Charles H. Schwepker

Improving sales performance through ethics: The relationship between salesperson moral judgment and job performance

This study examines the relationship between salespeoples moral judgment and their job performance. Results indicate a positive relationship between moral judgment and job performance when certain characteristics are present. Implications for sales managers and sales researchers are provided. Additionally, directions for future research are given.

The impact of sales quotas on moral judgment in the financial services industry

Because salespeople operating under an outcome‐based control system are likely to be motivated by self‐interest, sales quotas are believed to drive salespeople to perform unethical behavior, particularly if this behavior is deemed necessary to achieve quota. Accordingly, this article examines the relationship between perceived quota difficulty and moral judgment. Two factors potentially moderating this relationship, ethical climate and consequences for not making quota, are also considered, as well as the influence of market attractiveness and self‐efficacy on quota difficulty. The analysis indicates a significant relationship between quota difficulty and moral judgment when salespeople foresee negative consequences for failing to achieve quota. Further, self‐efficacy and market attractiveness affected perceived quota difficulty. Implications of the study are offered.

Sales Quotas: Unintended Consequences on Trust in Organization, Customer-Oriented Selling, and Sales Performance

Despite a growing strategic, operational, and research spotlight on relational building and retention in recent years, practitioners must balance this vision with commonly critical selling practices and needs (i.e., obtain sales quota while building and retaining customer relationships). In such an environment, this paper proposes that marketers can prosper if they more fully understand the connections between sales quotas and other important organizational issues (i.e., trust in the organization, customer-oriented selling, and sales performance). The significance of sales quotas as a directing force has been noted by researchers and practitioners for some time. Yet beyond their obvious influence (e.g., as sales goals), little is understood as to what extent these frequently utilized performance objectives connect and impact other critical organizational issues within the selling group. Using a sample of 345 business-to-business salespeople, this study explores how the application of sales quotas have far-reaching organizational implications, beyond goal setting and reward mechanisms, to include issues of organizational trust, customer-oriented selling, and sales performance. To explore these connections, a model grounded in both sales force control theory and goal-setting theory is developed and then tested using structural equation modeling. The results suggest that perceptions of quota difficulty are negatively related to salespeoples trust in the organization and their sales performance, and trust in the organization positively affects customer-oriented selling, which positively affects sales performance. Detailed managerial implications and research opportunities offered by the findings are presented.

Social media usage: an investigation of B2B salespeople

A great deal has been written recently in the practitioner press about the strategic importance and usage of social media. However, as practitioners only release limited information about the internal advantages such a tool provides, research in this emerging field remains extremely limited about its usage in the sales area. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically assess a model of social media usage among business-to-business (B2B) salespeople. A survey of 273 B2B salespeople was conducted and then analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results support the hypothesized model suggesting that age negatively affects social media usage, while social media norms positively affect it. Social media usage positively affects sales performance. Customer-oriented selling was not found to be positively related to social media usage, but does have a positive effect on sales performance. This study was conducted by e-mail, and as a result, there might be an existing bias towards respondents who already embrace some usage of an online communication method, indicating overall usage, acceptance, and application of social media may be lower than reported. A potential research agenda offers opportunities for both theoretical development and empirical assessment in social media research. The findings provide an important foundation to advance academic sales research and demonstrate a needed understanding of how to operationally utilize social media to improve outcome performance. This is one of the few studies empirically examining social media usage among B2B salespeople.

The impact of trust in manager on unethical intention and customer‐oriented selling

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how customer‐oriented selling is linked to two important antecedents – unethical intention and the trust of salespeople in their manager.Design/methodology/approach – Hypotheses are developed suggesting that “unethical intention” is inversely related to “trust in manager” and “customer‐oriented selling.” Data were collected from 345 business‐to‐business sales professionals. Structural equation modeling was used to test a model of the hypothesized relationships.Findings – Support was shown for a negative relationship between unethical intention and both trust in manager and customer‐oriented selling. Interestingly, the proposed negative relationship between trust in manager and customer‐oriented selling was not supported in this sample.Research limitations/implications – This studys findings will advance the academic sales research as the literature suggests the importance of building salespeoples trust in their manager, reducing unethical behavior and us...

Servant leadership, distributive justice and commitment to customer value in the salesforce

– The purpose of this research is to further understand salesperson distributive justice judgments by examining two controllable factors that may influence these perceptions: sales leadership (i.e. servant leadership) and salesforce control (i.e. quota). , – The sample included 279 business-to-business salespeople from across the USA. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. , – Servant leadership and salesperson participation in quota setting both positively impact distributive justice perceptions (i.e. fairness in reward allocation), which subsequently affect salespeople’s commitment to providing superior customer value. , – First study to empirically examine connections between servant leadership, distributive justice and commitment to customer value in the salesforce.