Sales Technology Orientation, Information Effectiveness, and Sales Performance

• Published in: The Journal of personal selling & sales management Vol. 26; no. 2; pp. 95 - 113
• Main Authors: Hunter, Gary K., Perreault, William D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 01-03-2006; M. E. Sharpe; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Automatic control; Computer literacy; Customer relationship management; Customers; Information systems; Information technology; Marketing; Marketing strategies; Modeling; Packaged goods; Personal selling; Return on investment; Sales management; Sales personnel; Salespeople; Studies; Technology
• ISSN: 0885-3134; 1557-7813
• DOI: 10.2753/PSS0885-3134260201

Sales managers need a practical means for evaluating returns from investments in sales technology implementations (including sales automation and sales-based customer relationship management systems). This research proposes a behavioral process model approach that can be applied to evaluate sales technology implementations. We develop and test the model with data collected from the sales force of a major consumer packaged goods company. The results indicate that a salesperson's technology orientation has a direct impact on internal role performance, and it affects performance with customers through a double-mediated mechanism involving the effective use of information and smart selling behaviors (planning and adaptive selling). Sales managers can influence sales technology orientation by providing better internal technology support, considering technology orientation along with customer's approval of technology in account assignments, and understanding the probability of negative effects through a salesperson's experience. In our sample, salesperson experience correlates with age, suggesting a "generation gap" effect on sales technology orientation.