Personal selling: The relationship between selling ability and sales performance
Abstract
This study attempted to assess a very basic yet still unresolved relationship between personal sales representatives and sales effectiveness. Using the arena of pharmaceutical sales this study asks the essential question, are personal sales representatives effective in increasing sales? What is the relationship between selling ability and the performance effectiveness of salespeople in the pharmaceutical sales context? Based on past research that defined the factors of selling ability this study looked into the five most important selling abilities: adaptability, product knowledge, listening skills, presentation skills, and questioning skills. A survey of salesperson's self-ratings on selling abilities and sales performance was administered. A random sample of 1,500 sales representatives was selected from a large international pharmaceutical company's total 3,000 representative's sales force. In addition, quota attainment was obtained for an objective measurement. A total of 547 usable questionnaires were returned for a response rate of 36%, a relatively high response rate. The findings from this study provided insights into several areas. First, this study showed a high correspondence between self and objective assessment of selling ability. Based on the findings from this study, these two measures appear to be highly correlated. It appears that the self-reported performance does reflect the actual quota attainment. While an overall relationship between selling ability and performance was found this study also shows clearly that selling ability consists of differing components and these components may or may not be determinants in performance. The following dimensions of selling ability were found to be significantly related to sales performance: Adaptive selling behaviors, product knowledge, responding dimension of listening skills, and basic presentation skills. This study did not show any positive relationship between adaptive selling beliefs, sensing/evaluating dimensions of listening skills, interactive presentation skills and sales performance. This could mean that these skills are simply not as important as past research and thinking imply. It could also mean that there is something unique about the pharmaceutical sales situation (very short) that makes use and effectiveness of these skills to be minimal. Both are interesting possibilities for future research.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Feinberg, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Marketing|Management|Business costs
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