Dealing With Ethical Dilemma

The unique role of salespeople as “revenue generators” for any organization is pivotal for its growth and success. An interfacing role of salesperson between organization and customers facilitates customer belief and builds long-term relationships. Due to affiliative separation, salespersons face ethical dilemmas more often than their counterparts. The chapter delineates the unique characteristics of sales behavior and major influencers that affect a salesperson's ethical/unethical decision making. The authors recommend designing of effective ethical plan and its implementation to inculcate a robust ethical environment/culture within an organization.

Analysis of Government Support, Network Adaptability and Online Sales Adoption Behavior of Fruit Farmers: Based on the Survey Data of Gannong

Online sales are an important part of agricultural product sales channels under the background of rural revitalization in the new era. Online sales play an active role in invigorating the agricultural product market, solving the problem of connecting small production with big market and promoting farmers' income, agricultural efficiency and rural welfare. Based on the field survey data of 511 fruit farmers in Jiangxi Province, this paper empirically analyzes the influence of government support and network adaptability on online sales behavior of fruit farmers by using binary Logistic model. The results show that the government's implementation of operating subsidies, preferential taxes and fees and technical training are helpful for fruit farmers to adopt online sales; Network adaptability can significantly positively affect online sales of fruit farmers, and at the same time, there is a positive adjustment between government support and online sales behavior of fruit farmers; By implementing various support measures, the government helps to improve the adaptability of fruit farmers' network, and further has a significant positive impact on fruit farmers' adoption of online sales behavior. The results provide theoretical basis for the relationship among government support, network adaptability and online sales of fruit farmers, and provide practical enlightenment for the government and fruit farmers.

Village Environment, Capital Endowment, and Farmers’ Participation in E-Commerce Sales Behavior: A Demand Observable Bivariate Probit Model Approach

With the recent developments in widespread internet usage and digital technology, an ultimate worldwide transformation in information and communications technology has occurred. Especially, how people engage in the virtual market for buying and selling goods has changed dramatically, which flourished the playground of electronic commerce (EC). Interestingly, it has become crucial to create an ample opportunity for farmers to utilize a more comprehensive market range for selling their products. However, farmers participating in e-commerce sales platforms may be interrupted by various internal and external factors. Therefore, the study’s primary goal is to evaluate the impacts of various external and internal factors on shaping farmers’ behavior in participating in e-commerce sales platforms. The study utilized a demand observable bivariate Probit model to analyze the village environment and capital endowment effects to craft the findings. The study utilized micro-survey data from 686 households in the leading kiwifruit-producing area as the empirical setup. The findings illustrated that the village environment is the main factor that restricts farmers’ e-commerce sales behavior, among which the infrastructure and policy environments have a significant contribution to farmers’ e-commerce sales intention and behavior. However, the effect of capital endowment on farmers’ e-commerce selling behavior has been found as significant. The village environment significantly affects both large- and small-scale farmers, and the capital endowment has a higher binding effect on small-scale farmers. Therefore, the paper suggests that improving the village environment for e-commerce development and laying the foundation for e-commerce development should be fostered. A differentiated incentive mechanism to improve the capital endowment of farmers should be constructed. A well-structured capital endowment triggering small farmers to capture the benefits of e-commerce sales should be imposed. The government should extend the support of the agricultural demonstration zone to facilitate practical training among the smallholder farmers. The formal and informal risk-sharing and financial institutions should prioritize building infrastructure to support farmers’ short- and long-term investments. Farmers should realize the importance of e-commerce for integrating the agricultural value chain.

Effect of Ability on Salesperson Performance Through Adaptive Selling Behavior as an Intervening Variable

This research was conducted at PT PX, which is a state-owned company in Indonesia appointed to produce and distribute subsidized fertilizers. PT PX is facing the risk of being diverted from fertilizer subsidies by the Government. To deal with this risk, PT PX has prepared a strategy that is to increase sales of non-subsidized fertilizers and non-fertilizer products. However, the sales performance of non-subsidized fertilizers and non-fertilizer products did not reach the target as expected. The author wants to examine whether the sales target is not achieved due to salesperson’s ability. In addition to ability, sales performance is also influenced by sales behavior done by salesperson, one of which is adaptive selling behavior. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the ability possessed by salesperson at PT PX on sales performance through their adaptive selling behavior. This research was conducted using partial least square analysis techniques. The results of this study indicate that the salesperson's ability has a significant effect on salesperson's performance through adaptive selling behavior.

Effects of Sales-Related Capabilities of Personal Selling Organizations on Individual Sales Capability, Sales Behaviors and Sales Performance in Cosmetics Personal Selling Channels

This study sets out to assess the effects of sales-related capabilities of personal selling organizations on individual sales capabilities, sales behaviors, and sales performance in cosmetics personal selling channels. Data are collected from 151 salespeople, their sales organizations, and their visiting customers (151) in South Korea. The proposed hypotheses are tested through the structural equation modelling technique. The study finds that both types of sales-related capabilities (salesforce management capabilities and personal selling capabilities) have significant positive effects on the individual sales capabilities, respectively. Further, the individual sales capability of salespeople has a stronger impact on customer-oriented sales behavior than on selling-oriented sales behavior. Similarly, selling-oriented sales behavior has a negative effect on customer satisfaction while customer-oriented sales behavior has a positive effect. The study further finds that customer-oriented sales behavior has a positive effect, while selling-oriented sales behavior has no statistically significant effect on sales performance. The relationship length, the study finds, moderates the relationship between customer-oriented sales behavior and customer satisfaction. The study offers practical and theoretical insights into understanding the nuances of sales-related capabilities of sales organizations and how they affect the individual selling capabilities of salespeople, their selling behaviors and sales performance. The results also have crucial consequences for sales organizations, as they can help sales managers design strategies and develop a culture that focuses on building and enhancing the selling capabilities of the firm and the salesforce. The present study demonstrates how the selling capabilities of the personal selling organization can influence the individual selling capabilities of the salesperson and how these could engender positive selling behaviors and sales performance.

The Impact of Technology Perception and Government Support on E-Commerce Sales Behavior of Farmer Cooperatives: Evidence From Liaoning Province, China

The sales-related difficulties faced by cooperatives can be solved by expanding their sales channels through e-commerce. However, extant studies have only examined cooperatives’ e-commerce sales behavior from either a technology perception or government support perspective. To fill this gap, based on survey data of 215 farmer cooperatives in Liaoning province, China, this study employs a probit model to analyze the impact of both technology perception and government support on these cooperatives’ e-commerce sales behavior, as well as their marginal and accelerating effects. Both factors were shown to have a significant positive impact. Technology perception has a greater impact on e-commerce sales behavior than government support, while perceived effectiveness has the most significant impact. This study also found that government support has an accelerating effect on the relationship between technology perception and farmer cooperatives’ e-commerce sales behavior. Therefore, governments should improve cooperative members’ technology perception to aid them in expanding sales.

How Adaptive Selling Behavior Influences Performance

Sales behavior is a key criterion for judging the selling performance of salespeople. This study explores how salespeople use social networking sites (SNSs) to improve their selling performance. Accordingly, the authors examine the mediating role of adaptive selling behavior on SNSs and consider the relation between performance and service leadership. In this study, 422 salespeople are brought in direct contact with customers in Taiwan, and it is found that SNS infusion and service leadership are crucial to salespeople's adaptive selling behavior. The results provide strong evidence for the mediating effect of adaptive selling behavior on the relation between each antecedent and SNS infusion.

The underlying states of salesperson product buy-in and product strategy buy-in

Purpose The purpose of this study is to collect data that allows researchers to capture both affective and cognitive buy-in influenced by both product and product strategy targets. Design/methodology/approach Analysis of 13 salesperson interviews followed the cluster and axial coding of grounded theory interview protocol. Findings This study finds two types of buy-in that are uniquely contingent on the target, and for which are influenced by both cognitive and affective states of being. Additionally, it finds that either affective or cognitive states of being can both drive and inhibit salesperson buy-in of either target. While the targets of buy-in appear to be mutually exclusive, the cognitive nature of disconfirming evidence appears to directly inhibit both targets of buy-in while also resulting in negative affect. Research limitations/implications Further study that uncovers the causal role of an affective state inhibiting buy-in after the introduction of disconfirming evidence is warranted. Practical implications Managerial training and messaging approaches for achieving the two buy-in targets will likely differ or focus on only one type for efficient training. Originality/value This study is the first to examine the simultaneous effects of the two underlying states of cognition and affect on buy-in development. It is found that the two states can influence each other to stunt buy-in. The present study contributes to sales behavior literature by allowing the possibility of a sequence of states that stunt buy-in, positioning simultaneous examination is vital to the conceptualization of buy-in.

Unethical sales practices in retail banking

PurposeThis study examines the salesperson-driven unethical behavior toward consumers in the retail banking context.Design/methodology/approachConsumer posts on an online social platform were analyzed using content analysis. Cluster analysis and word association analyses were conducted to analyze the posts across ethics dimensions, customer intentions and banking services.FindingsComplaints about salesperson-driven unethical behavior were classified into three clusters: disrespect, fee deception and other deception. Four themes of consumer intentions emerged from data: expecting an action regarding the staff, fixing the problem, exiting the bank, or just expressing the problem on the social platform. There was a significant difference among clusters in terms of intentions. The deception clusters had a stronger association with fixing the problem, while the disrespect cluster had a stronger association with consumers’ willingness to express their complaints and requests regarding corrective actions for the salespeople.Practical implicationsBanks must differentiate their service recovery approach depending on the problem. While a refund can be more appropriate for recovering deception, a corrective action regarding misbehaving sales staff is expected by the customers for the disrespect problem.Originality/valueThis study contributed to the need for current research on personal selling practices and salesperson ethics in banking services. The unethical sales practices were linked to customer intentions, and several associations were found. An unethical sales behavior framework that can be used in future research was represented.

How marketing balances the battle between premium and regular products? Brand sales dynamics in an emerging market

PurposeEvolution and stationarity are key time series empirical concepts which need theoretical assessment by extant research. This study presents a model to explain brand sales dynamics in emerging markets using two dimensions: sales behavior in time (stationary or evolution) and final position (negative, neutral or positive).Design/methodology/approachA three-step methodological approach was performed. First, individual brand sales series were classified (stationarity or evolution) after unit root tests. These series were then regressed against a time variable. These two steps enabled a qualitative classification of six proposed positions, ranging from the worst to the best scenario for marketing managers. A final multinomial model identified the marketing effect to these positions.FindingsDescriptive statistics reveal an insignificant prevalence of stationary sales series and a small number of positive brand sales series (ascending or promising). The multinomial model shows that price is negatively associated to positive brand sales positions, the important effect of service strategies and how product decisions can lead to an avoidance of negative positions.Research limitations/implicationsThe model is limited to short time series of a unique transactional dataset from a multinational energy company based in Brazil.Practical implicationsThe research provides a rational empirical framework to managers involved with decisions regarding brand sales dynamics in emerging markets.Originality/valueThe approach advance into the development of models to uncover conditions for market evolution and stationarity in a context marked by the shortage of data.