Effective Sales Management: What Do Sales People Think?

Abstract

Recent research in the sales literature has begun to investigate the traits and performance characteristics of effective sales managers (i.e., Deeter-Schmelz, Goebel and Kennedy 2008; Deeter-Schmelz, Kennedy, and Goebel 2002). Those efforts have attempted to fill a gap in the sales literature related to sales manager effectiveness that is not fully explored by previous research on sales manager job satisfaction (e.g., Kantak, Futrell, and Sager 1992) and the sales manager/salesperson relationship (e.g., Brashear et al. 2003; Castleberry and Tanner 1986; Dubinsky 1999; Martin and Bush 2006). Understanding the salient factors leading to sales manager effectiveness is important because of the vast influence sales managers have on virtually all aspects of the salesperson’s job responsibilities and her/his job outcomes (cf. Brashear et al. 2003; Castleberry and Tanner 1986; Dubinsky 1999; Evans et al. 2002; Guest and Meric 1989; Sager, Yi, and Futrell 1998). In addition, extant research undertaken to investigate sales manager effectiveness by Deeter-Schmelz et al., (2002, 2008) have utilized a research methodology, value-laddering, that can be described as more qualitative in nature and not appropriate for making statistical inferences. The purpose of the current study is to expand this nascent research base by investigating a key set of constructs and relationships that have been linked to sales manager effectiveness. Specifically, drawing from the hierarchical value map derived from salesperson responses in Deeter-Schmelz, Kennedy, and Goebel (2008) this study tests the relationships between salesperson – sales manager communication and important salesperson outcomes.