Can New Product Selling and Innovation in Sales Be Improved by Using Internal Marketing and Empowerment?

Abstract

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of internal marketing and empowerment on new product selling and sales innovativeness. The link between sales innovativeness and new product selling was examined as well. Design/Methodology/Approach-Data was collected through a questionnaire aimed at sales professionals. PLS structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the data. Findings and implications-The results show that internal marketing (IM) and empowerment positively aff ect new product selling and sales innovativeness. No link was found between sales innovativeness and new product selling. The current study highlights new relationships among diff erent constructs (e.g. internal marketing, empowerment, new product selling, and innovativeness) in the sales context. Due to the above-mentioned linkages, top management, as well as sales and new product development managers can plan internal marketing activities and empower their salesforce to achieve better new product commercialization and enhance their innovativeness. Sažetak Svrha-Cilj je rada istražiti utjecaj internog marketinga i osnaživanja na prodaju novog proizvoda i prodajnu inovativnost. Isto tako, istražuje se i veza između prodajne inovativnosti i prodaje novog proizvoda. Metodološki pristup-Podatci su prikupljeni anketnim upitnikom namijenjenim prodajnim profesionalcima. Podatci su analizirani korištenjem PLS modeliranja strukturnih jednadžbi. Rezultati i implikacije-Rezultati pokazuju da interni marketing (IM) i osnaživanje pozitivno utječu na prodaju novog proizvoda i prodajnu inovativnost. Veza između prodajne inovativnosti i prodaje novog proizvoda nije dokazana. Istraživanje upućuje na odnose među različitim konstruktima (interni marketing, osnaživanje, prodaja novog proizvoda, inovativnost) u području prodaje. Temeljem gore navedenih odnosa, vrhovni prodajni i menadžeri za razvoj novog proizvoda mogu planirati aktivnosti internog marketinga te osnažiti prodajnu silu kako bi na kraju poboljšali komercijalizaciju novog proizvoda i potaknuli svoju inovativnost.

Examining the Antecedents and Consequences of Adaptive Selling Capability: Study from Microfinance Institutions in Indonesia

“…Psychological empowerment is an intrinsic task motivation reflecting a sense of self-control and active involvement in work roles (Seibert et al, 2011). Numerous studies have revealed that empowered employees display greater work enthusiasm and job performance (Ružić & Benazić, 2018;Shruti et al, 2016). According to the self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), this study suggests that a sense of empowerment perceived by salespeople can boost positive work ability, including adaptive selling.…”

“…Psychological empowerment manifested into four cognitions: meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact (Thomas & Velthouse, 1990). Existing literature on personal selling has emphasized that a salesperson who feels empowered relates to an increase in new product selling, sales innovativeness (Ružić & Benazić, 2018), and job performance (Simintiras et al, 2013). Recent studies revealed that adaptive selling is significantly affected by how salespeople perceive their work (Rigolizzo et al, 2022).…”

“…Recent studies revealed that adaptive selling is significantly affected by how salespeople perceive their work (Rigolizzo et al, 2022). Psychological empowerment is critical in encouraging salespeople to perform positive behavior, such as adaptive selling (Ružić & Benazić, 2018). This study assumes that the dimensions of psychological empowerment, namely meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact, affect sales adaptability.…”

Stimulating Salesperson's Innovative Work Behavior: A Study of Microfinance Institutions in Indonesia

“…Studies on salesperson empowerment and innovative selling are increasing (Ružić & Benazić, 2018;Grass, Backmann, & Hoegl, 2020;Asgari & Nikokar, 2016), which indicates that empowerment has a critical role in innovation success. However, in the context of small businesses, Kmieciak et al (2012) still found inconclusive research findings.…”