The impact of sales force automation on sales force performance.

摘要

The Walker-Churchill Salesperson's Performance Model (Walker et al., 1977) has become the benchmark for most sales performance research. While the model has provided a useful foundation for many research studies, the diffusion of digital computing and communication technology in the 1990s has generated a need to revise and update the original model. Using time diary data to document the activities of 61 industrial sales representatives at a Fortune 500 Company, this study proposes an updated model that incorporates measurements of total customer contact time (face-to-face meetings, e-mail, and phone calls) as well as mediating factors, such as sales skills/aptitude, sales opportunity development, and sales call productivity (Ahearne & Schillewaert, 1999). Measures of annual sales revenue for individual sales representatives were used as the dependent variable in a series of multiple regression and correlation analyses. E-mail contact with customers emerged as a major correlate of sales success. Limitations and potential directions for future research are discussed.