Salespeople's Selling Orientation: Reconceptualization, Measurement and Validity Assessment

Abstract

A study of Elite Salespeople (ES), those salespeople who maintain and sustain consistent high performance in the sales task was completed to discover and understand elite salesperson behavior. Analysis of participants' responses to structured depth interview questions led to the emergence of a construct called a Selling Orientation (SO). SO is made up of behaviors that guide salespeople to build, maintain, and monitor their personal credibility both with customers and industry members, as well as within the company. A number of field pre-tests were performed to derive a measurement scale for SO. This process was followed by a field survey that measured SO in a sales force. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess the validity of the measurement scale and results support internal consistency and construct validity of a short 9 item scale for SO. This study advances the understanding of sales performance related theory by illuminating attributes of ES's. Additionally, this study introduces the concept of a Selling Orientation that is associated with high sales performance and key account management. Finally, the study introduces a measurement scale useful in the study of salespeople's selling orientation.