Digitization of Selling Activity and Sales Force Performance: An Empirical Investigation
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2005
Journal / Book Title
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
Abstract
Firms are creating a digitized selling capability by developing Web sites designed to provide information and conduct transactions with customers, replacing many routine sales force activities. The authors use the motivation-ability framework to shape a conceptual model that examines the effects of the digitization of selling activity on two salesperson outcomes: salesperson effectiveness and salesperson job insecurity. Using data from salespeople in 168 firms, they assess the moderating effects of environmental-level motivational factors and firm-level ability factors on the impact of digitization of selling activity on salesperson effectiveness and job insecurity. The results reveal that digitization has the paradoxical effect of improving sales-person effectiveness and heightening job insecurity concerns, and also that managers can improve the technology-enabled multichannel capabilities of the firm by giving priority attention to human capital improvement, sales force control systems, and communication of the digitization strategy.
DOI
10.1177/0092070304266119
MSU Digital Commons Citation
Johnson, Devon and Bharadwaj, Sundar, "Digitization of Selling Activity and Sales Force Performance: An Empirical Investigation" (2005). Department of Marketing Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 180.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/marketing-facpubs/180
Published Citation
Johnson, D.S., Bharadwaj, S. Digitization of selling activity and sales force performance: An empirical investigation. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 33, 3–18 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070304266119