A Study on the Factors Underpinning the Sales Effectiveness by Grounded Theory: The Case of Food Industry
محورهای موضوعی : Education and trainingمحمد جوان بخت 1 , ابراهیم چیرانی 2 , سید محمود شبگو منصف 3
1 - دانشجوی دکتری، گروه مدیریت، واحد رشت، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، رشت، ایران
2 - گروه مدیریت بازرگانی، واحد رشت، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی ، رشت، ایران
3 - گروه مدیریت بازرگانی، واحد رشت، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، رشت، ایران
کلید واژه: Environmental factors, marketing Skills, sales effectiveness, sales control management, sales force performance,
چکیده مقاله :
AbstractToday, companies are well aware of the significance of sales and attempt to stabilize and/or improve their status in the competitive climate of the markets by increasing their sales. The present qualitative research aims to enumerate the factors influencing sales effectiveness using grounded theory to identify the categories underpinning the sales effectiveness of companies. The research data were collected from 10 experts in the food industry in Guilan province, Iran. The collected data were analyzed by coding in the MAXQDA software. Results show that 287 concepts (in terms of repetition) were extracted from the interviews at the first step (open coding). By considering the relationship of the concepts at the axial coding level (the second step), they were narrowed to 26 categories, and finally, six themes were identified at the third step (selective coding). These themes, i.e., the factors underpinning organizational sales effectiveness, include the firms' strategic orientations, marketing capabilities, sales control management, salesforce performance, and environmental factors. As well, sales effectiveness was decomposed into the categories of investment, profitability, market share, and customer satisfaction.
امروزه شرکت‌ها به اهمیت فروش به خوبی واقفند و در تلاشند تا با افزایش حجم فروش در فضای رقابتی موجود در بازارها، وضعیت خود را تثبیت و یا بهبود بخشند. هدف تحقیق حاضر تبیین عوامل موثر در اثربخشی فروش است. این پژوهش از نوع کیفی است و از روش گراندد تئوری بمنظور شناسایی مقوله‌های زیربنایی اثربخشی فروش شرکت‌ها استفاده می‌کند. داده‌های پژوهش از مصاحبه با 10 نفر از خبرگان صنعت مواد غذایی استان گیلان بدست آمدند. به منظور تحلیل داده‌های بدست آمده از روش کدگذاری در نرم افزار MAXQDA استفاده شد. یافته‌ها نشان از استخراج 287 مفهوم (با لحاظ تکرارها) از درون مصاحبه‌ها در مرحله اول (کدگذاری باز) داشت. با در نظر گرفتن ارتباط بین مفاهیم در سطح کدگذاری محوری (گام دوم) به 26 مقوله تقلیل یافتند، و در مرحله سوم (کد گذاری گزینشی) 6 مضمون شناسایی شد. مضامین شناسایی شده یا به عبارت دیگر عوامل موثر بر اثربخشی فروش سازمانی شامل جهت‌گیری‌های استراتژیک شرکت، قابلیت‌های بازاریابی، مدیریت کنترل فروش، عملکرد نیروی فروش و عوامل محیطی می‌باشند. اثربخشی فروش هم به ابعاد (مقوله) متشکل از سرمایه‌گذاری، سودآوری، سهم بازار و رضایت مشتری تقسیم بندی گردید.
Abedi, E. a. Z., Mena. (2017). The Impact of Sales Strategy on Sales Performance (Case study: Business sales employees of Iran Telecommunication Company in Tehran Province. The First International Conference on Management Patterns in the Progress decade, Tehran.
Adams, P., Freitas, I. M. B., & Fontana, R. (2019). Strategic orientation, innovation performance and the moderating influence of marketing management. Journal of Business Research, 97, 129-140.
Aghazadeh, H., Jandaghi, G.R., & Khalil, M. (2013). Evaluating the effectiveness of life insurance sales methods. Insurance Research Journal, 28(4), 71-95.
Aghjani, H. A., & Farzadfar, R. (2013). Model of export performance with the competitive capabilities approach of small and medium enterprises exporting citrus in the northern provinces of Iran. Iranian journal of management sciences, 8(29), 24-44.
Agnihotri, R., Gabler, C. B., Itani, O. S., Jaramillo, F., & Krush, M. T. (2017). Salesperson ambidexterity and customer satisfaction: examining the role of customer demandingness, adaptive selling, and role conflict. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 37(1), 27-41.
Ahmed, M. U., Kristal, M. M., & Pagell, M. (2014). Impact of operational and marketing capabilities on firm performance: Evidence from economic growth and downturns. International Journal of Production Economics, 154, 59-71.
Albers, S., Mantrala, M. K., & Sridhar, S. (2010). Personal selling elasticities: a meta-analysis. Journal of Marketing Research, 47(5), 840-853.
Altıntas, F., Kurtulmusoglu, F. B., Altintas, M. H., Kaufmann, H.-R., & Alkibay, S. (2017). The mediating effects of adaptive selling and commitment on the relationship between management control and sales performance. EuroMed Journal of Business, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-12-2016-0037
Altuntaş, G., Semerciöz, F., & Eregez, H. (2013). Linking strategic and market orientations to organizational performance: the role of innovation in private healthcare organizations. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 99, 413-419.
Azizi, S., & Khorasani, V (2014). The effect of sales skills on sales performance of bank counter users. Journal of Modern Marketing Research, 4(15), 14.
Babakus, E., Cravens, D. W., Grant, K., Ingram, T. N., & LaForge, R. W. (1996). Investigating the relationships among sales, management control, sales territory design, salesperson performance, and sales organization effectiveness. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 13(4), 345-363.
Bagheri, S. M., Latifi, S., & Mohseni Mallardi, S (2018). Investigating the effect of market orientation on organizational performance in the context of competitive advantage in small and medium industrial companies (Case study: a set of industrial towns in Mazandaran province). Scientific-Research Branch of Business Management Explorations, 10(9), 169-187.
Baldauf, A., Cravens, D. W., & Piercy, N. F. (2001). Examining business strategy, sales management, and salesperson antecedents of sales organization effectiveness. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 21(2), 109-122.
Baumgarth, C. (2009). Brand orientation of museums: Model and empirical results. International Journal of Arts Management, 30-45.
Baumgarth, C. (2009). Brand orientation of museums: Model and empirical results. International Journal of Arts Management, 11(3), 30-45.
Behzadnia, P., & Sanoubar, N. (2019). The impact of marketing capabilities on export performance (The Case of Iranian Entrepreneurial Exporter Companies of Agricultural Products). Journal of Entreneurship and Agriculture, 6(11), 58-67.
Boso, N., Adeola, O., Danso, A., & Assadinia, S. (2019). The effect of export marketing capabilities on export performance: Moderating role of dysfunctional competition. Industrial Marketing Management, 78, 137-145.
Cacciolatti, L., & Lee, S. H. (2016). Revisiting the relationship between marketing capabilities and firm performance: The moderating role of market orientation, marketing strategy and organisational power. Journal of Business Research, 69(12), 5597-5610.
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. sage.
Dehdashti-Shahrokh, Z., & Purhosseini, A. H. (2013). Provide a model for the effect of sales strategy and marketing on sales performance. Business Management, 5(1), 61-84.
Dehdashti-Shahrokh, Z., Mazloumi, N., Taghavi-Fard, M.T., & Biabani, H. (2015). The model of the company's strategic orientations and its impact on performance with the moderating role of environmental variables (Case study: Iranian food industry). Strategic Management Research, 22(61), 55-76.
Dehdashti-Shahrokh, Z., Nategh, M., & Ehsani, R (2017). Explain the relationship between marketing capabilities and financial performance of the organization. Business Management, 9(1), 103-128.
Echchakoui, S. (2017). Effect of salesperson personality on sales performance from the customer’s perspective: Application of socioanalytic theory. European Journal of Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-03-20160147
Evans, K. R., Landry, T. D., Li, P.-C., & Zou, S. (2007). How sales controls affect job-related outcomes: the role of organizational sales-related psychological climate perceptions. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 35(3), 445-459.
Fatima, M. Z., & Azam, M. K. (2016). Effect of salesforce control system and supervisory behaviour on job satisfaction of salespeople: a review of studies. Management Dynamics, 16(2), 1-12.
Golshahi, B., & Zaraei, A (2015). Identify effective extroverted marketing capabilities in new product production performance: The moderating role of the foundation's customer structure. Journal of Modern Marketing Research, 6(22), 109-126.
Gromark, J., & Melin, F. (2011). The underlying dimensions of brand orientation and its impact on financial performance. Journal of Brand Management, 18(6), 394-410.
Groza, M. D., Locander, D. A., & Howlett, C. H. (2016). Linking thinking styles to sales performance: The importance of creativity and subjective knowledge. Journal of Business Research, 69(10), 4185-4193.
Guenzi, P., Baldauf, A., & Panagopoulos, N. G. (2014). The influence of formal and informal sales controls on customer-directed selling behaviors and sales unit effectiveness. Industrial Marketing Management, 43(5), 786-800.
Gustafson, B. M., Pomirleanu, N., & John-Mariadoss, B. (2018). A review of climate and culture research in selling and sales management. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 38(1), 144-167.
Habibi, S., & Mira, A. (2018). Designing and Explaining the Strategic Orientation Model in Knowledge-Based Companies in Iran. Journal of Business Management, 10(3), 603-622.
Hajipour, B., Jafarizadeh, F., & Rahimi, F (2015). The Impact of Strategic Orientation and Marketing Capabilities on Export Performance. Business Management Perspective, 22, 87-105.
Hakimi, I. (2018). The Impact of Organizational Culture on Marketing Capabilities and Performance: Explaining the Mediating Role of Extroverted Strategic Orientations. Journal of Business Management, 9(4), 739-762.
Hernandez, C. A. (2009). Theoretical coding in grounded theory methodology. Grounded Theory Review, 8(3).
Hosseinzadeh Shahri, M., Habibi, M., & Heidari, V (2016). Investigating the Impact of Marketing Capabilities on Sensitivity and Forming a Creative and Timely Marketing Strategy. Modern Marketing Research, 1(16), 107-128.
Inyang, A. E., Agnihotri, R., & Munoz, L. (2018). The role of manager leadership style in salesperson implementation of sales strategy: a contingency perspective. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-09-2017-0230
Johnson, J. L., Martin, K. D., & Saini, A. (2012). The role of a firm's strategic orientation dimensions in determining market orientation. Industrial Marketing Management, 41(4), 715-724.
Kaleka, A., & Morgan, N. A. (2019). How marketing capabilities and current performance drive strategic intentions in international markets. Industrial Marketing Management, 78, 108-121.
Lee, C., & Griffith, D. A. (2004). The marketing strategy‐performance relationship in an export‐driven developing economy: A Korean illustration. International Marketing Review, 21(3), 321-334.
Lee, Y.-K., Kim, S.-H., Seo, M.-K., & Hight, S. K. (2015). Market orientation and business performance: Evidence from franchising industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 44, 28-37.
Leonidou, L. C., Katsikeas, C. S., & Samiee, S. (2002). Marketing strategy determinants of export performance: a meta-analysis. Journal of Business Research, 55(1), 51-67.
Malek, S. L., Sarin, S., & Jaworski, B. J. (2018). Sales management control systems: review, synthesis, and directions for future exploration. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 38(1), 30-55.
Mangali, N., Rezaei, R., & Safa, L (2015). Investigating the Impact of Marketing Capabilities on the Performance of Small and Medium Businesses. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Agriculture, 3(4), 1-16.
Martin, S. L., & Javalgi, R. R. G. (2016). Entrepreneurial orientation, marketing capabilities and performance: the moderating role of competitive intensity on Latin American International new ventures. Journal of Business Research, 69(6), 2040-2051.
Massiera, P., Trinchera, L., & Russolillo, G. (2018). Evaluating the presence of marketing capabilities: A multidimensional, hierarchical index. Recherche et Applications en Marketing (English Edition), 33(1), 30-52.
Moazez, H., Fathi, M.R., & Rabiee, A. (2018). Designing a model of strategic production capabilities with a structural equation model approach (Case study: Saipa Automotive Company). Management Research in Iran, 22(2), 79-102.
Morgan, N. A., Vorhies, D. W., & Mason, C. H. (2009). Market orientation, marketing capabilities, and firm performance. Strategic management journal, 30(8), 909-920.
Mortazavi, M., Rasouli-Ghahroudy, M., & Rostami, A. (2015). Investigating the Impact of Organizational Innovation and Overall Cost Leadership Strategy on Organizational Performance through Competitive Advantage. Journal of Development and Transformation Management, 27, 17-25.
Murray, J. Y., Gao, G. Y., & Kotabe, M. (2011). Market orientation and performance of export ventures: the process through marketing capabilities and competitive advantages. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(2), 252-269.
Na, Y. K., Kang, S., & Jeong, H. Y. (2019). The effect of market orientation on performance of sharing economy business: Focusing on marketing innovation and sustainable competitive advantage. Sustainability, 11(3), 729.
Naieji, M. J., Alam-Najafi, S.M., Nourani, S. S (2018). The Impact of Strategic Trend on Small and Medium Business Growth Mediated by Brand and Market Performance. Strategic Management Studies, 33, 45-74.
Napoli, J. (2006). The impact of nonprofit brand orientation on organisational performance. Journal of Marketing Management, 22(7-8), 673-694.
Navarro-García, A., Peris-Oritz, M., & Barrera-Barrera, R. (2016). Market intelligence effect on perceived psychic distance, strategic behaviours and export performance in industrial SMEs. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing.
Ork, F., & Babaei Zakliki, M.A. (2015). Evaluating the relationship between marketing capabilities and organizational performance in food companies in Tehran. Brand Management Journal, 2(4), 147-175.
Panagopoulos, N. G., & Avlonitis, G. J. (2010). Performance implications of sales strategy: the moderating effects of leadership and environment. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 27(1), 46-57.
Panagopoulos, N. G., Johnson, C. M., & Mothersbaugh, D. L. (2015). Does choice of sales control conceptualization matter? An empirical comparison of existing conceptualizations and directions for future research. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 35(3), 221-246.
Panda, D. K. (2014). Managerial networks and strategic orientation in SMEs: Experience from a transition economy. Journal of Strategy and Management, 7(4), 376-397.
Paparoidamis, N. G., & Guenzi, P. (2009). An empirical investigation into the impact of relationship selling and LMX on salespeople's behaviours and sales effectiveness. European Journal of Marketing, 43, 1053-1075.
Piercy, N. F., Low, G. & Cravens, D. W. (2011). Country differences concerning sales organization and salesperson antecedents of sales unit effectiveness. Journal of World Business, 46(1), 104-115.
Qaracheh, M. a. W. K., H. (2010). The effect of behavioral controls on the effectiveness of sales unit employees. Business Management Perspectives, 3(36), 37-55.
Rahimi, F., Darzian-Azizi, A., & Ghanavatpour, A. (2018). Behavioral-functional consequences pattern of sales force listening skills. New Marketing Research, 8(4), 27-44.
Rahimnia, F., & Sajjad, A. (2016). The effect of strategic orientations on the performance of companies located in Khorasan Science and Technology Park due to organizational innovation. Journal of Innovation Management, 5(2), 87-114.
Rastegar, A. A., & Hemmati, A. (2015). Measuring the impact of competitive strategies on organizational performance Fourth International Conference on Strategic Management, University of Tehran.
Rezaei Dolatabadi, H., & Khaefollahi, A. A. (2006). A model for determining the impact of market orientation on business performance with respect to marketing capabilities in the chemical industry. Human Sciences MODARES, 10(1), 131-161.
Rouziès, D., Onyemah, V., & Iacobucci, D. (2017). A multi-cultural study of salespeople's behavior in individual pay-for-performance compensation systems: when managers are more equal and less fair than others. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 37(3), 198-212.
Samaraweera, M., & Gelb, B. D. (2015). Formal salesforce controls and revenue production: a meta-analysis. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 35(1), 23-32.
Shamabadi, M. A., & Khodadad Hosseini, S. H. (2005). Designing an export marketing model for Iranian hand-woven carpets. Human Sciences MODARES, 79-100.
Skiba, J., Saini, A., & Friend, S. B. (2016). The effect of managerial cost prioritization on sales force turnover. Journal of Business Research, 69(12), 5917-5924.
Strauss, A. L. (2010). Qualitative analysis for social scientists. Cambridge university press.
Theodosiou, M., Kehagias, J., & Katsikea, E. (2012). Strategic orientations, marketing capabilities and firm performance: An empirical investigation in the context of frontline managers in service organizations. Industrial Marketing Management, 41(7), 1058-1070.
Tutar, H., Nart, S., & Bingöl, D. (2015). The effects of strategic orientations on innovation capabilities and market performance: The case of ASEM. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 207, 709-719.
Vazifeh Doost, H., Hajloo, M.H, & Nazarpour, F. (2013). Investigating the effect of implementing Porter's competitive strategies on meeting the market-oriented needs of the petrochemical company's customers. Organizational Culture Management, 11(3), 121-139.
Vorhies, D. W., & Morgan, N. A. (2005). Benchmarking marketing capabilities for sustainable competitive advantage. Journal of Marketing, 69(1), 80-94.
Wong, H. Y., & Merrilees, B. (2005). A brand orientation typology for SMEs: a case research approach. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 14/3, 155-162.
