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McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc !ll rights6-1McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc !ll rights

Chapter 6Salesperson Performance:

Behavior, Role Perceptions,and Satisfaction

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Common Activities for IndustrialSalespeople

• Selling : plan selling activities; search out leads; identifyperson in authority; select products for calls; prepare salespresentations; call on accounts; ma e sales presentations;overcome o!"ections#

• Working with orders : correct orders, e$pedite orders,handle !ac orders; handle shipment pro!lems#

• Servicing the product : supervise installation; teste%uipment; train customers to use product; teach safetyinstructions; order accessories; performance maintenance#

• Information management : receive feed!ac from clients;provide feed!ac to superiors; provide technical information;read trade pu!lications#

• Servicing the account : set&up point&of&purchase displays;assist 'ith inventory control; stoc shelves; handle localadvertising#

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Common Activities for IndustrialSalespeople• Conferences/meetings : attend sales conferences; attendregional sales meetings; set up e$hi!itions, trade sho's; 'orclient conferences; attend training sessions; (ll out%uestionnaires#

• Training/recruiting : loo for ne' sales representatives; trainne' representatives; travel 'ith trainees; help companymanagement plan selling activities#

• Entertaining : ta e clients to lunch; drin 'ith clients; havedinner 'ith clients; party 'ith clients; go gol(ng or (shing orplay tennis 'ith clients#

• Out of town traveling : travel out of to'n; spend night onroad#

• Working with distributors : esta!lish relations 'ithdistri!utors; sell to distri!utors; e$tend credit; collect past dueaccounts#The list of activities in which salespeople commonly engage is developed from variables by William

C. Moncrief, “Selling Activity and Sales osition Ta!onomies for "nd#strial Salesforces,$ %o#rnal ofMar&eting 'esearch, () *A#g#st + - /, pp. ( +0(12 and William C. Moncrief, “Ten 3ey Activities of"nd#strial Salespeople,$ "nd#strial Mar&eting Management, +4 *5ovember + - /, pp. )2 0)+1.

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Common Performance Criteria

for Industrial Salespeople• )otal sales volume and increase over last year#• *egree of %uota attainment#• Selling e$penses and decrease versus lastyear#

• Pro(ta!ility of sales and increase over lastyear#

• +e' accounts generated#• Improvement in performance of administrativeduties#

• Improvement in service provided customers#

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)he odel

• )he literature on industrial andorgani-ational psychology suggests a'or er.s "o! performance is a function of(ve !asic factors:

• Role perceptions• Aptitude• S ill level• otivation• Personal, organi-ational and environmentalvaria!les

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Role Perceptions

• )he term role accuracy refers to the degreeto 'hich the salesperson.s perceptions ofhis or her role partners. demands /

particularly company superiors / areaccurate#• Role con0ict arises 'hen a salesperson!elieves the role demands of t'o or more of

his or her role partners are incompati!le• Role am!iguity occurs 'hen salespeople!elieve they do not have the informationnecessary to perform the "o! ade%uately

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Aptitude

• Sales a!ility has !een thought to !e a function ofcharacteristics such as:

• Physical factors / age, height, se$, and physicalattractiveness

• Aptitude factors / ver!al intelligence, mathematicala!ility and sales e$pertise

• Personality characteristics / empathy, ego, socia!ility,aggressiveness, and dominance

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Aptitude"ntelligence

Cognitive abilities 6erbal intelligence

Math ability

Sales aptit#de

Aptitude : 1nduring personalcharacteristics that determine

individual.s o"erall ability to perform asales "o!

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'esponsibility

ersonalit! : 1nduring personal traitsthat re0ect individual.s consistent

reactions to situations encountered inenvironment

Personality

7ominance

Sociability

Self0esteem

Creative8fle!ibility

5eed forachievement

5eed forpower

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Aptitude6ocational esteem

6ocational s&ills Sales presentation

"nterpersonal

9eneralmanagement

Skill : Individual.s learned pro(ciencyat performing necessary tas s

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otivation

• )he e2ort the salesperson 'illingly e$pends onactivities 3 tas s associated 'ith performing on the "o!#

• Seems to !e a function of the person.s # # #• 1$pectancy /estimate of the e2ort re%uired to improve

performance• 4alence /salesperson.s perception of the desira!ility of

attaining performance improvement

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Personal and 5rgani-ational4aria!les• o! e$perience• Closeness of supervision• Performance feed!ac

• In0uence in determining standards• Span of control• Amount of role con0ict• Perceived am!iguity

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Being a 7ood Corporate Citi-en

• Sportsmanship• Civic 4irtue• Conscientiousness

• Altruism

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Re'ards

• 1$trinsic / re'ards controlled and !esto'ed !y peopleother than the salesperson

• Intrinsic / re'ards that salespeople primarily attain forthemselves or 'ithin themselves

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Common Re'ards forIndustrial Salespeople• Pay• Promotion• +on(nancial incentives 8contests, travel, prices,

etc#9• Special recognitions 8clu!s, a'ards, etc#9• o! security• eeling of self&ful(llment• eeling of 'orth'hile accomplishment• 5pportunity for personal gro'th and development• 5pportunity for independent thought and action

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Satisfaction

• )he "o! itself • ello' 'or ers• Supervision

• Company policies and support• Pay• Promotion Advancement opportunities• Customers

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Innovative Role

• A salesperson fre%uently producessolutions to uni%ue pro!lems#

• Innovation occurs fre%uently 'hile sellinghigh&tech products or engineered systems(tting customer speci(cations#

• Reps in innovative roles e$perience:• more con0ict !ecause they perform their roles

'ith creativity and 0e$i!ility#• more role am!iguity and inaccurate role

perceptions

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Con0ict and Am!iguity

• *i2erent role partners mean di2erent e$pectations#• Perceived role e$pectations are consistent among

salespeople#•

Role am!iguity plagues many salespeople in someaspect of their "o!#• Salespeople can often perceive con0ict !et'een

company policies or e$pectations and customerdemands#

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Conse%uences of Con0ict andAm!iguity• Behavioral conse%uences

• Perceived role con0ict and am!iguity can producedysfunctional !ehavior#

• >o' satisfaction increases personnel, moderated !y economic

conditions and availa!le alternative "o!s#• Satisfaction and performance correlate positively, althoughauthorities di2er over the nature of the relationship#

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+ature of Role Accuracy

• Salesperson correctly understands 'hatrole partners e$pect 'hen performing the

"o!

• 7eneral role inaccuracy can occur onalmost any dimension that also gives rise torole am!iguity and con0ict

• >in age role inaccuracy arises 'hen the

salesperson incorrectly perceives therelationships !et'een the activities andperformance dimensions, or !et'een theperformance dimensions and the re'ards#