TAL and TFL affect sales performance during the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. Using transactional and survey data of 16,275 customers and their respective salespeople during the first months of the pandemic, we show that sales performance declined and that TAL was more effective than TFL at mitigating the drop of sales performance. We ascribe this finding to salespeople’s uncertainty resulting from the persisting changes brought about by the pandemic, which requires leaders’ continuous feedback rather than a focus on long-term visions. To substantiate our findings, we conducted a second study confirming that an increase in TAL is more effective at mitigating the performance decline and that salespeople’s perceived effect uncertainty and response uncertainty moderate this effect. Our findings offer timely and valuable implications for leadership theory and practice how to manage pandemic challenges.","PeriodicalId":47537,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2022-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49110657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"STATEMENT OF RETRACTION: A Wisdom-Based Salesforce Development Model: The Role of Wisdom in Salesforce Training and Well-being","authors":"","doi":"10.1080/08853134.2022.2101290","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2022.2101290","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47537,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2022-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41950363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sales well-being: a salesperson-focused framework for individual, organizational, and societal well-being","authors":"Riley G. Dugan, V. Ubal, Maura L. Scott","doi":"10.1080/08853134.2022.2093733","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2022.2093733","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Although the topic of well-being has become an increasingly prominent topic of discussion amongst scholars and practitioners alike, it has heretofore been given scant attention in the academic sales discipline. The current research attempts to correct this notable omission by developing a vision of salesforce well-being as it pertains to the people, processes, and performance metrics associated with the sales function. We posit that the concept of well-being is of enduring importance to the many stakeholders impacted by professional sales organizations. We conclude our research by offering a series of research questions for interested scholars who, in lending insight into these questions, will advance both academic theory and provide needed insights to sales organizations who must increasingly attend to the well-being of their employees, customers, suppliers, and communities.","PeriodicalId":47537,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2022-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42377648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}