The Effect of Sales Force Automation System Infusion on Salesperson Performance

• Main Authors: Yi-Ming Lee, 李宜明
• Other Authors: Song-Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/z56x9w

碩士 === 崑山科技大學 === 企業管理研究所 === 96 === Information technology (IT) plays an ever-increasing role in personal selling and customer relationship management. Many companies are turning to sales force automation (SFA) tools in order to effectively manage customer relationships and enhance sales force productivity. Most research identifying the success due to SFA acceptance by salespeople, and attend to find the antecedents of SFA acceptance by salespeople. However, it may be inadequate in determining the success due to IT acceptance (or usage) unless the consequences of its “acceptance (or usage)”are obviously valuable. Regretably, there are fewer studies exploreing the effect of sales technology on salesperson performance and its mechanisms. This study, integrating the model of selling behavior, performance, and effectiveness proposed by Churchill et al., (2000) and the adaptive selling framework proposed by Weitz et al., (1986), develops a theoretical model of the effect of SFA system infusion by salespersons on their sales performance and its mechanisms. This model not only explores the influence of salesperson’s SFA infusion on sales performance but also infers the mediating effects of salesperson’s knowledge, call productivity, and adaptive selling behavior on the relationships between SFA infusion and sales performance. One hundred and eighty-nine salespeople from one life insurance enterprise were samples as subjects. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicate that this questionnaire scales have good model fit, reliability and validity. This SEM path analysis shows that (1) salesperson’s SFA system infusion has positive impact on sales performance, also SFA system infusion has a indirect impact through knowledge and call productivity on sales performance, moreover, mediating path of knowledge significantly contributes to sales performance, (2)salesperson’s knowledge has a significant impact on adaptive selling behavior and sales performance, (3)salesperson’s call productivity has a significant impact on sales performance, adaptive selling behavior did not has any significant impact on sales performance. Finally, suggestions for business authorities and human resources department, and recommendations for future research are presented.