This study examined the relationship between personality dimensions and supervisory ratings of job performance, in a sales context in Sweden. A sample of 34 telesales workers, employed at two major telecom companies, completed the NEO PI-3 (McCrae & Costa, 2010). As hypothesized, it was found that Extroversion, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism correlated moderately with job performance. In line with past research, this suggests that individuals, who display high levels of Extroversion and Conscientiousness, as well as low levels of Neuroticism, perform better in sales related occupations. Unlike hypothesized, no correlation was found between job performance and Agreeableness and Openness to Experience. Additional computations indicated the importance of specific sub dimensions of Extroversion and Conscientiousness in respect to job performance. Practical implications in respect to recruitment and directions of future research are discussed.

Yes / Purpose - Although recent literature has examined diverse measures adopted by SMEs to navigate the COVID-19 turbulence, there is a shortage of evidence on how crisis-time strategy creation behaviour and digitalization activities increase (1) sales and (2) cash flow. Thus, predicated on novel strategy creation perspective, this inquiry investigates the crisis behaviour, sales and cash flow performance of 528 SMEs in Morocco. Design/Methodology/Approach - Novel links between (1) aggregate wage cuts, (2) variable operating hours, (3) deferred payment to suppliers, (4) deferred payment to tax authorities and (5) sales performance are developed and tested. A further link between sales performance and cash flow is also examined and the analysis is performed using a non-linear structural equation modelling technique. Findings - While there is a significant association between the strategy creation behaviours and sales performance, only variable operating hours have a positive effect. Also, sales performance increases cash flow and this relationship is substantially strengthened by e-commerce digitalization and innovation. Originality/Value – Theoretically, this is one of the first inquiries to espouse the strategy creation view to explain SMEs’ crisis-time behaviour and digitalization. For practical use, to supplement Moroccan SMEs’ propensity to seek tax deferrals, it is argued that debt and equity support measures are also needed to boost sales performance and cash flow.

This exploratory study builds on previous sales leadership research by examining, comparing, and contrasting sales leaders’ and sales representatives’ perceptions of what leadership behaviours enable salesperson performance. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sales teams in a global enterprise software company. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed and statements coded into categories of leadership behaviours. Overall the sales professionals perceived the leadership behaviours of coaching, collaborating, championing, customer engaging, challenging, and creating vision enable salesperson performance. References were also made to candidate recruiting, inspiring and rewarding, however these were less frequent. Sales leaders and sales representatives agreed that coaching, collaborating, championing and customer engaging enable salesperson performance, however sales leaders spoke more about coaching, creating vision and candidate recruiting, while sales representatives spoke more about collaborating, championing, customer engaging and challenging. High performing sales representatives referred to coaching and customer engaging behaviours more frequently than average and low performing sales representatives, indicating the importance of these behaviours. Respondents also revealed that the intense pressure to deliver quarterly results made leadership challenging in this environment. This may account for the difference between sales leadership behaviours and leadership behaviours identified in the literature. This study suggests that a high pressure complex sales context might influence the type of leadership behaviours that may be best suited to enable salesperson performance. This study contributes to the field by providing a framework of the sales leadership behaviours perceived to enable salesperson performance, providing confirmation that sales leaders adopt previously identified leadership behaviours in the sales context, and the identification of new leadership behaviours specific to the sales context. It also presents evidence that trust, confidence, optimism and resilience are potential mediators between sales leadership and salesperson performance, and it provides a set of implications for practice.

Available as part of the thesis.

A study of Elite Salespeople (ES), those salespeople who maintain and sustain consistent high performance in the sales task was completed to discover and understand elite salesperson behavior. Analysis of participants' responses to structured depth interview questions led to the emergence of a construct called a Selling Orientation (SO). SO is made up of behaviors that guide salespeople to build, maintain, and monitor their personal credibility both with customers and industry members, as well as within the company. A number of field pre-tests were performed to derive a measurement scale for SO. This process was followed by a field survey that measured SO in a sales force. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess the validity of the measurement scale and results support internal consistency and construct validity of a short 9 item scale for SO. This study advances the understanding of sales performance related theory by illuminating attributes of ES's. Additionally, this study introduces the concept of a Selling Orientation that is associated with high sales performance and key account management. Finally, the study introduces a measurement scale useful in the study of salespeople's selling orientation.

To meet global competition many companies have reorganized work process systems, eliminated management levels, formed employee work groups and implemented variable compensation systems. This study investigated the effect of group incentives on individual sales performance in two specialty shops located in a large metropolitan hotel. Two questions were addressed: What effect would adding a group bonus plan have on individual employee's sales performance who had previously received hourly wages in one shop; and, what effect would changing an individual incentive plan to a group plan have on the individual employee's sales performance in the other shop. In one shop 5 of 7 employees' productivity increased: in the other, 1 of 3 subjects' productivity increased. Contingencies in both shops are analyzed and suggestions offered for future research.

Market orientation has been primarily studied as a set of firm-level behaviours linked to the: generation of, dissemination of, and responsiveness to market intelligence (market-oriented behaviours). However, it has rarely been studied under an organisational culture perspective; the investigations that have conceptualised and operationalised market-oriented organisational cultures have overlooked a market-oriented managerial mind-set dimension. A concept to help address this research gap is the firm s dominant logic, which highlights the degree to which managers assumptions are manifested into their corporate cultures. The firm s dominant logic is integrated with the market orientation literature to conceptualise and operationalise the customer value-oriented dominant logic (CVODL) construct. The CVODL construct is defined as the extent to which managers assume that creating customer value should drive performance. The CVODL construct contributes to the marketing literature by extending current conceptualisations and operationalisations of market-oriented organisational cultures through a managerial mind-set viewpoint. This doctoral study examines the link between a CVODL and managers making resource investments into the departments of their corporations that they perceive to create value for their customers (an alternative to market-oriented behaviours). Functional resource investments are studied as an alternative form of implementing the marketing concept than market-oriented behaviours. A conceptual framework was developed to conceptualise the antecedents and consequences of the CVODL under the dynamic managerial capabilities perspective. The conceptual framework was tested using a multi-industry and national-level sample of American corporations, through structural equation modelling (SEM). These results show that a CVODL drives different forms of implementing the marketing concept, namely, intelligence responsiveness and CVO functional resource investments, both of which were positively related to sales performance. The results also highlight a new driver of market-oriented behaviours under the dynamic managerial capabilities perspective. This doctoral thesis helps managers to foster a market-oriented organisational culture, as well as investigating the ways in which such corporate cultures can drive sales performance. Limitations and avenues of future research are also discussed.

本研究只在探討壽險行銷人員之人格特質，以提供壽險公司在招募銷人員時，一個遵循的工具。本研究探求下列三各問題： 1.壽險行銷人員的人格特質與其銷售績效有無顯著差異？ 2.壽險行銷人員的人格特質與其人口統計變數有無顯著差異？ 3.壽險行銷人員的人口統計變數與其銷售績效有無顯著差異？本研究以判斷抽樣法，收集475個有效樣本，經相關分析，變異數分析及卡方檢定進行研究後，得到以下結論。 1.男性、已婚、26-35歲、大專、一年以上年資及以前有推銷經驗者，一般而言，有較高的銷售績效。 2.整體而言，聰慧富才識、情緒穩定、有恆負責、冒險敢為、信賴隨和及心平氣和者，有較高的銷售績效。 3.現行壽險市場，行銷人員多具有樂群外向、敏感、信賴隨和之人格特質，且擁有女性、已婚、26-40 歲、高中、2年以上年資及無推銷經驗的人口統計變數，銷售績效大致是2-6萬月收入，達成率 80%以下及繼續率90%以上。

This study is to discuss the correlation between customer orientation, customer satisfaction and sales performance, also discuss the mediating effect of customer satisfaction and moderating effects of customer¡¦s personality of salesperson in the animal health industry. ¡§Customer-oriented¡¨ selling can be viewed as the practice of the marketing concept at the level of the individual salesperson and customer. The marketing concept requires an organization to determine the needs of a target market and adapt itself to satisfying those needs better than its competitors. In the marketing concept, all parts of an organization are oriented toward solving customer problems and meeting the needs of the marketplace. ¡§Customer-oriented¡¨ selling is directed toward providing customer satisfaction and establishing mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with its market. The conclusions of this study and significant to the management are presented as follows: 1.Customer satisfaction and sales performance are significantly related to the practice of customer-oriented selling. 2.Customer satisfaction is significantly related to sales performance. 3.The mediating effect of customer satisfaction is significantly related to sales performance. 4.The interaction between customer personality types (as measured by the MBTI) and customer-orientation were not found to have significant influence. 5.Salespeople might improve customer satisfaction and their performance if they attempted to solve customer problems and meet their needs. 6.Understand the different personal-approach needs of the customers can maintain loyalty and long-term customers and increase sales effectiveness.

Because of the economic depression in 2008, many corporations laid off employees to decrease their salary cost. By doing so, companies could only reduce their expenditure but could not increase their income. It is more important and might be the best strategy to tap new resources and economize on expense at the same time. Therefore, more companies started to pay much attention to promote their products, and to place importance on salespeople. The objective is to discuss the relationship between personality, sales skill, selling-customer orientation and sales performance of part-time salespeople. This thesis is conducted through opinion survey, relied by part-time salespeople in integrated marketing company; the findings of the thesis can be summarized as follows: 1.The ¡§big five model¡¨ impacts ¡§sales skill¡¨ positively. 2.The ¡§big five model¡¨ impacts ¡§selling orientation¡¨ positively, and impacts ¡§customer orientation¡¨ partially. 3.The ¡§big five model¡¨ impacts the ¡§sales performance¡¨ partially. 4.¡§Sales skill¡¨ impacts the ¡§sales performance¡¨ positively. 5.¡§Selling-customer orientation¡¨ impacts the ¡§sales performance¡¨ positively.