What information can relationship marketers obtain from customer evaluations of salespeople?
Article Abstract:
Relationships are very important in developing and maintaining effective marketing strategies. Due to the emphasis on relationships, there is increasing recognition that positive evaluations of business salespeople by their customers should be an important component of salespeople's evaluation process and compensation programs. For example, 40% of the incentives of IBM's salesforce are based on customer ratings. This study explores the relationship between customer's evaluation of both business salespeople and the selling organization, and the relationship between managers' and customers' evaluations of salespeople. The results of a survey from business customers in the health care industry suggest that buying firms that give higher evaluations to business salespeople also give higher performance ratings to the selling organization. Also, salespeople who are evaluated as being better and more credible by customers also receive superior evaluations from their managers. Theoretical and managerial implications of the results are presented. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Industrial Marketing Management
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0019-8501
Year: 1997
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Industrial salespeople as a source of market information
Article Abstract:
Marketing scholars have suggested that salespeople can play an important role in firms' ongoing efforts to understand their customers' perceptions and preferences. However, very few studies have examined the accuracy of the information which salespeople are able to provide. This article reports the results of a survey of an industrial marketer's customers, outside salespeople, and telemarketing salespeople about market information. Salespeople can accurately assess the importance of various product and service attributes to their customers. However, salespeople are unable to gauge the specific performance levels expected by their customers. Interestingly, telemarketing salespeople are approximately as accurate as outside salespeople with respect to both types of information. This article explains these results and discusses their managerial implications. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Industrial Marketing Management
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0019-8501
Year: 1990
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Issues in supply chain management
Article Abstract:
The authors present a conceptual framework for the use of cross-functional integration and marketing in supply chain management. Topics include supply chain network structures, business process links, business process chains, managerial components of SCM, and mapping the supply chain.
Publication Name: Industrial Marketing Management
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0019-8501
Year: 2000
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