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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine if transformational leadership has an effect on business‐to‐business salespeople's trust in the organization, whether trust in the organization affects moral judgment and if moral judgment in turn affects salesperson performance, specifically “world‐class” sales performance.Design/methodology/approachThrough the utilization of a national survey of 345 business‐to‐business salespeople, this study explored linkages between transformational leadership, trust in the organization, moral judgment and world class sales performance using structural equation modeling.FindingsResults suggest that transformational leadership can be used to influence sales performance through trust in the organization and salesperson moral judgment.Originality/valueThe paper furthers the understanding of transformational leadership and its impact on salespeople. The interaction of three variables (transformational leadership, trust in the organization, and the moral judgment of the salesperson) and their ability to relate to world class sales performance provide an interesting strategic guide for sales organizations, as well as a meaningful set of managerial tools that can assist in constructing a performance driven sales organization. These constructs have not been simultaneously investigated prior to this research.

PurposeA great deal has been written recently in the practitioner press about the strategic importance and usage of social media. However, as practitioners only release limited information about the internal advantages such a tool provides, research in this emerging field remains extremely limited about its usage in the sales area. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically assess a model of social media usage among business‐to‐business (B2B) salespeople.Design/methodology/approachA survey of 273 B2B salespeople was conducted and then analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsResults support the hypothesized model suggesting that age negatively affects social media usage, while social media norms positively affect it. Social media usage positively affects sales performance. Customer‐oriented selling was not found to be positively related to social media usage, but does have a positive effect on sales performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was conducted by e‐mail, and as a result, there might be an existing bias towards respondents who already embrace some usage of an online communication method, indicating overall usage, acceptance, and application of social media may be lower than reported. A potential research agenda offers opportunities for both theoretical development and empirical assessment in social media research.Practical implicationsThe findings provide an important foundation to advance academic sales research and demonstrate a needed understanding of how to operationally utilize social media to improve outcome performance.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies empirically examining social media usage among B2B salespeople.

Despite a growing strategic, operational, and research spotlight on relational building and retention in recent years, practitioners must balance this vision with commonly critical selling practices and needs (i.e., obtain sales quota while building and retaining customer relationships). In such an environment, this paper proposes that marketers can prosper if they more fully understand the connections between sales quotas and other important organizational issues (i.e., trust in the organization, customer-oriented selling, and sales performance). The significance of sales quotas as a directing force has been noted by researchers and practitioners for some time. Yet beyond their obvious influence (e.g., as sales goals), little is understood as to what extent these frequently utilized performance objectives connect and impact other critical organizational issues within the selling group. Using a sample of 345 business-to-business salespeople, this study explores how the application of sales quotas have far...

Sales research often notes the critical role of sales managers in providing interface between the firm and the salesperson while cultivating sales performance in highly competitive marketplaces. In such a stressful environment, reports of unethical behaviors (results, causes, effects, etc.) continue to plague the profession. In this context, the purpose of this study was to examine the role of a chiefly unexplored quality of sales managers, transformational leadership, and its affect on the moral judgment of the sales force. In a study of 345 business-to-business salespeople, it was found that transformational leadership has an indirect effect on moral judgment as well as direct effects on supervisory capability orientation and the trust of the salesperson in the manager. Managerial and research implications are also offered as part of the paper.

For many years, researchers and practitioners have sought out meaningful indicators of sales performance. Yet, as the concept of performance has broadened, the understanding of what makes up a successful seller, has become far more complicated. The complexity of buyer–seller relationships has changed therefore as the definition of sales performance has expanded, cultivating a growing interest in ethical/unethical actions since they could potentially have impacts on sales performance. Given this environment, the purpose of this study is to explore the impact of moral judgment on sales performance and sellers engaging in a customer-oriented selling approach. Specifically, by utilizing a sample of 345 business-to-business salespeople, this study examines the relationships between moral judgment, customer-oriented selling, and outcome and behavior based performance. Results, managerial implications, and opportunities for future research are provided.

The perceived impacts of information technology use on firm marketing organization performance are examined. A theoretical model is presented linking organizational and end-user traits, information quality, system/service quality, industry traits, and tasks performed using a system to perceptions of organizational performance impacts through ease of system use, perceived individual performance impacts (i.e. perceived usefulness), attitudes toward using the system, and system use. The empirical examination uses a mail survey of US marketing executives to collect the data. The quantitative technique used is structural equation modeling. The results indicate that measures of organizational traits, individual traits, information quality, system/service quality, and tasks performed using the system impact perceived performance of the marketing organization mediated individual performance impacts (i.e. perceived usefulness), attitudes toward using the system, and system use. Managerial implications and conclusions are presented based upon these results.

Because it is believed sales performance can be enhanced through ethical behaviors, increasingly, emphasis is being placed on understanding unethical behaviors among key customer-contact employees and the environment in which these sales professionals engage clients. In this context, understanding how the direct supervision of the sales force (sales managers) can shape the ethical behavior of salespeople may be a critical controllable key to understanding unethical sales behaviors that offers upper management strategic opportunities to enrich customer relationships. In this framework of understanding unethical sales behaviors, 240 sales managers were surveyed to determine their impact on unethical sales behaviors. The results indicate that although the overall ethical climate influences ethical attitudes of sales managers, importantly, these managerial attitudes impact ethical training and hiring evaluations of the sales force. Further, the positive relationship found between the ethical attitudes of sale...

The maxim of managers seems to be what gets measured gets done. However, with multiple measures of marketing effectiveness, which few should be chosen? This paper re-examines the proposed outcome measures of Good (1992) and the marketing literature since that time to suggest an updated view of performance measures.

Sales quotas typically “drive” sales organizations. As such, the ability of the sales organization, both individually (the salesperson) and the group (the total collection of the sales professionals), to accomplish its quota has a significant impact on the performance of the sales and marketing organization, as well as the entire firm. Within the context of this use, quotas represent a critical sales goal, although very little is actually known about their strategic or operational use within marketing organizations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate quotas from a strategic and operational perspective to provide additional insight into understanding sales quotas. Specifically, this manuscript investigates the consequences of failing to achieve quota and the relationship between these consequences and salesperson performance, salesperson income, and the firm’s annual sales revenue. In addition, the relationship between these variables and quota difficulty, and quota performance are explored.

The study explores which tasks performed using computer technology improve the performance of the marketing organization. The basis of the study is the need for marketers to improve the output in the marketing organization. The model links using computerization and information technologies to exploit opportunities, solve problems, improved work quality and quantity, and improved communications to improved marketing operations. A national mail survey of marketing executive provided the data. The 122 survey responses were used to analyze the model via structural equation modeling. The results indicate that using these technologies to exploit opportunities and improve work quality and quantity have impacts on improving marketing operations.

The use of computers has been assumed to provide substantial benefits in organizations (e.g., competitive advantage). Consequently, marketers are increasingly accepting computerization, although empirical evidence supporting the value of this technology is limited. To explore this phenomena, data were collected from 195 marketing executives in a national survey. These data were used to test a model involving the benefits from computerization. The results indicate that computerization aids in the assimilation of tactical and strategic activities. The benefits and implications of this integration are discussed.

The literature is rich with examples that stress the importance of marketers having long‐term customer relationships. Yet, the reality is that while relational attachments can foster benefits, there are many occasions when marketers seek, or are forced, to disband or change the nature of customer relationships. Interestingly however, despite the obviousness of this circumstance, this remains an unexamined strategic condition. In a unique investigation, this article explores the strategic opportunities and conditions that emanate from “relational unrest” in the business‐to‐business marketplace. Consequently, this article notes how sellers can benefit from understanding how to properly manage relational unrest. To address this issue, a strategic framework is proposed, which concludes that when sellers experience relational difficulties, strategic options with positive outcomes and related managerial implications can be associated with this condition.

The value of long‐term relationships has become a widely studied variable in marketing. This article investigates two important characteristics of salespeople (consideration of future sales consequences and customer‐oriented selling) and their effects on the usage of long‐term relationships. In turn, associations between a long‐term relationship orientation, and a preference for long‐term compensation are explored. The findings suggest managerial and research implications for structuring of reward systems and potential tools for recruiting, selection and assignment of salespeople based on these characteristics.

Although chiefly anecdotal, reports that performance is enhanced through technology has encouraged many marketers to adopt computer systems. To examine this issue, 183 industrial marketing executives familiar with computers were surveyed. The results suggest that, properly managed, computer usage enriches individual marketer productivity and, in turn, organizational performance. Because managers can direct this productivity through organizational activities and investments, these findings suggest a number of key implications for marketers and researchers interested in utilizing and/or expanding applications of computer technology.

The academic literature has convincingly noted the growing importance and impact that corporate culture has on the behavior of firms. Correspondingly, industrial sellers are increasingly relying on relationship selling as a key marketing strategy. In conjunction with these two issues, this article demonstrates how capitalizing on an effective understanding of the buyer's corporate culture can be used by sellers to achieve a competitive advantage in developing and maintaining long-term buyer–seller relationships. The implications of this approach are also discussed.

The variables impacting marketers’ motivation to work smarter are examined. These influencing variables are the manager’s venturesomeness, job challenge, effort and skill results, as well as self‐esteem. The model is empirically tested using 273 responses to a questionnaire distributed to marketers using a purchased, national mailing list. The empirical tests were done using a structural equations approach and maximum likelihood estimation. The results indicate that the motivation to work smarter is directly and positively impacted by the manager’s job challenge, effort and skill results, and venturesomeness. The manager’s self‐esteem has positive, indirect impacts on the motivation to work smarter through each of the manager’s venturesomeness, effort and skill results, and job challenge. Based on these results, recommendations on how marketers can be encouraged to work smarter are made.

The use of information technology offers industrial marketers considerable potential for cultivating strategic advantages. This article investigates the concept of “technological teaming,” where information technology is coupled with an emerging marketplace strategy, marketing teams. The managerial implications for industrial marketers adopting this approach are also presented.

Examines the value of expert systems in marketing organizations through a national mail survey of 117 marketing executives. All the examined respondents reported the successful use of expert systems in their organizations. The results indicate that while expert systems provide operational benefits (e.g. they assist in making decisions more quickly), they also present new problems (e.g. increased security needs) that the adopting organization must consider. Based on these results, discusses implications for managers regarding the encouragement of the adoption and use of expert systems. Also presents questions concerning expert systems which require additional investigation.

Industrial sales managers must accomplish a variety of tasks within a highly competitive environment. One crucial responsibility is to develop and maintain a marketplace advantage. An important new source for such an advantage, and the focus of this study, is the information provided by the organization to the industrial sales manager. Empirical evidence from 108 firms indicated a tendency to provide sales managers more internal than external information. Despite future opportunities for firms to improve their account analysis process, it was also found that firms furnish very limited managerial training in methods that are designed to assist in the gathering of information. These findings suggest that marketing staff managers may need to examine and enhance their informational offerings and support to sales managers.

The effects of parenthood on consumer decision making have not been systematically studied in prior research of the wildland recreation phenomenon. The present study utilizes data from the most recent National Survey of Recreation to assess the direct effects of parenthood on wilderness-related or wildland outdoor recreation behavior. Additionally, a framework for the conceptualization of the interrelationship between human values, demographics, attitudes toward the environment, wildland management policy variables, attitudes toward wildland recreation, and wildland recreation consumption is proposed. The findings suggest that parenthood is an important variable in understanding wildland outdoor recreation consumption. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A great deal has been written about the importance of marketers evolving into more relationship‐oriented selling practices. It is unclear however, the degree to which this evolution has impacted on the coaching practices of sales managers. Reports a survey of 143 sales managers engaged in business‐to‐business sales which indicates that coaching activities have been influenced by the need to build relationships with customers. In turn, this orientation will affect a number of new organizational concerns.

A survey was conducted of 119 industrial sales managers concerning their attitude about sales quota development and implementation. The results support the perspective that strategic limitations about quotas direct attitudes. Additionally, it was found that respondents generally had a “long-term” perspective on sales quotas.