Attributes and Behaviors of Salespeople Preferred by Buyers: High Socializing vs. Low Socializing Industrial Buyers |
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| Authors: | Gene Brown Unal O. Boya Neil Humphreys Robert E. Widing II |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Gene Brown is Associate Professor Marketing at Louisiana Tech University and received the Ph.D. from the University of Alabama. He is published in such journals as the Journal of Retailing, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Advertising, Psychology and Marketing, and Industrial Marketing Management. His main interests include personal selling, retailing, ethics, and methodology.;2. Unal O. Boya is Associate Professor of Marketing at Appalachian State Universityand received the Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina. He has published in such journals as the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Research, International Marketing Review, International Journal of Advertising, and Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics. His main interests include industrial marketing, modeling choice behavior and marketing research methodology.;3. Neil Humphreys is Professor of Management at Longwood College and received the Ph.D. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of two books and is published in such journals as Business Horizons, Management Solutions, and the Journal of Small Business Management.;4. Robert Widing is Associate Professor of Marketing at Bond University in Queensland, Australia. He is published in such journals as the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, the Journal o f Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, and the Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy. |
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| Abstract: | A random sample of purchasing agents was surveyed and split into two groups based on their socializing behavior. These two groups differ as to the importance of various salesperson attributes and behaviors. It was also found that “high” socializers tend to engage in after-hour meetings and discuss non-business related topics more so than “low” socializers. In addition, “high” socializers tend to be younger, provide more time for sales meetings, have less tenure, and are more likely to be found in smaller purchasing departments compared to “low” socializers. Other findings and implications are discussed and areas for further research are suggested. |
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