Antecedents of adaptive selling among retail salespeople: A multilevel analysis

Simintiras, Antonis C.; Ifie, Kemefasu; Watkins, Alan; Georgakas, Konstatinos

doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2013.04.004

Cited by 37 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…On the contrary, salespersons who aim to sell to buyers who operate in a non-service-based business sector -such as the food or construction industry -may gain by avoiding the use of offensive humor that can prove detrimental for relationship quality. These recommendations on the need for salespersons to consider the business sector when deciding whether to avoid offensive humor are in line with previous research on adaptive selling (McFarland et al, 2006;Simintiras et al, 2013), suggesting that salespersons are aware of the need to use different selling approaches for successful selling.…”

Section: Managerial Implicationssupporting

confidence: 79%

The effects of humor usage by salespersons: the roles of humor type and business sector

Bompar

Lunardo

Saintives³

2018

JBIM

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Purpose While humor is known to help relational outcomes, its usefulness for sellers to build strong relationships with their business partners and achieve performance remain unknown. Specifically, humor styles (constructive versus offensive) and business sectors (service-based versus other) may play an important role. To fill this gap in extant marketing literature, this study aims to test the effects of humor styles among salespersons of different business sectors on relationship quality and business performance. Design/methodology/approach This research paper derives hypotheses from prior studies referring to humor effects in psychology and management, business-to-business and relationship marketing literature. The hypotheses are tested using a sample of 175 salespersons operating across different business sectors. Findings While constructive humor is shown to have positive effects on relationship quality and business performance regardless of business sectors, a different pattern is found for offensive humor. Specifically, the results show that business sector moderates the effects of this type of humor, which has negative effects on relationship quality and business performance, but only when used by salespersons in non-service-based business sectors. Research limitations/implications The limitations of the research concern the cultural context. The lack of responses from salespersons from different countries may be considered as a direction for future studies exploring connections between humor usage and culture in business-to-business marketing. Practical implications This study brings strategic insights into how to use humor in a business-to-business context. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, no previous study has thus far examined the proposed set of inter-related research constructs.

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Section: Managerial Implicationssupporting

confidence: 79%

The effects of humor usage by salespersons: the roles of humor type and business sector

Bompar

Lunardo

Saintives³

2018

JBIM

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“…The influence of AS skills on sales performance is well established in the literature; however, most research on the topic centers upon industrial/business environments. Few studies have focused on the salesperson's AS skills in the retail context (Simintiras et al, 2013). Though the multichannel literature has largely neglected the role of the salesperson with scarce studies found to examine the salesperson's role when selling to the MCC (Rippé et al, 2015), the above analysis substantiates the statistical significance of AS in the multichannel environment (H4).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Specifically, the salesperson can alter the quantity, frequency, substance or timing of information shared with a customer (Eckert, 2006). Effective use of AS is highly dependent upon the salesperson's selling skills and affective commitment to the selling situation (Simintiras et al, 2013). AS can also manifest when the seller changes social style, tactics, selling strategy, verbal communication and/or physical appearance based upon the salesperson's discernment of which type of approach will best motivate a consumer to purchase (Giacobbe et al, 2006).…”

Section: Adaptive Sellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guiding when the consumer is in control: the moderating effect of adaptive selling on the purchase intention of the multichannel consumer

Rippé

Weisfeld‐Spolter

Yurova

et al. 2016

JCM

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of adaptive selling (AS) when “click and brick” in control multichannel consumers (MCCs) encounter in-store salespeople. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was administered to 387 college students from several southeastern colleges in the USA. The study consisted of a single manipulated factor (AS: high vs low) and a second measured factor (degree of MCC search: high vs low). Covariance-based structural equation modeling was selected and analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS AMOS 22.0.0.0. Findings The findings indicate that while perceptions of control in the retail store increase as customers engage in more multichannel search behavior, the path from perceived control (PC) to purchase intention (PI) is also positively affected by AS as multichannel search increases. Practical implications To increase in-store purchases by consumers using the physical location as an information channel, professional sales training, specifically AS skills, should be considered by retail managers for in-store sales personnel. Our findings suggest that salespeople can use AS skills to increase the likelihood of the MCCs’ in-store PI while not reducing their feelings of PC. Originality/value In a time where many marketers struggle with how to combine multichannel retailing efforts effectively, this research confirms that new channels create MCCs who desire control. AS shows promise as a technique for retailers to use when selling to a consumer who values control.

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“…Giacobbe et al (2006) showed that both the ability to monitor the selling situation and the ability to modify self-behaviors and strategies were related to the intention to practice adaptive selling in non-structured selling settings. Simintiras et al (2013) found that selling skills have a positive impact on the practice of adaptive selling, whereas Singh et al (2017) showed that self-efficacy was a meaningful predictor of ASB. These results complement research that has found ASB to be positively related to androgyny, empathy, self-monitoring, and thought self-leadership strategies (Alnakhli et al, 2020;Eppler et al, 1998;Limbu et al, 2016;Spiro and Weitz, 1990).…”

Section: Adaptive Selling Behavior and Its Antecedentsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Are your international salespeople culturally intelligent? The influence of cultural intelligence on adaptive selling behavior with B2B customers

Kimber

Guesalaga

Dickmann

2021

JBIM

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Purpose This study aims to investigate cultural intelligence (CQ) as an antecedent of adaptive selling behavior (ASB) and cultural distance and intrinsic motivation as moderators in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach This research builds on a survey to 310 US-based international sales executives (ISE) and multiple regression analysis to test the hypotheses. Findings The results show that CQ has a significant positive relationship with ASB, both as an aggregate construct and through its metacognitive, motivational and behavioral facets. Also, intrinsic motivation moderates such relationship, whereas cultural distance does not. Research limitations/implications The study includes only a sample of US-based international salespeople in the B2B context, which limits the generalizability of the findings to salespeople from other countries or other contexts. Practical implications The findings of this research suggest that supplier companies involved in international selling should consider the cultural intelligence of their salespeople for selection, training and coaching. Originality/value This study makes an important contribution to the literature on both ASB and CQ by expanding the knowledge on how to manage international salespeople effectively, considering the conditions under which CQ effects are expected and how these vary in this context.

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Antecedents of adaptive selling among retail salespeople: A multilevel analysis

Cited by 37 publications

References 66 publications

The effects of humor usage by salespersons: the roles of humor type and business sector

The effects of humor usage by salespersons: the roles of humor type and business sector

Guiding when the consumer is in control: the moderating effect of adaptive selling on the purchase intention of the multichannel consumer

Are your international salespeople culturally intelligent? The influence of cultural intelligence on adaptive selling behavior with B2B customers

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