Salesperson-reported versus Customer-perceived Sales Force Adoption of Industrial Innovations: Main and Moderating Effects
(R2020-83672)

AUTHORS

Herbert Endres, University of Regensburg; Christine Hofstetter, University of Regensburg ; Roland Helm, University of Regensburg

KEYWORDS

sales force adoption; customer perception; job satisfaction

ABSTRACT

One main reason for the failure of innovations is the fact that potential customers perceive salespeople as not convinced of the new product. Prior research is limited to the self-reported sales force adoption of the salespeople and thereby failed to address how (potential) custom-ers perceive the sales force adoption. Our research develops a theoretical framework and explores the discrepancies between the salesperson-reported and the customer-perceived sales force adoption. Beyond, we hypothesize contingencies with job satisfaction moderators. We base our analysis on a dyadic survey sample with salespeople and their visited (potential) business customers of a real offered industrial innovation. Our findings indicate that the relationship between salesperson-reported and customer-perceived sales force adoption is contingent on salesperson’s pay satisfaction, job autonomy, and organizational support. Surprisingly, a salesperson’s payment satisfaction negatively moderates the relationship between salesperson-reported and customer-perceived sales force adoption. Thus, sales managers may think of using common job satisfaction factors differently.

REFERENCES

We are thankful to Christian Schmitz and Christian Nowack for their contribution to this research project.