Do salesforce management systems actually drive salesperson intentions?

Rhett Epler, Laurianne Schmitt, David Mathis, Mark Leach and Bryan Hochstein
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Rhett Epler: Old Dominion University, Strome College of Business
Laurianne Schmitt: LEM - Lille économie management - UMR 9221 - UA - Université d'Artois - UCL - Université catholique de Lille - Université de Lille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
David Mathis: The University of Mississippi, School of Business Administration
Mark Leach: UW - University of Wyoming
Bryan Hochstein: Culverhouse College of Business, University of Alabama

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Abstract: The sales management literature suggests that control-based management systems drive sales effectiveness. However, despite prior research on salesforce management systems, inquiry from an experimental perspective is lacking. Previous studies examining salesforce control and capability control have been primarily conducted utilizing cross-sectional data and methodologies that limit assessment of causality. Thus, the objective of our research is to establish causal links of control-based management systems. Specifically, our first study utilizes video-based scenarios to experimentally manipulate the use of an outcome versus activity control system and the use versus non-use of a capability control approach. Four-hundred and ten business-to-business salespeople provide responses for our experiment that demonstrates 1) outcome control systems enhance salesperson selling orientation, 2) activity-based control systems enhance salesperson customer orientation, as well as perceived organizational and supervisor support, and 3) capability control systems enhance adaptive selling and salesperson creativity. To support our experimental findings, a follow-up qualitative study of fourteen sales managers highlights the crucial importance of sales managers as a part of control system effectiveness. Overall, our research contributes by establishing causal links between control-based management systems and salesperson intentions to utilize selling behaviors that improve sales performance.

Date: 2023-08
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Published in Industrial Marketing Management, 2023, 113, pp.42-57. ⟨10.1016/j.indmarman.2023.05.014⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04552504

DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2023.05.014

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