The good, the bad and the effective: a meta-analytic examination of selling orientation and customer orientation on sales performance

Abstract

The concept of customer orientation (CO) is a focal construct in marketing and sales literature. Saxe and Weitz introduced CO to contrast the traditional high-pressure approach to sales (selling orientation). This study synthesizes empirical evidence from 1982 to 2013 to provide insight into the antecedents and consequences of both CO and selling orientation (SO). A conceptual meta-analytic model based on research into interpersonal motive models is proposed and tested using effect sizes from 126,790 salesperson survey responses to advance theory development on our understanding of how SO and CO behaviours affect organizations. Findings show that adaptive selling mediates the impact of both SO and CO which has important practical implications for hiring and training salespeople. Furthermore, this study shows that goal orientations are antecedents of SO and CO and that the impact of SO on job performance varies by customer type.

Keywords:

• selling orientation
• customer orientation
• meta-analysis
• salespeople

Notes

1. This manuscript does not claim that all business buyers are extrinsic value customers. Rackham and DeVicentis (1999) report that a Wal-Mart spokesperson indicated, ‘We'd rather their [sales force] salaries and commissions were taken off the price. Why should we pay for something that takes up our time without providing anything in return?’ (25). There are also instances where consumer buyers see the purchase as consultative and the salesperson capable of providing added benefits outside of the product. For example, retail consumers believe that superior value involves offering products with special features and after-sales service (Sweeney and Soutar 2001).

2. A list of all studies containing the remaining relationships reported in Table 1 is available from the lead author upon request.