Sales–Supply Chain Management Collaboration: Performance Effects and Boundary Conditions for International Salespeople

Abstract

While interfunctional collaboration remains well-studied within the marketing literature, this research is the first to empirically explore the effects of sales–supply chain management (S-SCM) collaboration among salespeople selling internationally. Survey data from 310 international salespeople provide initial empirical evidence showing that S-SCM collaboration can positively predict international salesperson performance outcomes. To show that the effect is unique and provide rare empirical evidence, the authors simultaneously account for the effects of multiple forms of cross-functional collaboration (i.e., sales–marketing collaboration and sales–research and development collaboration). Matching the survey responses with objective country-level data, the authors also find that the value of S-SCM collaboration varies across countries. In particular, the positive effects of S-SCM collaboration were amplified by logistics capacity (or “logistics friendliness”) at the country level. The study's findings also indicate that the positive performance returns provided by S-SCM collaboration are even stronger for international salespeople focused on customer acquisition (vs. customer retention). Broadly, the study implies that, for optimal firm performance, those who are responsible for managing global supply chains should coordinate activities with those responsible for selling to global customers.