Emotional intelligence and boundary‐spanning behavior among door‐to‐door salespeople

Abstract

AbstractThis study examines the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) on boundary‐spanning behavior, relationship quality, and performance among door‐to‐door salespeople. Data is collected from salespeople and customers of South Korean door‐to‐door cosmetics businesses and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings show that EI positively affects boundary‐spanning behavior. Similarly, boundary‐spanning behavior improves relationship quality, which improves both sales performance and customer satisfaction. This suggests that EI plays an important role in salespeople's boundary‐spanning behavior, thereby enhancing relationship quality, sales performance, and customer satisfaction. Unlike previous studies, this study makes use of actual sales volumes, salespeople's self‐reporting responses, and salespeople's customer‐reporting, which adds to the findings' uniqueness. The present study highlights that EI improves boundary‐spanning behavior, which is vital in developing relationship quality, improving sales performance, and increasing customer satisfaction. The study uses triadic data from door‐to‐door salespeople, customers, and sales organizations extensively, which is unusual in this field.