2016 Q4 Research Review – edited by Jeremy Noad
29th November 2016 | Dr Jeremy Noad
These pages aim to keep readers informed of recently published research on sales-related topics, by including abstracts of peer-reviewed academic research published in a range of journals. We have grouped them in the following broad themes: sales performance; customer management; capability development; behavioural studies; and systems and processes.
Improving sales performance is the goal of any sales leadership team. In this edition, we look at a paper concerning performance-based contracting and how it relates to value-based solution selling which finds that contracts may need to be reviewed to implement value-based selling and pricing strategies. To improve sales performance, sales contests are often used, and we have a paper that looks at telesales-related sales contests and how sales contests can influence customer behaviours. The third paper looks at sales proposals and identifies that a salesperson’s use of price concessions, how specific the sales proposal is, and the use of comparative customer examples, all influence the outcome of sales proposals.
Within the topic of customer management value co-creation remains key, the first paper focuses on the need for organisations to have sustained purposeful engagement to unlock the ability to co-create and capture value. The second paper looks at the relationship between salespeople and customers finding that entrepreneurial activities have a positive effect on customer trust, satisfaction and commitment. Sales organisations have a clear requirement to become more strategic, and the third paper proposes some components that make up a sales strategy.
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