Effectiveness of Varying Sales Style on Consumer Orientations

Abstract

Using the role-play technique, the effect of four different sales orientations on customers with four different need patterns was examined by the authors. In a factorial design, product-centred,company-centred, customer-centred and self-centred salespersons interacted with strong need, marginal need, no need, and negative need consumers, attempting to sell a radio set. Neither the salesperson nor the customer was aware of the other's orientation. The study was conducted separately on the two different samples: three groups of salespersons and three groups of students with eight persons in each group. Results indicated that product-centred salespersons made a more positive impact on consumers followed by the customercentred and the company-centred salespersons. Self-centred salespersons made a relatively low impact. Furthermore, product-centred salespersons made a greater impact on low need customers while company-centred salespersons made a greater impact on high-need customers. Customercentred salespersons showed more consistency in the impact they made than the other three types of salespersons, indicating that they are likely to be consistently effective irrespective of the need patterns or customers.