EI training and sales performance during a corporate merger

Abstract

Purpose: To examine statistically the efficacy of an emotional intelligence training program on sales performance and emotional intelligence in a group of salespeople. Design/methodology/approach: An experimental, repeated measures/betweengroups design was used (training group (N = 29) and a control group (N = 21)). The dependent variables were sales performance, self-report EI and rater-report EI. The data were analysed based on a series of split-plot ANOVAS. Findings: Rater-reported EI correlated with sales performance at r = .32. The EI training group also demonstrated increases in both self and rater-report EI equal to approximately a Cohen's d =-.45, in comparison to the control group. Finally, the EI training group outperformed the control group by approximately 9% (p<.05) in sales performance. Research limitations/implications: The long-term beneficial effects of the EI training program on sales performance are not known. Practical Implications: Human resource practitioners and coaches may consider implementing an EI training program to facilitate performance in sales people. Originality/value: This is the first study to examine the effects of an EI training program using a rigorous experimental methodology and an objective measure of sales performance. 3 Commercial organisations rely, in part, upon the quality of their sales personnel to effect organisational sales revenue targets. Consequently, organisations typically expend a substantial amount of effort toward the identification of competitive advantages that will facilitate sales revenue. In addition to factors related to role, skill, motivation, and organisation/environment, a number of personal and aptitude factors have been found to have an impact on a sales success (Churchill, Ford, Hartley, Walker, 1985). For example, self-efficacy beliefs have been found to correlate positively with sales performance (Barling & Beattie, 1983). Also, the personality attribute conscientiousness has been found to correlate with supervisory ratings of performance (Barrick, Mount, & Strauss, 1993). Furthermore, career stage has also been found to relate to the performance of sales professionals (Cron & Slocum Jr., 1986). One psychological factor that has only rarely been examined in the context of sales performance is emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence (EI) may be defined as set of skills that define how effectively we perceive, understand, express, reason with and manage our own and others' feelings (Palmer, Gignac, Ekermans, & Stough, 2008). In this paper, we report the full results of a study that examined the possibility that experimentally enhanced levels of EI in salespeople would be associated with concomitant increases in objective sales performance. A preliminary report based on these data was published by Jennings and Palmer (2007), which included only three months of data (this investigation includes 12 months), raterreport EI (this investigation includes both self-and rater-report data), and results for the most part tested non-statistica...

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