Translating sales effort into service performance: it's an emotional ride

It has been broadly assumed by both researchers and managers that the more effort salespeople exert, the better their performance outcomes are likely to be. However, organizations are placing an increasing emphasis not just on objective sales outcomes, but on subjective, customer service outcomes as well. This research tests relationships between employee effort and relational performance. We develop and test the position that employee effort reaches a point of diminishing returns, after which relational performance decreases. Further, in an effort to bound our model, we test the moderating role played by employees' emotional intelligence in this relationship. We test our study model in a lagged, multisource field study, matching survey data collected from 107 employees and 19 supervisors, relational performance metrics, and archived effort data collected for a period of 3 months pre–survey data collection. The results from our analysis indicate that the relationship between effort and relational performance is captured by an inverted U-shaped function that is significantly moderated by emotional intelligence. We find that the effort of employees with low EI reaches an identifiable point of diminishing returns; however, the more effort those with high EI exert, the better their relational performance outcomes tend to be.     

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.     

高级营销经理胜任特征的实证研究

该研究采用胜任特征研究技术,对国内12个行业、20家企业的136名高级营销经理进行了研究,结果表明：1）我国高级营销经理胜任特征模型由成就导向、主动性、顾客服务导向、影响力、团队合作、团队领导、分析式思考、自信心、灵活性、组织承诺、关系建立等11项胜任特征组成。2）所建构的胜任特征模型对于我国的高级营销经理具有较好的通用性。3）《高级营销经理胜任特征调查问卷》与被试的工作业绩具有高相关,可预测其工作绩效,且具有较好的信度和效度。     

Fostering collaborative mind-sets among customers: a transformative learning approach

To succeed and grow, companies must win new customers. However, selling innovative solutions to prospective business customers remains challenging. We seek to explore how salespeople create, early in the sales process, collaborative customer mind-sets to accommodate learning and adoption of new solutions. By applying transformative learning theory and analyzing authentic video-recorded business-to-business (B2B) initial sales meetings, we are able to determine the microlevel processes and mechanisms taking place in transformative sales dialogue. In this article, we outline seven interactional activities occurring in reflective dialogue cycles, a key means by which salespeople create new customer mind-sets. Reflective dialogue cycles form a spiral-shaped process requiring completion to achieve a shared new understanding favorable to adopting new approaches. Through our analysis, we demonstrate the value of transformative learning theory in better understanding sales interactions. Along with theoretical contributions, our results may help managers and salespeople better develop new business customers.     

A taxonomy for financial services selling

The financial services industry accounts for almost half of the country’s nonfarm, commercial profit, making the industry a major driver of the economy. Prior to this study, limited information was available to evaluate financial services sales activities, and a taxonomy of sales activities for individuals in the financial services industry had not previously been conducted. Prior empirically developed sales taxonomies did not include service firms and specifically financial services, while focusing on manufacturing and other product sales. Given that taxonomies are a critical step in scientific inquiry, this is a major limitation in the literature hindering the development of a better understanding of this important industry. Using an established methodology and a seminal sales taxonomy, a financial services sales taxonomy was conducted. Results reflect that financial services sales positions differ from those in other industries. Six sets of sales activities (factors) along with six job positions (clusters) were identified.     

The Validity of “Mini” Simulations for Mexican Retail Salespeople

The use of mini role play simulations was proposed as a means of collecting predictor data in a low-cost, time-efficient, and reliable manner. Mini role play simulations were developed for the purpose of measuring sales ability. In order to evaluate the efficacy of using the mini role play simulations, a concurrent validation study was conducted with 94 salespeople from a large, Mexican retail chain. Results indicated that the simulations significantly predicted performance and also added to the prediction of performance after controlling for a biodata instrument.     

《周易》的经济管理要义管窥

对<周易>深沉价值进行挖掘与开启,以求古为今用,是当代易学研究的一个重要课题.易学者们已经从象数易、科学易、考古易、人文易等诸多视角入手,全方位地阐述<周易>精义;而如何着眼于<周易>的经文传记,明辨古代易学与现代经济管理的有机关联,乃是中国"<易经>管理学"何以成为可能的原典性证明.对于社会管理人士而言,增强易学修养将大大提高其管理效力.易学于当今社会的鲜活魅力即在此.     

Turkish College Students' Attitudes Toward Women Managers: The Effects of Patriarchy,Sexism, and Gender Differences

The authors examined how patriarchy, sexism, and gender influence Turkish college students' attitudes toward women managers. Turkish undergraduate students (N = 183) from Middle East Technical University completed questionnaires measuring attitudes toward women managers as well as attitudes toward the concepts of hostile and benevolent sexism and support for patriarchy. Participants were of upper- or middle-class Turkish backgrounds. The results showed that male participants exhibited less positive attitudes toward women managers than did female participants. In addition, participants who held more favorable attitudes toward patriarchy and who scored high on hostile sexism also held less positive attitudes toward women managers than those who held less favorable attitudes toward patriarchy and who scored low on hostile sexism. A regression analysis showed that support for patriarchy and hostile sexism was more important for explaining less favorable attitudes toward women managers than was benevolent sexism.     

Broadening the application of mixed methods in sales research

Mixed method research designs can be extremely useful in extending knowledge in the sales domain. A bevy of mixed method designs are at the disposal of sales researchers seeking to reap the benefits of this combination of research approaches. However, application of mixed methods in sales research has been rather limited, focusing primarily on exploratory sequential designs. The purpose of this article is to provide an exposition of mixed method research in the sales domain and offer avenues of extension that employ underutilized mixed methodological approaches. Accordingly, a definition of mixed methods along with its benefits and drawbacks is espoused followed by guidance in conducting mixed method research. A review of sales-related mixed method studies is then provided and articles containing both quantitative and qualitative methods are analyzed to glean insight on the state of mixed methods research in sales. Future avenues for mixed method research are then provided focusing on best practices and techniques that have yet to be embraced by sales researchers. This article aims to be a resource for sales scholars in expanding the mixed method research paradigm.