The impact of salesperson credibility-building statements on later stages of the sales encounter

Salespeople frequently attempt to build credibility on their first encounter with a customer. Because customers actively evaluate persuasive messages, it is important to understand their reactions to credibility-building tactics and how these reactions shape the sales interaction. Accordingly, this study investigates customers' reactions to two types of credibility-building statements – benevolence and expertise – using a multistep qualitative analysis of sales transactions in the life insurance industry, along with surveys before and after the sales encounter. Empirical results show that customers are more likely to react positively to credibility-building statements that match their buying style expectations. Furthermore, when customers react positively to a credibility-building tactic, salespeople are more likely to continue using that tactic when addressing customer objections. However, whereas benevolence tactics for addressing customer objections lead to stronger relational outcomes, the findings indicate that expertise tactics do not. Thus, matching sales tactics with customers' buying style expectations is beneficial in the early stages of the sales encounter, but customer objections are best addressed with benevolence tactics, regardless of customers' buying style.     

Effects of top-performer rewards on fellow salespeople: a double-edged sword

Rewarding top performers is of strategic importance to the sales organization. Top-performing salespeople not only contribute significantly to the success of their firm but may also motivate the skill development of peer salespeople. However, both academic research and anecdotal evidence suggest that top performer rewards can boomerang by damaging peer salespeople's morale and productivity, although the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions remain unclear. Using a sample of salespeople and their managers from financial investment firms in Taiwan, the authors uncover both positive and negative effects of top-performer rewards. Specifically, it is found that when behavior control is employed, top-performer rewards are positively associated with perceived top-performer customer-relationship-building competence only when overall organizational justice is high. By contrast, when organizational justice is low and behavior control is employed, top-performer rewards give rise to perceived favoritism. Moreover, in large sales units, top-performer rewards are much less likely associated with perceived favoritism when organizational justice is high. It is through the perceived top-performer customer-relationship-building competence and perceived favoritism that top-performer rewards have a double-edged sword effect on fellow salespeople's selling skills, opportunism, and sales performance. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Forecasting the influence of customer-related micro-events on employees’ emotional,attitudinal and physiological responses

The affective events theory proposes that daily events elicit affective reactions on workers that, over time, influence affective and judgement-driven behaviours. It also suggests that this relation is moderated by dispositions and appraisals. On the other hand, the social interaction model argues that the impact of emotions is moderated by how individuals regulate them. This study aimed to: (1) investigate what customer-related events elicit affect; (2) test the moderating role of workers’ susceptibility for emotional contagion on the relation events-affect; and (3) explore whether affective states influence cardiovascular efficiency and turnover intentions. We conducted a longitudinal study in an inbound call centre by following 48 workers during 10 working days, gathering 267 events and 1,232 affective reactions. We combined diaries, questionnaires and physiological data. Data was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. We extracted 13 event categories and, using artificial neural networks (ANN), found support for the moderating role of emotional contagion. At daily level, fear was the stronger predictor of cardiovascular efficiency, whereas anger was the stronger predictor of turnover. ANN models showed satisfactory predictive values (R²_Turnover = .51, p < .01; R²_{Cardiovascular efficiency} = .32, p < .01). The importance of results for theory and practice is discussed.     

消费者态度满意与行为忠诚关系的一致与分离

态度满意是指消费者对产品可感知的效果与期望值之间的差异函数, 行为忠诚是指消费者重复购买的次数。本文将二者关系分作两类, 一类是低满意低忠诚、高满意高忠诚的一致性关系, 另一类是低满意高忠诚、高满意低忠诚的分离性关系, 在此基础上, 进一步介绍了相关理论研究, 主要包括线性关系和约束关系研究。文章最后指出, 未来研究应加强对态度满意的价值属性、结构一致性、社会属性等的研究, 以提高消费者态度满意对行为忠诚的预测力。     

消费者一定偏爱“笑脸”吗?产品外观中的表情元素对消费者的影响

表情是产品拟人化外观设计中重要元素。产品正面或负面的拟人化“表情” (表达正面或负面情感的表情)会影响到消费者对产品的感知。人际交往相关理论验证了正面表情对消费者的积极影响, 并认为负面表情不利于消费者与产品的互动。但是在现实市场中我们却看到, 消费者有时却更喜爱展现负面表情的产品, 营销领域的产品拟人化研究鲜有关注到产品表情的错位影响。具体而言, 在拟人化营销研究领域, 以下三个研究问题尚待探讨: 产品表情有怎样的具体体现及市场效用; 产品表情对消费者行为和态度影响的心理机制为何; 以及来自于消费者特质和产品因素的调节效应。回答以上问题能够进一步拓展和丰富营销领域的拟人化理论, 同时也将从实践上为产品外观设计提供建议和指导。     

数字化交互平台产品的客户体验旅程与投入关系

基于利益相关者营销、自反与身份演化、螺旋等理论,系统探讨企业如何在消费旅程中针对数字化交互平台(DIP)产品提供定制和丰富的客户体验以增加客户投入,进而与其他参与者共同创造价值。分别针对消费旅程中DIP产品参与者价值共创的连续性,DIP产品的客户体验旅程的结构与生成,DIP产品的客户体验旅程双元的张力及调和机理,DIP产品的客户投入的结构、管理与有效性,DIP产品的客户体验旅程和客户投入的相互关系等问题进行深入研究,为企业提出相应的实务性策略和建议。     

短视频顾客灵感的触发机制及其对顾客融入的影响

短视频顾客灵感(SVCI)是顾客灵感概念在短视频情境下的具象化, 是顾客由营销类短视频中获得的从接受营销引导的想法到转变为对消费相关目标的内在追求的激活状态。短视频顾客灵感的前因包括视频因素、主播因素和个人特质因素; 短视频顾客灵感中的观念式启发和行动式启发两个维度的交叉可以产生短视频顾客灵感状态矩阵, 矩阵中四种灵感状态在一定的条件下可以转化; 短视频顾客灵感通过直接贡献(顾客购买)和间接贡献(顾客推荐、顾客影响力和顾客知识)两条途径对顾客融入产生正向影响; 商品类型和消费者-主播关系强度在短视频顾客灵感对顾客融入的作用中起到调节作用; 短视频顾客灵感有助于揭示短视频营销中顾客灵感的触发机制及其对顾客融入的影响, 可以帮助消费类短视频主播和短视频平台产生更高效的营销内容和策略, 同时可以帮助消费者提升短视频购物的消费体验。     

亲组织不道德行为的负面效应及其作用机制

近年来, 员工为了企业利益而做出的违背社会价值、道德习俗、行为规范和法律等的亲组织不道德行为(Unethical pro-organizational behavior, UPB)导致的各种悲剧不断上演。然而, 现有研究主要聚焦于UPB的影响因素和积极作用方面, 对其潜在的危害性重视不足。鉴于此, 从多层次视角研究UPB的负面效应及其作用机制。首先, 考察UPB对情绪耗竭的影响及道德认同的调节作用和内疚的中介作用。其次, 创造性地提出组织UPB的概念, 并考察其对组织长期绩效的负面效应以及企业声誉的中介效应。最后, 进一步从利益相关者的视角考察企业UPB和员工UPB对顾客主动绩效的影响以及顾客企业认同的中介效应和顾客知觉到的员工组织化身的调节效应。研究成果不仅有助于丰富UPB的相关理论, 而且对遏制这种行为的进一步漫延具有重要启示。     

Satisfaction,loyalty and word of mouth within the customer base of a utility provider: differences between stayers,switchers and referral switchers

Research on satisfaction, loyalty and word of mouth (WOM) behaviour has made considerable progress within recent years, but important aspects remain neglected. In this paper, it is argued that, within the customer base of service providers, certain groups can be identified which differ from each other with regards to these variables. Hypotheses are developed and tested in a sample of 765 clients of a large German energy provider. The results show that recently acquired customers (switchers) differ from long‐term customers (stayers), and that switchers acquired through customer referrals differ from switchers recruited through advertising or direct mail in their satisfaction, loyalty and WOM behaviour. The paper ends with some important implications for management and future research. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications Ltd.     

Connect within to connect outside: effect of salespeople's political skill on relationship performance

Scholars have recently explored the effects of salespeople's intraorganizational relationships on salespeople's job-related outcomes. Grounded in social influence theory, we explore the effects of salespeople's intraorganizational skills on salesperson relationship performance. We empirically tested the proposed relationships using the data from a non-Western sales force working with an organization in an emerging economy. The results indicate that salespeople's political skill positively contributes to salespeople's identification with the organization and to creative performance, while strikingly, we also find that salesperson task adaptivity weakens these effects. Moreover, salespeople's identification and creative performance are positively related to customer satisfaction. These findings demonstrate that salespeople's intraorganizational relationships play a key role in enhancing customer satisfaction. In light of these results, we explore implications for marketers and academics and conclude by suggesting directions for further research.