Contribution of cultural intelligence to adaptive selling and customer-oriented selling of salespeople at international trade shows: does cultural similarity matter?

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to examine the contribution of cultural intelligence (CQ) to the level of adaptive selling behavior and customer-oriented selling behavior of salespeople in a cross-cultural selling context. Design/methodology/approach This study collected data from a total of 210 Thai salespeople who had been assigned to work at trade shows in Japan (n = 110) and in Vietnam (n = 100). Findings The findings show that salespeople with higher CQ tend to demonstrate a higher degree of adaptive selling behavior and customer-oriented selling behavior in both countries. The moderating effect analysis shows that the positive relationship between CQ and adaptive selling behavior is significantly higher for Thai salespeople in Japanese trade shows than in Vietnamese trade shows. Research limitations/implications This study uses cross-sectional data collection; therefore, the results have been interpreted as associations, but not causations. Practical implications The study suggests that CQ development programs could be considered as part of the training that organizations provide to salespeople to develop cross-cultural competencies to deal effectively with foreign customers. Originality/value This study provides additional evidence concerning the benefits of CQ in an occupational area that has not been previously explored. More importantly, the result regarding the positive linkage between CQ and adaptive selling behavior was significantly stronger in the country characterized by higher cultural differences. This also contributed to CQ research by showing that differences in a cultural context might also influence the benefits of CQ in relation to the outcome variables.

Sustainable innovation in the context of organizational cultural diversity: The role of cultural intelligence and knowledge sharing

“…Therefore, in culturally diverse organizations, employees' cross-cultural communication and management ability will impact innovation behaviors. Pandey et al (2019) studied the impact of CQ on employees' cross-cultural adaptation and work adjustment [51]; Hu et al (2017) studied the impact of CQ on innovation performance [52]; and Golgeci et al (2017) verified the mediating effect of CQ on the organization's ability to absorb innovation ability [53]. Studies on the factors that influence CQ show that CQ formation requires the learning of multicultural knowledge and cross-cultural experience and training [23].…”

How Chinese expatriates’ cultural intelligence promotes supervisor-subordinate Guanxi with Thai Employees: The mediating effect of expatriates’ benevolence

“…This knowledge guides them in interacting appropriately with their Thai employees and consequently building strong interpersonal relationships with them. More importantly, the ability of individuals with high CQ to make practical cross-cultural adaptations (Pandey and Charoensukmongkol, 2019) also enables Chinese expatriates with high CQ to adjust their work and non-work behaviors in a way that aligns with Thai employees’ cultural expectations.…”

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

“…In those situations, a salesperson with high CQ should better adapt to new situations, revising his/her preconceived notions, assimilating new ones, and behaving adequately (Varela and Gatlin-Watts, 2014). In countries that are culturally closer, he/she can apply strategies similar to those utilized in his/her home country and obtain good results, because it is easier to understand and anticipate customers' behaviors, making their CQ less relevant (Pandey and Charoensukmongkol, 2019). Based on this, we propose: H3: Cultural distance positively moderates the relationship between CQ and adaptive selling behavior.…”

“…So far, the literature on sales management has identified several antecedents of adaptive selling behavior (ASB) (Weitz et al, 1986), such as salespeople's demographics, experience, customer orientation, cognitive styles, motivation, empathy, traits, skills and abilities, as well as thought self-leadership strategies (Alnakhli et al, 2020;Giacobbe et al, 2006;Harindranath et al, 2019;Jaramillo et al, 2007;Levy and Sharma, 1994;Limbu et al, 2016;Park and Holloway, 2003). However, our knowledge of why some salespeople are more effective than others in adapting their sales approach in cross-cultural settings is incomplete (Charoensukmongkol, 2020;Delpechitre and Baker, 2017;Pandey and Charoensukmongkol, 2019). Cultural intelligence (CQ) (Ang and Van Dyne, 2008;Earley and Ang, 2003), defined as "an individual's capability to function and manage effectively in culturally diverse settings" (Ang and Van Dyne, 2008, p.3) may contribute to answering such question.…”