Regaining control of salesforce

Kim, Stephen K.; Jung, Yeon Sung

doi:10.1016/j.indmarman.2018.01.035

Cited by 8 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Current evidence in the sales literature suggests that two customer-directed selling behaviors, such as adaptive selling and customer-directed problem-solving, are significant success factors for improving sales efficiency (Coelho et al, 2020;Kim and Jung, 2018;Husain, 2018). Given that organizational activities are affected by both adaptive selling and customerdirected problem-solving behaviors (Weitz et al, 1986), it is logical to investigate how organizations can convince salespeople to participate in such behaviors (Jaramillo et al, 2007;Guenzi et al, 2014).…”

Section: Output Control and Customer-directed Sales Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formal salesforce control mechanisms and behavioral outcomes

Shin

Amenuvor

Boateng

et al. 2021

MIP

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PurposeThe current study aims to empirically examine the impact of formal salesforce control systems on salespeople and customer behavior.Design/methodology/approachData are collected from 704 salespeople and their respective visiting customers (704) in Ghana. The suggested hypotheses are tested through the structural equation (SEM) modeling technique.FindingsThe study results show that all three formal control mechanisms have positive and significant effects on customer-directed problem-solving and adaptive selling behaviors. Similarly, the study finds that salespeople's customer-directed problem-solving behavior increases, respectively, customer-directed opportunism and relationship continuity. Adaptive selling behavior also has significant positive effects on both customer-directed opportunism and relationship continuity, respectively.Practical implicationsThe study offers practical and theoretical insights into understanding salesforce control dynamics, customer-directed opportunism, adaptive selling behavior, customer-directed problem-solving behavior and continuity of relationships. The results also have significant consequences for sales organizations as they can help sales managers decide on the best form of salesforce control systems to deploy.Originality/valueThe current research demonstrates how control mechanisms can influence both adaptive selling and customer-directed problem-solving behaviors and how these could generate both customer-directed opportunism and relationship continuity.

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Section: Output Control and Customer-directed Sales Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formal salesforce control mechanisms and behavioral outcomes

Shin

Amenuvor

Boateng

et al. 2021

MIP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Whereas capability controls emphasize the development of sales-related knowledge and skills, which involves managers' active efforts in setting capability goals, training, and providing diagnostic feedback. However, some later studies, e.g., [9,17], including the latest meta-analysis studies [31], still treated behavior control as an uni-dimensional construct instead of splitting it into capability control and activity control, which might lead to confusing conclusions.…”

Section: Sales Control Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Challagalla and Shervani [21] further divided behavior control into activity control and capability control, in which activity control focuses on the enforcement of specific activities and capability control emphasizes on the development of skills and abilities, and they argued that activity control and capability control have different or even apposing functions in sales force. However, to the best of our knowledge, almost all the studies on the link between sales controls and organization commitment treated behavior control as an uni-dimensional construct rather than split it into capability control and activity control [12,17]. That might lead to misleading conclusions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prior literature has exerted great efforts in investigating how to perform sales force controls successfully [12][13][14]. Many researchers classified sales force controls into those monitoring the final outcomes of a process (outcome control) and those monitoring individual stages in the process (behavior control) [15][16][17]. They found that sales force controls could affect job satisfaction, opportunism, adaptive selling efforts, sales performance, and so on, but the empirical results remain conflicting.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sales Control Systems and Salesperson Commitment: The Moderating Role of Behavior Uncertainty

Peng

Zhuang

2020

Sustainability

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Although sales control has been identified by previous literature as an effective tool to promote salesperson commitment, unclear categorization of the focal variables makes existing findings confounding. This paper aims to provide more nuanced understanding about the relation between sales control systems and salesperson commitment by categorizing sales control into outcome control, activity control, and capability control. Moreover, we explore the moderating role of behavioral uncertainty, which includes sales cycle uncertainty and behavioral content uncertainty. Using a sample of 208 salespersons in China, we find the following results: (1) sales cycle uncertainty weakens the positive impact of outcome control on salesperson commitment and the negative relationship between activity control and salesperson commitment; (2) behavioral content uncertainty strengthens the positive link between outcome control and salesperson commitment and the negative impact of activity control on salesperson commitment; and (3) both sales cycle uncertainty and behavioral content uncertainty strengthen the positive relationship between capability control and salesperson commitment. This research enriches knowledge about sales control systems and offers insights into the important contextual role of behavior uncertainty that has been largely ignored by prior research in the sales force control literature.

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“…Also, in a B2C study, Brady et al (2012) outlined the concept of ‘service sweet-hearting’, a form of salesperson deviance whereby front-line service employees give excessive discounts (or even free services) to friends and other customers with whom they have close relationships, to the detriment of their employer. At the expense of the customer in favor of the firm and the salesperson. For instance, salespersons who possess private information about customers (a likely scenario in close relationships) might use this to benefit themselves and their employer at the expense of the customer (Kim and Jung, 2018). At the expense of either or both the firm and the customer in favor of the salesperson.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship closeness paradox: contingency analysis in B2B sales

Wang

Hampson

Han

2020

JBIM

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Purpose This study aims to examine the positive and negative consequences of relationship closeness between salespersons and their business customers in a B2B sales context: sales performance and salesperson passive opportunism. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the social exchange theory, the authors develop a conceptual model of positive and negative consequences of relationship closeness. The authors empirically test the model using matched survey data from 269 salesperson-sales supervisor dyads and individual sales performance ratings from one of the largest distribution and market expansion companies in Myanmar. Findings Results provide evidence of positive (i.e. sales performance) and negative (i.e. salesperson passive opportunism) consequences of salesperson’s perceived relationship closeness. These relationships are, however, contingent on organization-level and employee-level factors. High extent of supervision enhances the effects of salesperson’s perceived relationship closeness on sales performance but attenuates its influence on salesperson passive opportunism. The effect of salesperson’s perceived relationship closeness on salesperson’s passive opportunism is stronger for salespersons with a promotion (vs prevention) focus. Research limitations/implications The results offer guidelines to firms seeking to optimize the efficacy of close relationships between their salespersons and customers. For example, higher levels of supervision could increase the likelihood of positive outcomes of relationship closeness while minimizing its negative consequences. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate not only the benefits of relationship closeness between salespersons and customers but also its dark side: the relationship closeness paradox.

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Regaining control of salesforce

Cited by 8 publications

References 59 publications

Formal salesforce control mechanisms and behavioral outcomes

Formal salesforce control mechanisms and behavioral outcomes

Sales Control Systems and Salesperson Commitment: The Moderating Role of Behavior Uncertainty

Relationship closeness paradox: contingency analysis in B2B sales

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