Abstract
This research investigates the effects of sales-service ambidexterity on salesperson role perceptions, behaviors, and customer satisfaction. Using a business-to-business, salesperson-customer sample, we build and test a model which highlights both the positive and negative consequences of this simultaneous goal pursuit. Specifically, while sales-service ambidexterity positively impacts adaptive selling behaviors, it also increases perceptions of role conflict among salespeople. Customer demandingness moderates these relationships. Taken together, the results provide insights for firms on how to manage their sales force to optimize both sales and service outcomes based on characteristics of their salespeople and customers.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. A review of the literature () reveals different approaches to theorize and measure ambidexterity. In the current study, the terms ‘salesperson ambidexterity’ and ‘sales-service ambidexterity’ indicate the salesperson’s ambidextrous behavior involving cross-up selling and service provision (Jasmand, Blazevic, and de Ruyter Citation2012). This approach aligns with the literature where salesperson characteristics have been measured by capturing the actual behaviors that are reflective of those abilities (e.g. Ahearne et al. Citation2008; Brady and Cronin Citation2001).