Investigating sales approaches and gender in customer relationships

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is an examination of three different types of sales approaches (product-, solution- and provocation-based) on relational outcomes. The type of sales approach influences buyer's assessments about the trustworthiness of the salesperson and the conflict with the salesperson. These outcomes of the sales approach affect the customer's economic and non-economic satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

Using cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 840 organizational buyers, a structural equation model measures the path coefficients of the proposed model and tests the differences in the magnitude based on gender.

Findings

The results indicate that sales approaches will differentially influence assessments of trustworthiness and conflict. The magnitude of the influence of the sales approach on outcomes is different between genders.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first empirical study to examine the impact of sales approaches on both genders of organizational buyers.

Citation

Andy Wood, J., Johnson, J., S. Boles, J. and Barksdale, H. (2014), "Investigating sales approaches and gender in customer relationships", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 11-23. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-01-2012-0014