Proactive behavior and industrial salesforce performance

Abstract

Proactive behavior has been indirectly linked to effective selling, an assertion underpinned by a logic, which states that in a world of high competition and choice, the passive, reactive seller is unlikely to do as well as his or her more proactive counterpart. Yet, little direct empirical evidence exists to substantiate this link. In this paper, we address this knowledge gap by describing a study that assesses the effect of proactive behavior on the performance of an industrial sales force. The paper explores the issue of salesperson performance and the construct of proactive behavior (or proactiveness). Using the Proactive Personality (PP) Scale to measure proactiveness and the line manager's subjective evaluation to indicate salesperson performance, it was found that a small but significant relationship exists. The results are discussed, with areas for future research delineated and implications for practitioners explored.