Salesforce Control Systems Research Articles

Modeling the influence of management control system and ambidextrous behavior on B2B customer relationships: a job demand-resource perspective

PurposeService–sales ambidexterity (SSA) offers sales managers crucial information about dealing with customer service failures through an effective management control system. This study aims to scrutinize the relationships among SSA, salesforce control system, salesperson’s role stressors and service recovery performance (SRP) in the business-to-business (B2B) context.Design/methodology/approachAn analysis is conducted based on survey data collected from 586 B2B sales employees participating in an extensive survey. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the proposed hypotheses.FindingsEmpirical findings suggest that behavior-based control harms SSA. On the other hand, outcome-based control has a positive impact on SSA. The research outcomes further disclose that SSA positively impacts salesperson role conflict and emotional fatigue, whereas emotional fatigue negatively impacts SRP. Salesperson resilience notably moderates the association between SSA and emotional fatigue.Originality/valueThe study addresses there is a dearth of research on SSA applying the sales management control system. When studying about ambidexterity in sales context, many supervisory styles have been explored; however, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic attempt to understand how sales management control systems play a role in SSA.

The interplay between behavior-based salesforce control systems and salesperson’s creative performance: a closer look at salesperson’s work engagement

The interplay between behavior-based salesforce control systems and salesperson’s creative performance: a closer look at salesperson’s work engagement

The Efficacy of Salesforce Control Systems: Their Impact on the Pharmaceutical Industry in India

The salesforce control system plays an important role in salesforce performance and organization effectiveness. This study investigates the influence of behaviour-based and outcome-based control systems on eight performance-related variables. Data have been collected from sales executives of pharmaceutical companies in India on the basis of a self-administered survey. A standardized close-ended survey instrument was utilized to gather the data. Post screening, a usable sample of 346 responses was analysed by employing partial least square structural equation modelling. The results indicate that although both kinds of salesforce control systems are acceptable, the behaviour-based one appears to be slightly better. Academic and managerial implications are discussed in this article.

A new perspective on behavior-based sales control system and salespersons’ job outcomes: an outbound pharmaceutical sales perspective

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the direct effect of the behavior-based sales control system on job outcomes: salesperson’s performance and turnover intentions. The current study also intends to integrate these two streams by conceptualizing work engagement as a mediating variable between behavior-based sales control systems and salespersons’ job outcomes in the pharmaceutical sales context.Design/methodology/approachData was collected through multi-stage stratified random sampling from a sample of 619 salespersons working in 20 pharmaceutical firms (multinational and national) through self-administered questionnaires.FindingsThe structural equation model yielded results indicating that the behavior-based sales control system was positively related to salespersons’ work engagement and negatively to turnover intentions while the relationship between the behavior-based sales control system and salespersons’ job outcomes was mediated by work engagement.Originality/valueTwo relatively separate lines of investigation have appeared in academic literature. The first line centered on sales force control systems and salespersons’ related consequences, whereas the second line of investigation emphasizes work engagement and its consequences. Although both lines are important, a diminutive research effort has been made to join these two different lines of investigation in sales management, specifically, in the pharmaceutical context. Focusing on this, the current research explores the role of an unexplored construct of work engagement in a pharmaceutical sales context. Second, it addresses the need to identify additional mediating variables to clarify the inconsistent relationship between sales control systems and job outcomes, such as job performance and turnover intentions.

Managing ambiguity: salesperson bricolage behavior and its organizational determinants

Bricolage – a term that implies resourcefulness – is a construct with a long history in anthropology, design, management, and entrepreneurship, among other fields. Our study is one of the first to apply the bricolage concept to better understand the behaviors of salespeople. Overall, findings from our multi-study, multi-method approach (combining survey methodology and a scenario-based experiment with video manipulations) indicate that salesperson bricolage behaviors are desirable and can be developed in a sales force. More specifically, in Study 1, we leverage Job Demands-Resources Theory and survey data from 405 business-to-business (B2B) salespeople and find that salesperson bricolage behaviors can effectively mitigate the predictably negative impacts of role ambiguity on sales performance. In Study 2, we leverage Self-Determination Theory and an experimental design with 181 B2B salespeople and provide initial evidence regarding salesperson bricolage behaviors’ organizational determinants (i.e. sales force control system combinations). Study 2 indicates that capability control interacted synergistically with outcome control and antagonistically with activity control in predicting bricolage behaviors. Taken together, findings from the two studies indicate that bricolage behaviors are both beneficial and manageable, warranting continued study in the sales literature.

Unleashing the mechanism among salesforce control system, salesforce ambidexterity, and emotional exhaustion to enhance the competitive advantage of organizations.

The service-sales interaction should be aligned within and outside the organization, but many companies are not harvesting the benefits of this technique. In line with the conservation of resources (COR) theory, the current research investigates the impact of the salesforce control system on salesforce ambidexterity (service and sales interface), which eventually leads to emotional exhaustion service-related performance outcomes. We assess the proposed model using cross-sectional data of 321 Pakistani salespeople from B2B organizations and employ structural equation modeling for data analysis purposes. First, the study results show that behavior-based control has an inverse influence on salesforce ambidexterity. On the other hand, outcome-based control is positively associated with salesforce ambidexterity. In addition, salesforce ambidexterity is positively linked with emotional exhaustion. However, emotional exhaustion has a negative impact on both service innovation implementation and service recovery performance. Finally, the results demonstrate the significant and positive moderating influence of self-efficacy and customer demandingness between exogenous and endogenous constructs. The study is particularly important to B2B sales organizations struggling with the difficulties of salesforce ambidexterity and how they control their sales representatives.

Effect of Salesforce Control System and Supervisory Behaviour on Job Satisfaction of Salespeople:A Review of Studies

A salesforce control system is an organization's process to monitor, direct, evaluate and reward salespeople (Anderson and Oliver, 1987). It has an impact on salesforce job satisfaction, job performance as well as on the results achieved by the organization. Due to its importance in affecting salespeople and organizational variables, sales organizations are making efforts to choose the right kind of salesforce control system (either behaviour based or outcome based or hybrid salesforce control system). Moreover, the other factor that is closely related to salesforce control system and which has important influence on salesforce characteristics like job satisfaction is supervisory behaviour of sales managers. This paper contributes by making an attempt to analyze the effect of salesforce control system as well as sales manager supervisory behaviour on job satisfaction of salespeople.The analysis is based on the review of studies taken from the period 1976 to 2014.Based on the findings of the review, research implications are stated.

Salesforce output control and customer-oriented selling behaviours

PurposeThis study sets out to empirically investigate the effect of salesforce output control on perceived job autonomy, customer-oriented selling behaviours and sales performance.Design/methodology/approachData are gathered from 704 salespeople and their visiting customers in Ghana. The hypotheses are tested using the structural equations modelling technique (SEM).FindingsAccording to the findings of the study, output control has a significant and positive impact on perceived job autonomy. It also discovers that perceived job autonomy improves both customer-directed problem solving and adaptive selling behaviours. Furthermore, the study finds that customer-directed problem solving and adaptive selling behaviours both improve sales performance. Moreover, the study uncovers that perceived job autonomy mediates the relationship between output control and customer-oriented selling behaviours, whereas both customer-oriented selling behaviours mediate the relationship between perceived job autonomy and sales performance.Practical implicationsThe current study provides both practical and theoretical insights into salesforce control dynamics, job autonomy, adaptive selling behaviour, customer-directed problem-solving behaviour and sales performance. The findings have important implications for sales organisations because they can assist sales managers in determining the best type of salesforce control systems to deploy and highlight the strategic role job autonomy plays in enhancing sales performance.Originality/valueThe current study shows how output control can influence salespeople's perceived job autonomy, adaptive selling and customer-directed problem-solving behaviours, and how these can improve sales performance.

Does service-sales ambidexterity matter in business-to-business service recovery? A perspective through salesforce control system

Service-sales ambidexterity has recently been presented as a modern type of ambidexterity. Despite the huge prominence of ambidexterity's antecedents, literature has overlooked the influence of salesforce control system on service-sales ambidexterity that may turn into service-related performance outcomes. This research examines three main research questions: (1) whether behavior-based and outcome-based control directly predicts service-sales ambidexterity; (2) how service-sales ambidexterity affects service recovery performance and service innovation capabilities; (3) how the relationship among antecedents and outcomes of service-sales ambidexterity shaped by the interaction effect of manager trust in salesperson and resistance to change. We tested our research framework using a sample of 344 sales employees. The findings advocate that behavior-based control have a negative impression on service-sales ambidexterity. In contrast, outcome-based control has a substantial positive impact on service-sales ambidexterity. The study findings also demonstrate the positive influence of service-sales ambidexterity on both service innovation capability and service recovery performance. The present research found that manager trust in salesperson and resistance to change played a significant moderating role between antecedents and outcomes. This study contributes to several literatures and recommends future direction for researchers and practitioners.

Formal salesforce control mechanisms and behavioral outcomes

PurposeThe current study aims to empirically examine the impact of formal salesforce control systems on salespeople and customer behavior.Design/methodology/approachData are collected from 704 salespeople and their respective visiting customers (704) in Ghana. The suggested hypotheses are tested through the structural equation (SEM) modeling technique.FindingsThe study results show that all three formal control mechanisms have positive and significant effects on customer-directed problem-solving and adaptive selling behaviors. Similarly, the study finds that salespeople's customer-directed problem-solving behavior increases, respectively, customer-directed opportunism and relationship continuity. Adaptive selling behavior also has significant positive effects on both customer-directed opportunism and relationship continuity, respectively.Practical implicationsThe study offers practical and theoretical insights into understanding salesforce control dynamics, customer-directed opportunism, adaptive selling behavior, customer-directed problem-solving behavior and continuity of relationships. The results also have significant consequences for sales organizations as they can help sales managers decide on the best form of salesforce control systems to deploy.Originality/valueThe current research demonstrates how control mechanisms can influence both adaptive selling and customer-directed problem-solving behaviors and how these could generate both customer-directed opportunism and relationship continuity.

Salesforce control systems: a review of studies

Salesforce control systems: a review of studies

Exploring the organizational factors affecting salesforce ethical behavior: a review-based article

The selling environment is becoming more and more competitive and organizations are trying to gain edge over the other companies. Producing quality goods is not enough. In such a scenario, organizations are trying to make improvements in their salesforce which can be made by making them more ethical. Therefore, it becomes important for the organization to know the factors affecting salesforce ethical behavior. This paper makes an attempt in this regard and explores the organizational antecedents of salesforce ethical behavior. The findings of the review reveal that there are various organizational factors which have an impact on salesforce ethical behavior such as compensation plan, quota, top management, code of ethics, salesforce control system, ethical climate, and ethics training. Based on the findings, the implications and directions for future research are stated.

Thirty years of research on salesforce control systems and sales territory designs: An update on progress and research gaps

Sales territory design is an important component of a sales organisation as it is associat ed with salesperson incentives, performance, job satisfaction and overall effectiveness of the organisation. Sales literature suggests that salesforce control systems are likely to have a strong impact on sales territory design. Therefore, this study makes an attempt to analyse the impact of two types of salesforce control system, behaviour-based and outcome-based salesforce control systems, on sales territory design and also the impact of sales territory design on salesforce performance and sales organisation effectiveness. The paper is based on a review of studies published between 1987 and 2018, and reveals that a behaviour-based control system is more positively related to satisfaction with sales territory design than an outcome-based salesforce control system. These findings hold important implications for sales organisations as they will help sales managers in choosing the right kind of salesforce control system.

Salesforce control systems: A review of studies

Salesforce is one of the main assets of any organisation. As salesforce is controlled by a control system, it is important to know what kind of impact a salesforce control system has on the salesforce. This paper contributes to the salesforce control literature by providing a comprehensive review based on research published in the area of salesforce control system in the last 43 years (1975-2018). The objectives of this review are to examine the chronological trends in the area of salesforce control system research in terms of research focus, research methods, research type, geographical region, etc. Most of the studies included in our review have concluded that the salesforce control systems (behaviour-based and outcome-based) have different impact on salesforce characteristics, sales territory design, salesforce performance and sales organisation effectiveness. The study has important implications for sales organisations.

Clustering the mediators between the sales control systems and the sales performance using the AMO model: A narrative systematic literature review

Purpose: To identify all types of sales force control systems in the academic literature, and to cluster the mediators between these controls and the performances, according to the AMO model (abilities, motivations, and opportunities), analysing how each of these three groups of mediators are influenced by control systems, and how they impact on the sales performance, using a systematic literature review]Design/methodology/approach: Scientific papers published during the last 32 years, using as databases: Business Source Premier (EBSCO), Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Business, Management and Social Sciences were taken as selection fields. False positives identification, exclusions after reading the abstracts, and after reading the whole article, was performed by the authors by consensus. 114 articles of the initial selection of non-repeated references, together with 28 additional citations integrated the final selection.Findings: A new framework based on a grouping of mediators between the control systems and the performances, into abilities, motivations and capabilities is proposed. Originality/value: As academic result, the review highlights that all three groups from the AMO model evidence positive impacts on sales performance when a behavioral control system (mostly from the capability part) is in use, by enhancing salesperson’s skills, motivation, and organizational conditions and support, fostering as a result, a salesperson relational approach and a customer orientation, which generate the best outcomes in the long term. These findings suggest as a managerial contribution, that coaching and leading -rather than commanding- to be a more appropriate control attitude, especially when the salesperson is younger or unexperienced.

영업통제시스템(SFCs)이 영업사원의 영업성과에 미치는 영향과 메커니즘에 관한연구 : 리더-구성원의 교환관계와 팀 지원분위기의 매개효과 검증

영업통제시스템(SFCs)이 영업사원의 영업성과에 미치는 영향과 메커니즘에 관한연구 : 리더-구성원의 교환관계와 팀 지원분위기의 매개효과 검증

Relationships between salesforce control systems and salesforce performance: A review of studies

Relationships between salesforce control systems and salesforce performance: A review of studies

Salesperson performance: role of perceived overqualification and organization type

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of perceived overqualification (POQ) on salesperson performance.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 120 usable samples were collected from surveying sales representatives and their sales supervisors from 48 different Indian pharmaceutical firms.FindingsThe results indicated that sales personnel with POQ perform well: in prospector and analyzer type organizations as compared to in defender and reactor type organizations, and when controlled by the outcome-based control system than when controlled by the behavior-based control system.Practical implicationsThis study suggests that “person-job” fit criteria used in personnel selection should also consider environmental variables (organization type and control mechanisms) for better job outcomes. The results of the study would enable an organization to assess whether its reward systems and levels are getting the desired impact from sales personnel with different levels of POQ in terms of salesperson performance.Originality/valueUsing “person-job” fit theory, this study examined the role of organization type and sales force control system as moderators of “POQ – Salesperson Performance” relationships and explains how organizations can benefit from enhancing sales performance of salespersons with POQ.

PENGARUH KOMPETENSI TENAGA PENJUALAN, KUALITAS HUBUNGAN DAN SISTEM KONTROL TERHADAP KINERJA TENAGA PENJUALAN (STUDI KASUS PADA PT. BRI CABANG SOLOK)

This research is intended to see how the influence of sales force competence, relationship quality and control system to salesperson performance (case study at PT BRI, Branch Solok). The population and sample in this study used a saturated sample in which all employees account officers (AO), amounting to 60 people. From the result of this research, it can be found that sales competence variable (X1), quality of relationship (X2) and control system (X3) have positive and significant salesperson performance (Y) with significant level is 0,000. The magnitude of the influence of sales force competence (X1), relationship quality (X2) and control system (X3) on salesperson performance (Y) is 0,307 (R2 = 30,7%).

The Consequences of Behaviour Based and Outcome Based Salesforce Control Systems: A Review Based Article

The Consequences of Behaviour Based and Outcome Based Salesforce Control Systems: A Review Based Article