The Influence of Marketers' Capabilities, Compensation, and Career Development on Persistence and Its Implications for the Performance of Marketers of Agricultural Production Facilities in East Java

Abstract

Purpose: Agricultural product salespeople have a role in helping companies sell agricultural products and helping farmers become more productive. This study aims to examine the effect of marketers' capabilities and compensation on marketers' persistence and its implications for the performance of agricultural production facilities marketers in East Java. Theoretical framework: This research is based on the individual performance of marketing personnel which is driven by marketer capability, compensation, and career development mediated by marketer persistence. The proposed model is built with three exogenous variables, one intervening variable and one endogenous variable. Design/ methodology/approach: This research was conducted using a quantitative method based on a cross-sectional survey design. The unit of analysis in this study is the sales force of agricultural production facilities in East Java. The research sample is the sales force of agricultural production facilities in East Java who have worked at least two years in a shop of agricultural production facilities. Sampling was conducted using the proportional random sampling method technique and taken from 235 respondents. The data were then processed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings: The results revealed that the performance of marketers of agricultural production facilities in East Java is dominantly built by the persistence of marketers which is dominantly formed by the capabilities of marketers, followed by compensation, and career development. Increasing marketers' capabilities will increase marketers' persistence which has an impact on improving marketers' performance. Compensation also plays a role in building marketers' persistence which has an impact on improving marketers' performance, but its role is smaller than marketers' capabilities. As for career development, it will only have an impact on improving the performance of marketers if marketers have persistence. Research, Practical & Social Implications: The results of this study can be used as input for managers of agricultural production facilities in East Java in their efforts to improve company performance through improving the performance of marketers, by increasing the persistence of marketers, which can be built through efforts to develop marketers' capabilities, and supported by the preparation of an attractive compensation system, and the preparation of an effective career development program. The capabilities of marketers especially need to be built so that marketers have high persistence, especially in terms of closure-focused persistence.