Salesperson Expertise Research Articles

Grains of Trust: Nurturing Repurchase Intentions With Expertise and Likeability in Rice Sales

This study examines the influence of salesperson likeability and expertise on repurchase intention within the framework of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In the highly competitive SME market, likeability—which goes beyond basic customer service to encompass qualities like relatability and empathy—has become a critical differentiation. Repurchase intention, which denotes consumer happiness and loyalty, is essential to the profitability and expansion of SMEs. The purpose of the study is to ascertain how salesperson expertise and likeability relate to repurchase intention. Using an online survey questionnaire, a sample of Padang, West Sumatera, clients of Beras Charissa is used in this quantitative study. The findings show that likeability and expertise both significantly influence the intention to repurchase. The study emphasizes how crucial likeability-based emotional ties and personal ties are in shaping consumer attitudes and actions. Furthermore, a salesperson’s expertise gives clients confidence, which improves trust and the customer experience. Although skill is still important, the article makes the case that improving a salesperson’s likeability through training that emphasizes customer engagement can boost client loyalty and promote repeat purchase.

수정 IPA를 활용한 와인 공급업체 선정기준에 관한 탐색적 연구

This study was designed to explore wine supplier selection criteria and identify their implicitly derived importance and performance using the revised importance-performance analysis. This study then examined if these results are different based on wine retailer types (on-premise vs. off-premise). For on-premise wine retailers, price competitiveness was found to be the most important factor that wine suppliers have to focus on. In contrast, for off-premise wine retailers, product quality and salesperson expertise were revealed to be important factors that should be concentrated by wine suppliers. In addition, product availability was located in the area of “possible overkill” for both on-premise and off-premise wine retailers. This implies that wine suppliers outperformed to accommodate many different wine products. Based on our findings, several important implications are discussed.

Advancing the marketing‐operations interface in omnichannel retail

Advancing the marketing‐operations interface in omnichannel retail

Key Driver of Repurchase Intention in the Poultry Farming Input Market in Indonesia

Regulatory changes increase the competitiveness of agribusiness input market, thus requiring input supply companies to improve service quality to maintain customer loyalty. This study aims to determine the role of customer comfort, salesperson expertise, and salesperson affection to influence customer satisfaction and delight and the effects on repurchase intention in poultry agribusiness context. Respondents were selected through judgmental sampling method who were the farmers who buy certain brand of poultry input for farm production process. Data were collected through survey using self-reported of questionnaire. The data obtained were tested for validity and reliability and examined by path analysis with Partial Least Square software. The results showed that customer comfort and customer affection influenced customer satisfaction and customer delight. However, salesperson expertise did not influence customer satisfaction and delight. Furthermore, repurchase intention in poultry farming input market was affected by customer satisfaction but not by customer delight. Therefore, it can be concluded that salesperson affection was found as the most important factor and followed by customer comfort to influence repurchase intention behavior through customer satisfaction.

Green marketing as an environmental practice: The impact on green satisfaction and green loyalty in a business‐to‐business context

AbstractMany companies have developed a green marketing strategy, aimed at promoting and selling green environmental products. While the majority of articles on this topic report on studies in a business‐to‐consumer setting, this research focusses on the impact of green marketing strategies on the satisfaction and loyalty of professional buyers in a business‐to‐business setting. Hypotheses were tested with survey data from 148 Dutch professional purchasers in the cleaning industry. The results emphasize the impact and importance of product quality, product price and corporate image. The most notable and strong impact on satisfaction and loyalty was found for the salesperson expertise.

The effect of salesperson’s expertise and salesperson’s likeability through trust mediation (Case study of PT. Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. Brawijaya Malang)

This study focuses on the role of salesperson in increasing<br />repurchase intention through trust that formed between salesperson<br />and customers. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect<br />of salesperson's expertise and salesperson's likeability on trust and<br />repurchase intention. The sample of this study was BNI Brawijaya<br />Malang's customers who received special services from the<br />salesperson (personal banking assistant - PBA) and had a minimum<br />deposit of IDR 500,000,000, - The sample in this study was included<br />in the purposive sampling category and amounted to 140 people.<br />Data analysis through Partial Least Square (PLS) with version 3.0<br />smartPLS. The results of this study indicate that salesperson's<br />expertise has a significant effect on trust and repurchase intention,<br />salesperson's likeability has a significant effect on trust but is not<br />significant in repurchase intention. Trust acts as a partial mediation<br />on the influence of salesperson's expertise on repurchase intention,<br />but acts as a complete mediation on the influence of salesperson's<br />likeability on repurchase intention.

The role of delight in driving repurchase intentions

A channel differentiator for brick-and-mortar retail stores is the availability of salespeople to assist customers directly in their purchase decision. This research considers two aspects of customer interactions with retail salespeople that lead to perceptions of extraordinary service and enhance repurchase intentions: customer comfort and salesperson expertise. Retail customers desire value-added informational assistance from the salesperson to minimize ambiguity associated with the product and to reduce the risk associated with a purchase decision. A retail salesperson needs to make customers feel comfortable so that the customer will share specific needs during the interaction, and the salesperson can recommend appropriate products and services. Our findings reveal that while both customer comfort and salesperson expertise positively influence satisfaction with the salesperson and customer delight, only customer delight leads to repurchase intentions. While satisfaction is a commonly asserted goal for retailers; the present research suggests that in a transaction-based environment, elevated emotions such as customer delight represent a more powerful predictor of repurchase intentions. This research provides evidence of trainable salesperson behaviors that enhance customer perceptions of extraordinary service and offer firms an opportunity for significant performance gains.

The importance of corporate and salesperson expertise and trust in building loyal business-to-business relationships in China

International relationships are critical to business success in this increasingly interdependent world. China is the world’s second largest economy and may soon overtake the United States in the near future. Thus, it becomes important for potential trading partners to understand how to effectively develop and maintain business relationships with this growing economic entity. In this study, we surveyed Chinese business people with purchasing responsibilities to better understand the dynamics of their business-to-business relationships. The data were empirically analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the interrelationship between perceptions of salesperson and corporate expertise, trust and loyalty. The results suggest that trust and expertise play key roles in developing long-term business-to-business associations in China. Managerial implications are discussed and avenues of future research are proposed.

Drivers of sales force equity in the service industry

Based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) model, this paper investigates the drivers of salesperson equity by exploring the mediating role of value added by salespeople in the relationships between salesperson attributes and both sales force loyalty and salesperson equity. A questionnaire was constructed and data were collected on customers served by financial salespeople working at five banks. A structural equation model was used to empirically assess the proposed research model. The empirical results reveal that the two dimensions of value added by the salesperson (enjoyable interaction, perceived risk) partially mediate the relationship between salesperson attributes (expertise, trustworthiness) and customer loyalty to the salesperson. In addition, the relationship between salesperson expertise and salesperson equity is partially mediated by both dimensions of value added by salespeople. However, the two dimensions of value added by salespeople fully mediates the positive relationship between trustworthiness and salesperson equity. Theoretical and managerial implications of the study are addressed.

You don't always get what you want, and you don't always want what you get: An examination of control-desire for control congruence in transactional relationships.

In this research we develop a framework to examine the drivers of customers' desire for control over the sales relationship, and consequences of fit between perceived and desired control. Data collected in a lagged field study of 144 retailer manager (customer)-salesperson dyads were modeled using hierarchical linear modeling and response surface modeling techniques. Results from our analysis reveal that salesperson expertise drives retailers' desire for control in these relationships. In addition, while incongruence in perceived-desired control was negatively associated with both satisfaction and objective sales, retailer satisfaction was higher when both desired and perceived control were high. Further, as desired and perceived control over the sales relationship both increase, product sales initially decrease, and then increase, exhibiting a "U-shaped" effect. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed. These include adaptive sales training to identify misalignment between desired and perceived control, optimization of cocreation strategies, incorporation of interorganizational relational constructs, exploration of triadic social network configurations, examination of unmet expectations, and the implications of assimilation-contrast theory.

한복판매원의 속성이 고객과의 관계의 질과 행동의도에 미치는 영향

Abstract This study shows the importance of human factors in relationship marketing by revealing the influenceof Hanbok salesperson's attributes on relationship quality and long-term relationship orientation at the timewhen a culture is newly understood. A questionnaire surveyed 376 women living around the Seoul andDaejeon Metropolitan areas from February to March 2013. SPSS WIN 20.0 and AMOS 20.0 programs ana-lyzed the gathered data. We review the influence of Hanbok salesperson's attributes (expertise, ethics, com-munication skill, customer orientation, similarity, and likeability) on relationship quality and behavioral in-tention. The research indicates that only customer orientation and Hanbok salesperson's expertise attributesinfluence relationship quality. All the attributes had a positive influence; in addition, the relationship qualityhad a significant influence on customer loyalty. However, communication skill, similarity, and likeability didnot influence relationship quality. Customer orientation, which provides a customized service based on therecognition of individual customer trends and expertise in developing a relationship with customers, are im-portant factors to form relationship quality and loyalty.Key words: Attributes of Hanbok salesperson, Relationship quality, Behavioral intention; 한복판매원의속성, 관계의 질, 행동의도

Effects of ethical sales behaviour, expertise, corporate reputation, and performance on relationship quality and loyalty

This analysis examines the influence of ethical sales behaviour, salesperson expertise, service performance, corporate reputation, and corporate performance on relationship quality and its consequences from multi-level perspectives in order to identify the nature of mix relationships at different levels. A survey with 505 qualified observations from financial institutions' customers in Taiwan was conducted. A structural equation modelling approach was used. Ethical sales behaviour, salesperson expertise, service performance, corporate reputation, and corporate performance, that is, the antecedents of relationship quality, have significant effects on relationship quality. Relationships exist between salespeople and customers, but customers also establish relationship with the retailers themselves. Satisfactory relationship quality has positive effects on commitment and loyalty. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

매스티지 패션 브랜드의 관계마케팅 실행요인이 신뢰, 만족 및 재구매의도에 미치는 영향

This study analyzes how the relationship marketing implement factors of masstige fashion brands influence the trust, satisfaction and repurchase intention of consumers. The survey was conducted from October <TEX>$15^{th}$</TEX> to <TEX>$30^{th}$</TEX> in 2008 with 330 responses used in the data analysis. The statistical analysis methods were frequency analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The results show that the relationship marketing implement factors of masstige fashion brands were customer orientation, salesperson expertise, communication, brand expertise, and inducement. The relationship marketing implement factors of masstige fashion brands influence the trust and satisfaction of consumers. The trust and satisfaction of consumers influence the repurchase intention in the masstige fashion brands.

The effect of trust belief and salesperson's expertise on consumer's intention to purchase nutraceuticals: Applying the theory of reasoned action

The consumer's attitude, subjective norm, and purchase intention were explored based on the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein &amp; Ajzen, 1975). A sample of 334 consumers was surveyed and the results were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results show that a consumer's attitude subjective norm and the salesperson's expertise will facilitate the purchase intention of buying nutraceuticals; the salesperson's expertise and subjective norm can affect the consumer's attitude; and trust belief does not directly affect purchase intention, but rather the consumer's attitude to buying nutraceuticals and the subjective norm.

The Role of Purchase Importance on Buyer Perceptions of the Trust and Expertise Components of Supplier and Salesperson Credibility in Business-To-Business Relationships

The success of business-to-business relationships between sales representatives and buyers depends on many factors. Past literature has indicated that the credibility (trust and expertise) attributed to the sales representative and the sales representative’s firm may significantly affect a number of variables related to this relationship. Little research, however, has been undertaken to determine whether the importance of the purchase decision affects buyer perceptions of the trust and expertise components of credibility. Specifically, the current study investigates whether buyer perceptions of trust and expertise of the salesperson and the company they represent vary by the perceived importance of the purchase decision. Contrary to prevailing thought, the results indicate that buyer perceptions of supplier and salesperson expertise and trust were higher in minimally important purchases than in extremely important purchases.

Relationship Selling in the Meeting Planner/Hotel Salesperson Dyad

Meeting planners can provide hotels with substantial revenue. Yet little empirical research has examined how hotel sales personnel might facilitate generating this business from meeting planners. Employing relationship selling is crucial for hotel salespeople. This article develops a model of and reports the results of a study that examined key relationship selling constructs in a meeting planner/hotel salesperson context. Survey data were collected from a random sample of professional meeting planners in the United States, all members of Meeting Professionals International. Findings suggest that salesperson expertise, willingness, and power have an effect on whether planners intend to perpetuate the relationship with the salesperson. In addition, planners’ perceived trust in the salesperson and satisfaction with the interaction with the salesperson also affect that intention. Managerial and further research implications are offered.

Developing Loyal Customers with a Value-adding Sales Force: Examining Customer Satisfaction and the Perceived Credibility of Consultative Salespeople

The consultative services of business-to-business salespeople are becoming increasingly important to customers when evaluating a supplier's overall value. Thus, a customer evaluation may depend on the salesperson's expertise and trustworthiness; without trust or expertise, customers hesitate to adopt the solutions presented by a salesperson. This study investigates the perceived expertise and trust of a salesperson in a business-to-business context. Findings suggest that both are important to overall customer satisfaction. Furthermore, customer perceptions of a salesperson's power in the supply-firm and perceptions of the quality of interactions with a salesperson were found to be important when developing perceptions of expertise among business customers.

How Salespeople Build Quality Relationships:: A Replication and Extension

This study replicates and extends Crosby, Evans, and Cowles (1990) relationship quality model. It examines the antecedents and consequences of relationship quality between a salesperson and his or her customer using business customers rather than the sample of retail consumers used by Crosby and colleagues. The original study is further extended by the inclusion of equity as a predictor of buyer–salesperson relationship quality. The setting for this replication is a sales environment where a continuous service is sold to business customers. Approximately 1,000 customers responded to the survey instrument. These respondents represent a wide range of organizations including manufacturers, government agencies, retailers, and service firms. Findings from the current study suggest that the Crosby and co-workers model of relationship quality is relatively generalizable to different sales settings. This is indicated by the fit indices for this replication in a business-to-business sales setting AGFI = 0.93; CFI = 0.96; RMR = 0.05. Although our research indicates several differences from those reported in Crosby et al., their results are generally supported. Of the eight possible common relationships tested in the replication, six were significant (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the extension proposed by our research is significant. Equity is shown to be a significant predictor of buyer-salesperson relationship quality. Fit for the extended model is good AGFI = 0.93; CFI = 0.96; RMR = 0.05. The two relationships that were different between our replication and the original study indicate that relationship quality is more important for the business-to-business customer in determining how highly they rate a salesperson than it is for consumers. Furthermore, these findings indicate that individual consumers place greater value on salesperson expertise in determining their evaluation of a salesperson's effectiveness. Overall, the Crosby et al. model exhibits some degree of generalizability in the sales environment investigated in this replication. Implications of the study for building buyer–salesperson relationship are discussed, and suggestions are made concerning for future research topics.