The Nexus of Perceived Organizational Support, Job Satisfaction, Job Motivation on Turnover Intentions of Pharmaceutical Sales Executives using Structural Equation Modeling

In developing countries, there is arguably little or no research study done to evaluate the outcome of path analysis of Job satisfaction (JS), Job motivation (JM), Perceived organizational support (POS), and Turnover Intentions (TIs) on sales professionals in the pharmaceutical marketing industry, using structural equation modeling techniques (SEM). The objective of the study was to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of the relationship between Job satisfaction (JS), Job motivation (JM), Perceived organization support (POS), and Turnover intentions (TI). TI was operationalized as an Intention-to-leave firm for another in the same Industry (TWI) and Intention-to-leave industry entirely (TWO).

EXPRESS: Why Salespeople Avoid Big-Whale Sales Opportunities

Contrary to the intuition that salespeople gravitate toward big-whale sales opportunities, in reality they often avoid them. To study this phenomenon, the authors integrate contingent decision-making and conservation-of-resources theories to develop and test a framework of salespeople's decision making when prospecting. Study 1 reveals that the performance impact of salesperson initial judgment of opportunity magnitude follows an inverted U shape, indicating that salespeople's avoidance of large opportunities results from rational benefit–cost analyses due to their conservation of resources. Interestingly, salespeople use a calibration decision-making strategy (i.e., calculating expected benefits by accounting for conversion uncertainty) at the portfolio rather than prospect level, in solution- but not product-selling contexts. Ignoring this calibration effect can lead to under- or overestimation of conversion rates of up to 100%. Study 2 shows that salespeople's past performance success and experience bias this calibration. Simulations reveal that when high performers or inexperienced salespeople believe their portfolio magnitude is large and conversion uncertainty low, they are less concerned about resource conservation and improve their quota attainment by 50%. Study 3 confirms the theoretical mechanism. These findings shed new lights on salespeople's decision making and suggest ways for sales professionals to improve effectiveness when prospecting.

Propensity to Selling Scale

Sales occupation is one of the most frequent in the job market, and selection of successful sales people is typically among the highest priorities of their companies. Research aimed at explaining sales performance shows that traditional psychometric predictors are limited in achieving this goal. Common constructs that are typically related to work behaviour, such as abilities or personality traits, typically show non-significant or low relations with sales performance. Taking that into an account, we developed a new measure for assessing one’s propensity for selling, based on motivational constructs that underlie successful sales job. In the first study, we developed an initial set of items and assessed its content validity using a sample of sales professionals. In the second study, we assessed the scale’s dimensionality, divergent and predictive validity. A sample of 99 contact centre agents were asked to describe themselves using newly developed items and measures of personality and explicit motives. Besides psychometric measures, the data on agents’ objective sales performance was provided by their employer. First, a unidimensional, three-item solution was shown to be the most appropriate in the exploratory factor analysis of initially developed items. Second, an aggregated result of these three items, representing a total scale score, showed to be largely independent of personality and explicit motives measures. Third, propensity to selling, compared to personality and motives measures, showed to be the most important predictor in explaining the variance of objective sales performance. The scale was labelled Propensity to Selling Scale, and its theoretical and practical implications were further discussed.

Revisiting Marketing Management Teaching Pedagogy: A Study Based on the Voice of Indian Marketing Professionals

Marketing management is one of the practical-oriented subjects in management education, which is very dynamic. In this changing and newly emerging business and marketing ecosystem, the challenge of marketing teaching pedagogy is increasing day by day. In marketing management teaching pedagogical research, there is a scarcity of integrated blended framework consisting of teaching technology and augmented learning exposure in supporting classroom teaching methodology. The study attempts to identify how various factors like theoretical knowledge, practical orientation, teaching technology and augmented learning can impact marketing management education’s learning outcome in the Indian context. Current research has also tried developing and examining a structured framework that may strengthen the classroom teaching environment. This article is based on empirical data of 693 marketing and sales professionals who are mostly alumni from topmost Indian B-schools. Exploratory factor analyses and structural equation modelling, and path analysis are being done to test the conceptual research model. The results of this article demonstrate how contemporary integrated classroom teaching can boost the marketing management learning outcomes with a proper blend of augmented learning exposure, out-of-class exercises and teaching technology in an Indianized way.

SALES-MANAGEMENT AS А ONE OF THE KEY DIRECTIONS OF MODERN ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT

Today the sale of goods and services is one of the most popular and relevant activities in the world. In this context, scientists and practitioners study the skills, abilities and competencies of specialists in this field. In companies working in the field of sales of goods and services, special attention is paid to the development of a motivational system for sales managers in order to increase their productivity. The theoretical and scientific and methodological approaches to improving the management system of a company operating in the field of sales have been investigated in the paper. The main directions and types of sales have been determined, the modern tools of effective sales have been revealed taking into account the experience of one of the leading companies in the field of sales. Also, the special attention is paid to the business characteristics and personal qualities of a successful sales manager. The business processes for the incoming line manager have been described as an algorithm. The processes of management of sales departments of enterprises have been studied on the basis of the use of system analysis. An approach to determining the efficiency of sales managers has been proposed, on the basis of which the formation of an annual matrix of sales managers' efficiency has been envisaged. The main reasons for the loss of quality requests and orders have been identified. The approach to personnel management of trade enterprises has been offered and the necessity of conducting analytical control of sales, management of interconnected processes as a single stream for effective work have been substantiated. The directions of increase of efficiency of work of sales department, by reduction of time for processing of inquiries, introduction of administrative actions have been defined. The possibility of increasing the company's income by increasing the quality of work of each employee of the sales department has been identified. A system of motivation for sales professionals according to their levels has been proposed: financial motivation (I level), financial and non-financial motivation (II level), promotion of sales managers (III level), providing creative freedom in work and the ability to make decisions in company management ( IV level). In turn, the motivation package should take into account the level of rejection of the order for each manager. At the same time the directions of sales should be taken into account: B2B sales, B2D sales, B2C sales, D2C sales.

The dark side of sales technologies: how technostress affects sales professionals

PurposeThis article evaluates the effect of technostress due to implementation of sales technologies on sales professionals in terms of changes in job satisfaction and role stress and potential mitigation strategies including technostress inhibitors and job commitment.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilizes a survey data collection from sales professionals in B2B consultative roles selling to business customers from construction, industrial supply and business service firms, including items that explore before and after factors around a customer relationship management implementation.FindingsTechnostress results in a decrease in job satisfaction and an increase in role stress of sales professionals. Job commitment moderates the decrease in job satisfaction, i.e. the higher the job commitment the less significant the decrease in job satisfaction.Practical implicationsSales forces need to implement technostress inhibitors to help mitigate the effects of technostress in exacerbating other sales professional stressors. These inhibitors should be contextualized to the unique situation of the sales organization.Originality/valueThe study examines the dark side of sales technologies. Our research expands current understanding by considering new relations among technostress-creating conditions and two work-related outcomes that are salient to sales professionals, namely role stress and job satisfaction. Further, we investigate the change in these outcomes before and after the implementation of sales technologies rather than only considering them at one point of time, after the fact.

Relationship of Collegiate Resiliency to Early Career Success in Professional Sales

This research examines selection and training factors that influence the success of recent college graduates in professional sales careers. The outcomes of this research are positioned within the use of personality traits in the selection process when hiring sales professionals. The results suggest that for recent college graduates, indicators of resiliency are better predictors of early career success. Using comparisons between business and non-business majors, the outcomes show that early career success depends on indications of resiliency and extraversion.

Adaptarea Poppleton Allen Sales Aptitude Test (PASAT2000) în România: Implicaţii privind procesul de evaluare a forţei de vânzări în România

The paper discusses the cultural adaptation of the Poppleton Allen Sales Aptitude Test inRomania, describing the translation and adaptation process, the structure of the Romaniannormative sample and the psychometric characteristics of the Romanian form of the measure.Also, conclusions drawn are discussed regarding implications of the normative sample, in termsof comparisons between certain criterion groups contained in the normative sample, as well as interms of comparisons of the Romanian data regarding the existence of sales aptitudes in bothsales and non-sales professionals, in different industries.