Relevance of salespeople profiles: an analysis in an emerging economy

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of the salespeople profile (i.e., effort, commitment and creativity) – and its degree of market orientation (MO) – on the success of new product launch and sales outcomes. An emerging economy context is taken as a reference. Design/methodology/approach: A structural equations model is proposed. The data are based on a sample of retail sector sales managers in Peru. Findings: The results indicate that salespeople effort, creativity and degree of MO influence overall sales performance. Salespeople commitment, however, does not have a significant impact. These antecedents are helpful when attempting to understand both the potential success of a new product and sales outcomes. Originality/value: There is no evidence to date of studies that simultaneously assess the impact of seller profiles and degree of MO on new product launch success and sales outcomes. This paper breaks new ground in analyzing this phenomenon in the context of an emerging economy. The findings are of general interest both for sales force management and for companies interested in familiarizing themselves with the peculiarities of emerging economies and the potential need to adapt policies to these specific realities.