The Effects of Social Controls of Sales Managers on Salespersons' Motivations and Customer Performances in Relationship Selling Context: A Triadic Approach among Sales Manager-Salesperson-Customer

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-73
Author(s):  
Sang Duck Kim
Keyword(s):  
Sales Manager ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Relationship Selling ◽  
Social Controls

Replication of Sujan's Attributional Analysis of Salespeople's Motivation to Work Smarter versus Harder

1994 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 987-992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry A. Harmon ◽  
Gene Brown ◽  
Kevin L. Hammond
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Survey Research ◽  
Attributional Style ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Sales Manager ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Mail Questionnaire ◽  
Manufacturing Organizations ◽  
Selling Strategies ◽  
Selling Effort

Several theoretical models are available to explain salespersons' performance. This research examined the model developed in 1986 by Sujan on failed sales effort and the effect of motivation on selling effort and strategy. The research reported here attempted to replicate the Sujan conclusions by examining the construct of failed sales effort from the sales manager's perspective. That is, if a salesperson is unsuccessful in obtaining an order, to what does the sales manager attribute the failure? The sales manager may believe the subordinate failed because of poor or ineffective selling strategies or possibly because the salesperson did not put forth enough effort. The survey research used a mail questionnaire with a sample of 158 sales managers employed by manufacturing organizations. Each sales manager considered the “average” salesperson and rated the extent the described behavior contributed to the failed effort. A factor analysis confirmed the factor loadings and assessed the reliability. The results indicate, in some cases, that sales managers perceive a different attributional style and motivation relationship for failed sales than do salespeople.

scholarly journals SALES-MANAGEMENT AS А ONE OF THE KEY DIRECTIONS OF MODERN ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-57
Author(s):  
Yu. Matvieieva ◽  
Yu. Opanasiuk ◽  
T. Bondar ◽  
D. Petrenko
Keyword(s):  
Business Processes ◽  
System Analysis ◽  
Sales Management ◽  
Sales Manager ◽  
Analytical Control ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Effective Work ◽  
Sales Professionals ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Line Manager

Today the sale of goods and services is one of the most popular and relevant activities in the world. In this context, scientists and practitioners study the skills, abilities and competencies of specialists in this field. In companies working in the field of sales of goods and services, special attention is paid to the development of a motivational system for sales managers in order to increase their productivity. The theoretical and scientific and methodological approaches to improving the management system of a company operating in the field of sales have been investigated in the paper. The main directions and types of sales have been determined, the modern tools of effective sales have been revealed taking into account the experience of one of the leading companies in the field of sales. Also, the special attention is paid to the business characteristics and personal qualities of a successful sales manager. The business processes for the incoming line manager have been described as an algorithm. The processes of management of sales departments of enterprises have been studied on the basis of the use of system analysis. An approach to determining the efficiency of sales managers has been proposed, on the basis of which the formation of an annual matrix of sales managers' efficiency has been envisaged. The main reasons for the loss of quality requests and orders have been identified. The approach to personnel management of trade enterprises has been offered and the necessity of conducting analytical control of sales, management of interconnected processes as a single stream for effective work have been substantiated. The directions of increase of efficiency of work of sales department, by reduction of time for processing of inquiries, introduction of administrative actions have been defined. The possibility of increasing the company's income by increasing the quality of work of each employee of the sales department has been identified. A system of motivation for sales professionals according to their levels has been proposed: financial motivation (I level), financial and non-financial motivation (II level), promotion of sales managers (III level), providing creative freedom in work and the ability to make decisions in company management ( IV level). In turn, the motivation package should take into account the level of rejection of the order for each manager. At the same time the directions of sales should be taken into account: B2B sales, B2D sales, B2C sales, D2C sales.

Inside sales agent’s sales activities influence on work outcomes and sales agent tenure through autonomous motivation

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Conde ◽  
Victor Prybutok
Keyword(s):  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Autonomous Motivation ◽  
Sales Performance ◽  
Work Outcomes ◽  
Sales Manager ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sales Process ◽  
Sales Agent ◽  
Operational Data

Purpose Previous sales research remains limited to analyzing the influence of sales activities with sales agent tenure. To date, research on this subject has focused on the downstream direct or indirect impact of sales activities to sales performance, failing to consider whether sales activities impact a sales agent’s tenure. This paper aims to assess the effect of sales activities on sales performance and sales agent engagement on sales agent tenure through the lens of autonomous motivation to better understand sales activities as an overall sales process antecedent Design/methodology/approach Through the utilization of secondary sales operational data, this research demonstrates the influence of sales activities on multiple sales agent outcomes, while depicting the importance of sales managers creating an autonomous motivational climate. Findings This research demonstrates the direct relationship between sales activities to job engagement and sales performance. However, sales activities have a negative relationship to sales agent tenure, which require a sales manager to create an autonomous motivation to mediate the relationship between sales activities and sales agent tenure. Practical implications Organizations are provided with sample methodology and analysis to better determine how a culture grounded in autonomous motivation mediates sales activities and can be a catalyst for improving sales agent tenure. Then, provide a better understanding of the effect of actual sales activities on important sales department work outcomes. Originality/value The model is the first to test holistically the influence of sales activities on sales performance, sales agent engagement and tenure jointly by using actual secondary operational data. This study provides a glimpse of the real world balance a sales manager must consider between climate and activities. Plus, this study takes initial steps to study sales agent engagement, an under-researched construct in sales research.

The Joint and Multilevel Effects of Training and Incentives from Upstream Manufacturers on Downstream Salespeople’s Efforts

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 695-716
Author(s):  
Sarah Magnotta ◽  
Brian Murtha ◽  
Goutam Challagalla
Keyword(s):  
Sales Manager ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Manager Training ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Multilevel Effects

Manufacturers frequently face the challenge of motivating distributor salespeople to focus efforts on their products rather than competitors’ products. The present research explores two mechanisms that manufacturers use to address this challenge: training and incentives (spiffs). The authors find that the impact of these mechanisms on distributor salespeople’s efforts (toward a manufacturer’s products) largely depends on the extent to which manufacturers also provide training and incentives to distributor sales managers. More specifically, providing greater incentives to distributor sales managers undermines the relationship between their salespeople’s training and effort but enhances the relationship between their salespeople’s incentives and effort. Furthermore, greater sales manager training enhances the impact of salespeople’s incentives on effort; however, greater salesperson training undermines the relationship between salesperson incentives and effort. Thus, this research shows that the combination of mechanisms (training and incentives) and the levels at which manufacturers provide them (distributor salespeople and sales managers) can have different implications for distributor salespeople’s efforts.

Compensation and control sales policies, and sales performance: the field sales manager's points of view

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inés Küster ◽  
Pedro Canales
Keyword(s):  
Individual Performance ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Compensation System ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Sales Manager ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organization Effectiveness ◽  
Sales Organization ◽  
Points Of View

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship among the compensation system (fixed or commission) applied to salespeople, the system by which they are controlled, and the effects of both on individual performance and sales organization effectiveness. Previous research has been extended in a different country/context, and from the field sales manager's points of view.Design/methodology/approachFirst, a cluster analysis was used to obtain a set of groups of salespeople characterized by their main compensation system (salary and/or commission). Also, ANOVA is used to analyze the significance of the differences due to the different compensation system.FindingsThe empirical data reflect the results of research involving 108 field sales managers and show that the compensation system used for the salespeople has significant effects on individual salesperson performance and sales organization effectiveness and is related to the control system used by the company. Companies with a compensation system based on a fixed salary use behavior control more than companies with a compensation system based on commission; salespeople who receive a greater proportion of compensation as a fixed salary give better individual performance than those who are paid by commission; salespeople who receive a greater proportion of their pay as a fixed salary are more effective than those paid largely by commission. Results do not show relevant differences among countries.Research limitations/implicationsAny generalisation of results is limited by the characteristics of this study, in particular by the sample used and the particular situation of the country analysed (Spain). At the same time, and because the study relies on the subjective judgment of sales field managers' perceptions, the measurement of some concepts is subject to various cognitive biases.Practical implicationsCompensation for salespeople is one of the most important issues in saleforce management as it has a significant effect on motivation, which is critical, given the conditions of their working environment.Originality/valueThis paper analyzes the field sales manager's points of view and not that of the salesperson or the sales team. This provides a closer perspective because field sales managers operate between the salesperson and sales manager. This paper presents a framework based on Baldauf et al.'s and Piercy et al.'s previous research, with two main contributions. The first contribution is the proposed direct analysis of the relationships between various antecedents of effectiveness. The second contribution is the consideration of two dimensions of the effectiveness construct: financial efficacy and field sales manager satisfaction.

scholarly journals Sales Manager Influence Of New Product Adoption By Their Salesforce: A Theoretical Perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 539-546
Author(s):  
Gregory McAmis ◽  
Lukas P. Forbes
Keyword(s):  
Social Information Processing ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
New Product ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Sales Manager ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Product Adoption ◽  
New Product Adoption ◽  
New Product Introductions ◽  
The Impact

New product introductions are an important part of the success of many organizations, and they often hinge on the perceptions of the sales force.   In turn, much of sales person perceptions are derived from managerial guidance and input.  Although the extant literature has investigated some of the antecedents to the adoption of new products by salespeople, very little attention has been paid to the impact of the sales manager over this process.  Using elements of social information processing, this paper explores how sales managers can exert influence over new product adoption by their salespeople. 

Salesperson-Sales Manager Social Interaction And Communication Quality: The Impact On Salesperson Cooperation

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 607
Author(s):  
Stacey Schetzsle ◽  
Duleep Delpechitre
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Sales Manager ◽  
Social Setting ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Communication Quality ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Related Information ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Willingness To Cooperate

To get the highest level of performance out of salespeople, companies are searching internally to identify factors that lead to salesperson cooperation. Sales managers create a normative culture that engages the salesperson, which is demonstrated through communication and social interaction. A salesperson who feels connected to the organization is more likely to exert additional effort, such as cooperating with the manager to meet sales objections. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the salespersons social interaction and communication quality with their sales manager on their willingness to cooperate with the manager. The results show that when salespeople interact with their manager in a social setting and discuss non-work related information, salespeople become more willing to cooperate with their manager. Sales managers communication quality was not found to have a significant relationship between the salespersons willingness to cooperate with the sales manager. Instead, we find that sales managers communication quality with the salesperson significantly moderates the relationship between salespersons social interaction with the sales manager and salespersons willingness to cooperate with the sales manager.

Examining the use of sales force management practices

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 974-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Reid ◽  
Richard E. Plank ◽  
Robert M. Peterson ◽  
Gregory A. Rich
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Sales Management ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Sales Manager ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Market Place ◽  
Sampling Frame ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand what sales management practices (SMPs) are being used by managers in the current market place, changes over time, insights that can be gained and future research needs. Design/methodology/approach Data for this paper were collected via a cross-sectional internet-based survey using a sampling frame provided by a professional sales publication. ANOVA was used to analyze 159 sales manager respondents. Findings Empirical results indicate that several differences are evident across the 68 SMPs items gathered, especially in terms of the size of the sales force and establish some data on using technology in sales management. However, in spite of significant changes in the sales environment, many SMPs have had limited change. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this paper include a sample frame drawn from a single source and via the internet and, thus, may have excluded some possible respondents from participation and somewhat limit generalizability. Practical implications The results of this paper raise a number of important issues for sales managers to consider. First, which SMPs should they be using? Managers need to give serious thought as to which practices they choose to use. Second, why are so many of them not making more extensive use of sales force technology? Third, is it wise for sales managers to be relying on executive opinion as their most extensively used forecasting method or should they be emphasizing another approach? A fourth issue is the continued heavy emphasis on generating sales volume as opposed to profits. Originality/value The data provide a rare and updated understanding of the use of SMPs by sales managers.

How sales manager experience and historical data trends affect decision making

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1484-1504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas DeCarlo ◽  
Tirthankar Roy ◽  
Michael Barone
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Sales Manager ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Benchmark Analysis ◽  
Performance Trends ◽  
Trend Data

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine how trends in historical data influence two types of predictive judgments: territory selection and salesperson hiring. Sales managers are confronted frequently with decisions that explicitly or implicitly involve forecasting with limited information. In doing so, they conceptualize how the magnitude of these trend effects may be affected by the experience managers have in making these types of judgments. Study 1 provides evidence of a curvilinear relationship between experience and reliance on the trend data whereby the sales territory selections of novice sales managers exhibited greater susceptibility to informational trends than did the evaluations of naïve and expert decision-makers. A benchmark analysis in Study 2 further revealed that the salesperson selections made by novice and expert sales managers were equally biased, albeit in opposite directions, with novices overweighting and experts underweighting historical performance trends. Implications of these findings are discussed, as are avenues for future research. Design/methodology/approach – The authors employ an online experimental design methodology of practicing managers. For Study 1, they use regression, whereas Study 2 uses a deterministic process to develop a priori predictive benchmark forecasts. Ordinary least squares is then used to estimate manager’s decisions, which are then compared to the predictive forecasts to determine accuracy. Findings – Study 1 provides evidence of a curvilinear relationship between experience and reliance on the trend data whereby the sales territory selections of novice sales managers exhibited greater susceptibility to informational trends than did the evaluations of naïve and expert decision-makers. A benchmark analysis in Study 2 further revealed that the salesperson selections made by novice and expert sales managers were equally biased, albeit in opposite directions, with novices overweighting and experts underweighting historical performance trends. Originality/value – The present inquiry is the first to provide insights into an important issue that has been the subject of equivocal findings, namely, whether experience in a judgmental domain exerts a facilitating or debilitating effect on sales manager decision-making. In this regard, some research supports the intuition that experience in making a particular type of decision can insulate managers from judgmental bias and, in doing so, improve decision quality (see Shanteau, [1992a] for a summary). In contrast, other work provides a more pessimistic view by demonstrating that the quality of decision-making is either unaffected by or can erode with additional experience (Hutchinson et al., 2010). To help reconcile these conflicting findings, the authors presented and tested a theoretical framework conceptualizing how trends may influence predictive judgments across three levels of decision-maker experience.

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