Emotion in sales performance: affective orientation and need for cognition and the mediating role of motivation to work
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
ISSN: 0885-8624
Article publication date: 5 February 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and under what condition does affective orientation (AO) drive salesperson performance (SP) and whether there is a tradeoff between affective orientation and the need for cognition (NFC). Using career stage theory, this research proposes that emotion is important and that the relationship between AO and SP is conditional and mediated.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypothesized model is tested using survey data that were collected from 611 attendees at a Midwest regional sales meeting of a national direct selling organization. The model was estimated using 5,000 bootstrapped samples drawn to assess the conditional and indirect effects.
Findings
The findings reveal that AO increases SP when mediated through motivation to work (MW), but only during the salesperson’s initial stage of their career – their first year. In subsequent career stages, AO’s impact on SP diminishes, while NFC’s impact on SP remains significant regardless of career stage.
Research limitations/implications
The data were collected from a single selling organization.
Practical implications
This study increases the understanding of the relationship between salesperson emotion (AO) and SP. This informs sales managers that new salespeople interpret information both emotionally and cognitively, which impacts the management of early career salespeople.
Originality/value
Sales research rarely investigates the role of emotion. This research finds that emotion can be an asset to new salespeople. However, the need for emotion (AO) decreases with experience and no longer has a significant impact on performance after the initial stage.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Jane Sojka for her assistance in developing the survey instrument.
Citation
Nowlin, E., Walker, D., Deeter-Schmelz, D.R. and Haas, A. (2018), "Emotion in sales performance: affective orientation and need for cognition and the mediating role of motivation to work", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 33 No. 1, pp. 107-116. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-06-2016-0136
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited