Tom Brashear-Alejandro, Hiram Barksdale, Danny Norton Bellenger, James S. Boles and Channelle James
This paper aims to examine a longitudinal study of mentoring functions and their effect on salesperson attitudes and intentions.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine a longitudinal study of mentoring functions and their effect on salesperson attitudes and intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on a multi-year study of salespeople beginning when the salesperson entered the industry being examined.
Findings
The level of interaction between the mentor and protégé was found to be the only antecedent examined that related to the perceived quality of mentoring functions. Age, education and length of employment for both parties; the degree of age and education difference; and the length of the mentoring relationship were not significant. Successful mentoring appeared to be based heavily on a mentor’s willingness and ability to interact frequently with the protégé.
Originality/value
This study adds to the literature on mentoring, looking at mentoring in a sales context. Research examining mentoring in a sales setting is much more limited than in many other professions, so the findings represent a valuable addition to the sales mentoring literature. Its influence on sales socialization may be very important.
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W. Gary Howard, Heather Howard Donofrio and James S. Boles
This research investigates the relationship between inter‐domain conflict in the form of work‐family conflict and family‐work conflict with various facets of employee job…
Abstract
This research investigates the relationship between inter‐domain conflict in the form of work‐family conflict and family‐work conflict with various facets of employee job satisfaction. The study was conducted among police personnel (n = 119) in a large southeastern state. Results indicate that work‐family conflict is significantly related to satisfaction with job in general, pay, supervision, promotion, work, and co‐workers. Family‐work conflict is not as consistently related to the facets of job satisfaction. In general, as expected, conflict between work‐family is more closely related to employee job satisfaction than conflict between family‐work. Managerial implications are included as well as directions for future theoretical research.
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G. Alexander Hamwi, Brian N. Rutherford and James S. Boles
The purpose of this study is to explore stressors that may influence salespersons' emotional exhaustion and their perception of organizational support.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore stressors that may influence salespersons' emotional exhaustion and their perception of organizational support.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling is used to assess: the effects of role conflict and work‐family conflict on emotional exhaustion; role conflict and role ambiguity's effects on perceived organizational support; and whether perceived organization support is directly or indirectly linked to emotional exhaustion.
Findings
Findings from the study suggest that work‐family conflict and role conflict both significantly affect emotional exhaustion. Work‐family conflict also was found to impact on the relationship between perceived organizational support and emotional exhaustion. Finally, role conflict and role ambiguity were found to have a negative impact on perceived organizational support.
Originality/value
This study provides a foundation for reducing salespersons' emotional exhaustion and provides a method of increasing a salesforce's perception of organizational support.
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Erick T. Byrd, Bonnie Canziani, James S. Boles, Nicholas Carlton Williamson and Sevil Sonmez
The purpose of this study is to examine winery visitors’ use of information sources in making decisions regarding the choice of wineries to visit. Enrichment theory is used as a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine winery visitors’ use of information sources in making decisions regarding the choice of wineries to visit. Enrichment theory is used as a framework for determining how previous experience influences the decision on how much and what type of information individuals will use when planning a trip using wine tourism as the context for the research.
Design/methodology/approach
A visitor study was conducted at 23 wineries in the US Southeast. Data were collected from winery visitors using a structured self-administered questionnaire.
Findings
Results from 832 consumers indicate that an individual’s previous travel systematically influences the number and type of information sources that they will seek out when making future consumer decisions. Findings confirmed the hypothesized expectations about wine tourist information search behavior and help to partially explain the nature of bounded rationality in the case of tourists’ winery visit decisions.
Research limitations/implications
Because the study focused only on winery visitors in the US Southeast, the research results may lack generalizability.
Practical implications
These findings can assist winery owners and destinations with wineries in their promotional efforts. Of major importance is the finding that increases in experiential knowledge from prior travel are monotonically associated with increases in the number of information sources marked to be valuable in selecting a winery. The influence of experience is particularly dramatic in that the mean number of information sources marked to be valuable moves from a low of 2.5 to a high of 10.0 out of 16 as travel experience increases.
Originality/value
The study contributed significant and useful findings that advance the application of enrichment theory to wine tourism. Enrichment theory does not currently differentiate between types of knowledge that enrich a consumer’s ability to more easily encode and use new information. The current study confirms that experiential knowledge is an important knowledge construct in models of bounded rationality.
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John Andy Wood, Julie Johnson, James S. Boles and Hiram Barksdale
The purpose of this research is an examination of three different types of sales approaches (product-, solution- and provocation-based) on relational outcomes. The type of sales…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is an examination of three different types of sales approaches (product-, solution- and provocation-based) on relational outcomes. The type of sales approach influences buyer's assessments about the trustworthiness of the salesperson and the conflict with the salesperson. These outcomes of the sales approach affect the customer's economic and non-economic satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
Using cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 840 organizational buyers, a structural equation model measures the path coefficients of the proposed model and tests the differences in the magnitude based on gender.
Findings
The results indicate that sales approaches will differentially influence assessments of trustworthiness and conflict. The magnitude of the influence of the sales approach on outcomes is different between genders.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first empirical study to examine the impact of sales approaches on both genders of organizational buyers.
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James S. Boles, Hiram C. Barksdale and Julie T. Johnson
Examines the effect of the quality of a salesperson’s relationship with a customer on the likelihood of retaining that customer’s business. Assesses the effects of…
Abstract
Examines the effect of the quality of a salesperson’s relationship with a customer on the likelihood of retaining that customer’s business. Assesses the effects of high/low‐quality buyer‐salesperson relationships on obtaining referrals and recommendations from a customer. Results indicate that buyers who rated the quality of their relationship with their salesperson as above average were more likely to remain. In addition, above average buyer‐salesperson relationships were more likely to generate recommendations and referrals from customers. Suggests that a salesperson’s efforts to build relationships are rewarded by greater customer retention and increased business through referrals and recommendations.
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Alex Hamwi, Brian Nicholas Rutherford, James S. Boles and Ramana K. Madupalli
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of external locus of control on different job characteristic variables – i.e. role conflict, role ambiguity and emotional…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of external locus of control on different job characteristic variables – i.e. role conflict, role ambiguity and emotional exhaustion, in addition to the outcome variable, job satisfaction – in a business-to-business sales setting.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from B2B salespeople were used to test the proposed model using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results indicate that a more external locus of control will be: positively related to role stress factors; indirectly and positively related to emotional exhaustion; and negatively related to job satisfaction.
Originality/value
This study provides a managerially actionable foundation for influencing locus of control to increase a salesperson's satisfaction with his/her position.
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James S. Boles and Hiram C. Barksdale
Examines the responses of national account decision makers to open‐ended questions asking for their views on what salespeople need to do to build relationships, and categorizes…
Abstract
Examines the responses of national account decision makers to open‐ended questions asking for their views on what salespeople need to do to build relationships, and categorizes the results. Eight categories of responses were found. These categories address a number of salesperson behaviors and attitudes ‐ some of which have not been empirically examined in the sales literature. Based on the findings of this study, presents managerial and theoretical implications of these results and implications for future research into buyer‐seller relationships.
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Jing Yang, Thomas G. Brashear Alejandro and James S. Boles
This paper aims to understand how organizational and interpersonal relationships influence selling centers, and how to form an effective selling center to establish cooperation…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to understand how organizational and interpersonal relationships influence selling centers, and how to form an effective selling center to establish cooperation among the functional departments to satisfy customer needs.
Design/methodology/approach
The selling center and social capital literatures are reviewed. A social network perspective is employed to explore the internal and external relationships of corporate selling centers.
Findings
Building upon social capital literature and team literature, the authors propose that selling center performance is influenced by its internal and external social capital. Social capital influences selling center performance through facilitating knowledge transfer and absorption within and across the selling center.
Practical implications
The findings help sales managers diagnose the problems of the social networks among their selling center members, to improve their selling center performance in the future.
Originality/value
The paper investigates the relationships among social capital, knowledge transfer and absorption and team performance in the selling center context. By considering both intra‐firm relationships and inter‐firm relationships, this study provides a relatively complete picture of selling center performance and adds knowledge to the field.