Customer orientation and salesperson performance
- 31 July 2007
- journal article
- Published by Emerald Publishing in European Journal of Marketing
- Vol. 41 (7/8) , 821-835
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to examine the impact of customer orientation, at the levels of both the company and the salesperson, on salesperson performance. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 283 salespeople provides the database that was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings – Prior studies suggest that both company and salesperson customer orientation has a positive effect on performance. The findings of this study suggest that a salesperson's customer orientation completely mediates the relationship between company customer orientation and salesperson performance. Thus, the influence of a company's customer orientation on salesperson performance acts through the customer orientation of the salespeople. Originality/value – The study reinforces the importance of customer orientation and the role of salespeople in putting customer orientation into practice.Keywords
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