Examining the Relationship between Sales Force Proactiveness, Network Capability and Sales Performance: Evidence from International Trade Shows

Author(s):  
Pedro Mendonça Silva ◽  
Victor Ferreira Moutinho ◽  
Vera Teixeira Vale
Author(s):  
Chia-Yi Cheng ◽  
Jung-Nung Chang

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to combine the concepts of network building (NB) and job embeddedness (JE; both on-the-job and off-the-job embeddedness (ON and OFF)) and examines how to improve sales performance (SP) by effectively stabilizing the sales force. Design/methodology/approach – Sales practices were examined to establish the measures of overall sales performance. A factor analysis was conducted to extract two performance dimensions: customer relationship performance (CRP) and product selling performance (PSP). Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized model by analyzing survey data collected from 445 salespeople who work for the top five insurance firms in Taiwan. Findings – The results show that the NB of salespeople has a direct positive effect on ON and OFF; JE plays a critical role in mediating the relationship between NB and SP; and NB contributes directly only to CRP. However, it does not have a positive effect on PSP until JE is introduced as a mediator to generate CRP. Practical implications – In developing the NB of salespeople, managers should be provided with clear indicators about on-the-job and off-the-job-embeddedness for manpower stability. Moreover, in addition to seeking product sales, managers should direct salespeople to embed in sales work by providing performance measures involving customer relationship. Originality/value – This study highlights the need for a viable and integrated model of sales performance. The results indicate that the career achievement of field service employees relies primarily on whether they could effectively build social relationships. Theoretically, this investigation introduces NB into the JE theory, clarifies the relationship among NB, JE, and SP, and proposes a superior mechanism (CRP) for improving sales performance in the financial and insurance industries. Moreover, this study provides additional support for the relationship between ON and OFF.


2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-213

‘Internet Review’ provides critical commentary on entrepreneurship, small business and innovation information on the web.


Author(s):  
Valeska V. Geldres-Weiss ◽  
Joaquin Monreal-Pérez ◽  
Skania L. Geldres-Weiss

The present study was conducted to compare the marketing strategies of knitwear exporters of Ludhiana (Punjab) and Tirupur (Tamil Nadu). An exploratory study was conducted in which thirty knitwear export units each from Ludhiana and Tirupur were selected, and information was collected using a questionnaire. In Tirupur, only 3 percent of the units had their brand, while in Ludhiana, 60.00 percent of the units had their brand. Out of the knitwear units in Ludhiana, which did not own a brand, 91.67 percent worked with buyer's brand or other private labels, while in Tirupur, 58.63 percent of the units were not interested in owning a brand. The first rank was given to seminars, workshops, and international trade shows, which were used as a source to get information by knitwear export units at both places (Ludhiana and Tirupur). One-third of the units in Ludhiana acquired ISO14000 certification, while in Tirupur, about two-thirds of the units got OekoTex Standard-100. It was also found that 46.67 percent of the units in Ludhiana spent less than 5 lakh rupees, and in Tirupur, 30 percent of the units spent more than 15 lakh as promotional ? budget. Nearly half (53.33 percent) of the units in Ludhiana and 36.67 percent of the knitwear export units in Tirupur spent 3-9 percent of total export sales on marketing research.


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