Riley Dugan

Time, change, and longitudinally emergent conditions: understanding and applying longitudinal growth modeling in sales research

Despite calls for increased use of longitudinal data in academic sales research, the overwhelming majority of published studies utilize cross-sectional designs. Yet, given the critical importance of understanding the evolution of performance and other important outcomes, sales management, as a discipline, is particularly well suited for analysis using methodological techniques that properly account for the role of time. The purpose of this manuscript is to advocate for the increased use of longitudinal growth modeling (LGM), a technique for analyzing longitudinal data that can be applied by researchers to generate knowledge that can elude cross-sectional designs, in research on selling and sales management. In so doing, this article reviews extant research utilizing this technique and demonstrates that performing this type of analysis is well within the capabilities of many sales researchers, in terms of both ease of application and having access to the data necessary to generate insights from this methodology. The article also provides some topical areas in sales research that are particularly amenable to analysis using LGM in an effort to encourage future research in this area.

Monetary vs. nonmonetary prices: differences in product evaluations due to pricing strategies within mobile applications

Despite the rapid proliferation of nonmonetary pricing models in the marketplace, no existing research examines consumer inferences derived from these prices. In two studies, we find that consumers perceive products (mobile applications) with monetary prices as being less novel than products featuring a nonmonetary price (banner advertisements). Additionally, the combination of a nonmonetary and a monetary price produces negative novelty inferences similar to those of a single monetary price. Negative inferences derived from a combination of a monetary and nonmonetary price are moderated by a belief in money as a symbol of success, such that those high in this belief form stronger negative inferences regarding product novelty. These inferences regarding product novelty are positively associated with, and fully mediate, the effects of these prices on customer purchase intent.

Gritting their teeth to close the sale: the positive effect of salesperson grit on job satisfaction and performance

This research is the first to examine the effect of “grit” – defined here as perseverance in pursuit of long-term goals – on salesperson performance and job satisfaction in a business-to-business (B2B) sales context. While more commonly studied in the psychology and education literatures, grit has heretofore been underexplored in sales research, a notable omission given its importance in predicting performance outcomes across multiple domains. In response, we demonstrate that gritty salespeople perform better and enjoy greater job satisfaction than their less gritty counterparts. Moreover, we show that competitiveness and self-efficacy help to develop grit and reveal important moderating effects; grit is highest when salespeople are self-efficacious and socially astute. Moreover, the results also suggest that need for power attenuates the positive effect of grit on performance, revealing a potential “dark side” of grit. We then provide some future research ideas involving grit in an effort to encourage further exploration of this construct in sales research. Finally, we conclude by offering cautions to future researchers as they decide whether to examine this interesting construct in a sales context.

Brand assets and pay fairness as two routes to enhancing social capital in sales organizations

ABSTRACT A growing body of research in sales highlights the importance of intrafirm relationships. Indeed, sales executives are encouraged to manage internal relationships within their sales force to facilitate high levels of performance. In this research, we examine the concept of social capital – its antecedents and consequences – in the context of a B2B sales organization. In particular, we conceptualize and test two alternative means of enhancing a salespersons social capital: the impact of branding and perceptions of pay fairness. We then demonstrate how social capital embedded in sales-force relationships can be leveraged through job satisfaction and used to increase sales performance.

A Little for Me, a Lot for You: The Relationship Between Checkout Charity and Gratuity Size (An Abstract)

Over the past few decades, checkout charity initiatives have spanned numerous retail categories. However, many service retailers, specifically casual sit-down restaurants, have not yet embraced checkout charity. This may be due to the potential impact that money requested for charity has on servers’ gratuities. Thus, this research aims to examine the relationship between checkout charity and service quality and the subsequent effect it has on charitable donation amount and a server’s gratuity. To achieve this objective, this research employs a 2 (donation request: yes/no) × 3 (service quality scenario: excellent/average/poor), between-subjects experimental design. The findings demonstrate that implementing checkout charity does not negatively impact a server’s gratuity when service quality is excellent or average but does so when service is poor. Furthermore, for those consumers who decide to donate money to charity, the donation amount is higher when service quality is poor than when it is excellent or average. This suggests that customers engage in mental accounting when deciding on the amounts to donate to charity and provide to servers via gratuity. These findings have implications for service retailers, as the presence of a charitable donation can have potential negative downstream consequences on management in regard to increased turnover intention and decreased customer willingness to re-patronize the service retailer.

Understanding a Changing Landscape: New Evidence Concerning the Role of Distinctiveness in Multiracial Advertisements, an Extended Abstract

An unprecedented growth in people identifying as multiracial (e.g., Black and white, or simply “mixed”) has flourished in the wake of legal, political, social, and cultural recognition (Root 2003). Despite calls for increased attention to multiracial individuals (Kang and Bodenhausen 2015), our understanding of how this group responds to advertising is still limited.

Helping Students Find Their Sweet Spot: A Teaching Approach Using the Sales Process to Find Jobs that Fit

Despite the importance of achieving person–job fit—and the role marketing educators play in developing students for career success—there remains a lack of guidance for faculty as they shepherd students through the career development process. This article details how the seven-stage selling process can be used as a basis for teaching the job search process and provides exercises and implementation suggestions for marketing and sales faculty. Preintervention and postintervention survey results show improved career exploration, job search and interviewing self-efficacy, and clarity among current and former students, resulting in increased person–job fit.

How Marketing Academics View A-Level Journals: Psychological Insights into Differences between Published and Striving Authors.

Many colleges of business demand A-level journal publications from marketing faculty as a condition for professional advancement. Yet only around 10 percent of marketing academics ever publish in the “Big 4,” A-level journals (Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, and Marketing Science). This motivates the questions explored in the present study: How do marketing academics view A-level journals and what distinguishes successful Big 4 journal authors from individuals striving to publish work in these journals? Results of a national survey of marketing faculty at colleges accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) show perceptual and motivational differences between published and striving-to-publish Big 4 journal authors, as well as different beliefs regarding success factors for publishing in A-level journals. The results, viewed through the theoretic lenses of the Motivation-Ability-Opportunity (MAO) model, construal level theory, and attribution theory, provide direction for individual career strategies.

CRM Systems with Social Networking Capabilities: The Value of Incorporating a CRM 2.0 System in Sales/Marketing Education.

Implementation of a customer relationship management (CRM) 2.0 system can provide both a valuable pedagogical tool and a needed skill set in a marketing and sales curriculum. A CRM 2.0 system incorporated in the sales and marketing curriculum can help manage relationships between students, practitioners, and faculty while teaching students a valuable skill set. Preliminary survey results suggest that students perceive value in incorporating the proposed CRM 2.0 system into the marketing and sales curriculum.