Customer and Selling Orientations of Retail Salespeople and the Sales Manager's Ability-to-Perceive-Emotions: A Multi-Level Approach

Author(s)
Selma Kadić-Maglajlić, Milena Micevski, Maja Arslanagic-Kalajdzic, Nick Lee
Abstract

Drawing from the mental ability framework and information processing theory, two studies embedded within the B2C retail setting investigate the role of the sales manager's ability-to-perceive-emotions in the complex non-linear relationships between salespeople's customer and selling orientations on one side, and its outcomes (sales performance and customer re-purchase intention) on the other. Using multilevel data from salespeople and their managers, Study 1 tests a theoretical model of salesperson orientation and performance, while Study 2 further verifies the results of Study 1 from the customer's perspective. Both studies find strong empirical support for a curvilinear, inverted U-shaped effect of a salesperson's customer orientation on sales performance and customer re-purchase intention. This effect is, however, reversed for the link between selling orientation and performance/re-purchase intention, where results indicate a U-shaped curvilinear relationship. Furthermore, we show that the sales manager's ability to perceive emotions facilitates the effect of salespeople's customer orientation on sales performance.

Organisation(s)
Department of Accounting, Innovation and Strategy
External organisation(s)
University of Sarajevo, University of Warwick
Journal
Journal of Business Research
Volume
80
Pages
53-62
No. of pages
10
ISSN
0148-2963
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.06.023
Publication date
06-2017
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
502052 Business administration, 502019 Marketing
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Marketing
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/customer-and-selling-orientations-of-retail-salespeople-and-the-sales-managers-abilitytoperceiveemotions-a-multilevel-approach(0efcb68c-feee-4d2b-8e95-6a5d1bf50fe8).html