Taknemmelighed i køber-sælger-forhold

Følelser smitter. De opleves af og påvirker begge parters handlinger i køber-sælger-udvekslinger. Som resultat, især en følelse, taknemmelighed, fremkalder opfattelsen af ​​et ufortjent eller ufortjent positivt personligt resultat som skyldes en andens handlinger, den næst mest almindelige positive følelse, som enkeltpersoner oplever. Taknemmelighed har en enorm værdi for virksomheder, da kundernes taknemmelighed er knyttet til stigninger i andelen af ​​tegnebog, salgsindtægter, salgsvækst og kundeengagement. Derudover udtryk for taknemmelighed kan være gavnligt for både købere og sælgere, da det skaber et boost i interpersonel forbindelse.

Tidligere forskning er relativt tavs om rollen som sælgers taknemmelighed i køber-sælger-forhold, fokusering, i stedet, primært på fordelene ved kundernes taknemmelighed. Det, der er særligt ukendt, er, om sælgers taknemmelighed motiverer adfærd, der er til gavn for virksomheder. Derfor, at udfylde disse huller i salgslitteraturen, vi konstruerer og tester en konceptuel model centreret om sælgerens taknemmelighed og studerer dens virkning i forbindelse med køber-sælger-forhold, især dens virkninger for købere (som også vil blive omtalt som kunder i hele dette papir). Vi har til formål at forstå, hvordan sælgerens taknemmelighed bidrager til kundens engagement og kundetakkelighed. For at gøre det, vi fokuserer på to typer af kundeorienteret prosocial adfærd:sælgerens ekstra rolle adfærd og informationsdeling.

Til vores undersøgelse, vi definerer sælgerens ekstra rolle adfærd som handlinger, der anses for gunstige for kunderne og uden for sælgerens rollekrav. For eksempel, sælgere kan dele anbefalinger til lokale restauranter eller henvisninger til andre tjenesteudbydere uden for deres rolle som sælger for at give yderligere ressourcer til kunderne. Vi karakteriserer deling af sælgeroplysninger som en medarbejder, der afslører viden relateret til hans eller hendes virksomhed og position til kunden. I overensstemmelse med moralseffektteori, den sædvanlige teori i taknemmelighedens psykologi, sælgers taknemmelighed karakteriseres som en sælgers følelse af taknemmelighed over for sin kunde. Tilsvarende kundetakknemlighed er en kundes følelse af taknemmelighed over for sin sælger.

Vores resultater viser, at sælgers taknemmelighed påvirker kundernes taknemmelighed og kundens engagement gennem den prosociale adfærd-informationsdeling og adfærd med ekstra roller-der manifesterer sig som et resultat af sælgerens taknemmelighed over for kunden. Vi finder også et betydeligt samspil mellem længden af ​​køber-sælger-forholdet og sælgerens ekstra rolle adfærd med hensyn til kundernes taknemmelighed. Dette indikerer, at adfærd fra sælgerens ekstra rolle fungerer som en katalysator for at drive kundeforhold fremad, og at deling af sælgeroplysninger fungerer som et værktøj til at opretholde forholdet over tid.

Baseret på disse fund, vi anbefaler, at sælgere bliver mere bevidste om og dygtige til at udtrykke taknemmelighed ved at udnytte mulighederne for at skabe relationer til købere, der forstærkes af udtryk for taknemmelighed. Derudover noget så simpelt som at huske at kontrollere ansigtsudtryk, der kan indikere din frustration eller negativitet, kan være meget effektiv til at håndtere de smitsomme virkninger af følelser. Endelig, engagere dig i ekstra rolle adfærd med købere for at spare tid og ressourcer ved at fremskynde relationsopbygning.

Vi foretog en dyadisk undersøgelse ved at undersøge sælgere og kunder i et stort B2B -transportlogistikfirma. Vi tilbød en undersøgelse via e -mail til virksomhedens aktive kunder og modtog 258 komplette svar. Efter kundeundersøgelser, sælgere blev undersøgt om deres respektive svarende kunde. Vi modtog 117 sælgere svar. Vi matchede sælger- og kundedata, giver 117 køber-sælger dyader. Sælgerundersøgelsen målte sælgers taknemmelighed, sælger informationsdeling, sælgerafhængighed, interaktionsfrekvens, og erfaring. Kundeundersøgelser målte opfattelsen af ​​sælgerens ekstra rolle adfærd og deling af sælgeroplysninger, kundernes taknemmelighed, kundens engagement til sælgeren, og forholdets længde.

Analyse af de direkte virkninger afslører, at sælgers taknemmelighed har en positiv effekt på sælgerens ekstra rolle adfærd og deling af sælgerinformation. Selvom begge disse sælgeres prosociale adfærd viste sig at påvirke kundernes taknemmelighed positivt, resultaterne viser, at sælgerens ekstra rolle adfærd fungerer som en stærkere driver. Vi ser også, at kundernes taknemmelighed, på tur, påvirker positivt kundernes engagement.

Yderligere analyse giver stærkt bevis på, at kundens engagement påvirkes af sælgers taknemmelighed gennem sælgeradfærd, including information sharing and extra-role behaviors that elicits customer gratitude. Imidlertid, we find that the effect of salesperson extra-role behaviors on customer gratitude decreases as relationships age. Det er, salesperson extra-role behaviors show the largest positive impact early in the buyer-seller relationship. Derfor, salesperson extra-role behaviors are beneficial to both developing and established customers but these behaviors are particularly beneficial to developing relationships as these relationships lack the benefits of established longevity. The effect of salesperson information sharing on customer gratitude, imidlertid, did not vary across different relationship lengths, suggesting that information sharing is continually key to maintaining good customer relations. Collectively, the results support the conclusion that salesperson gratitude encourages salesperson prosocial behaviors, which cultivate the development of customer gratitude and commitment.

Customers who are committed to a salesperson and feel gratitude toward that salesperson engage in the relationship long term and engage in repeat purchase behaviors and referrals. This research highlights the impact of salesperson gratitude on customer gratitude and customer commitment, og, in light of this, sales professionals should thus raise their awareness of the importance of expressing gratitude. One method to do so is gratitude interventions. Gratitude interventions, whereby participants create diaries detailing what they were grateful for over a certain period, have been demonstrated to not only elicit feelings of gratitude but to also elicit other positive emotions important to sales professionals, such as feeling attentive, determined, energetic, and joyful. Gratitude interventions have also been shown to reduce employee stress and depressive symptoms. Derudover as a sales professional, you should foster relationships with your customers, relationships for which you can develop gratitude over time. Sammenfattende, simply providing opportunities to document, discuss, and develop gratitude in your workplace may play a critical role in realizing the benefits of salesperson gratitude as revealed by our research.

For det andet, an understanding of how your emotions impact your interactions with buyers will aid you in training and coaching others. Due to the contagious nature of emotions, the inability of salespeople to manage their emotions negatively impacts the buyer-seller relationship. It is thus important for salespeople to manage the mood and tone of their interactions with customers. Som resultat, you should recognize the value in training yourself and other salespeople not only in emotional intelligence related to recognizing their customer's emotions and behaving accordingly, but also in managing personal emotions. One simple but effective strategy to achieve this is to control facial expressions that may indicate frustration or negativity when dealing with any customer. Although sometimes challenging, this is a simple yet effective way to control the contagious effects of emotions.

Derudover as more millennials enter the workplace, your ability to manage emotions will prove to be even more important. Substantial evidence shows that millennials are emotional buyers with emotions driving much of their purchase behavior. Sales professionals that are able to control the emotional tone of their buyer-seller relationships are better at managing emotional contagion with their customers and have a clear upper hand in working with this new class of buyers. Derfor, make sure to identify millennial buyers and determine strategies to aid in managing relationships with them.

Lastly, since our research provides evidence that salesperson extra-role behaviors can bridge the gap between developing and established relationships in generating customer gratitude, sales professionals who are new or have less established portfolios, should utilize salesperson extra-role behaviors early in their interpersonal relationships with buyers to generate customer gratitude and its benefits without having to wait for the relationship to mature over time. Accelerating the interpersonal relationship-building period will save time and resources while increasing both customer gratitude and customer commitment.

Conclusion

Significant research and practitioner anecdotes suggest that committed customers lead to higher sales performance. Our research shows how sales professionals can improve their relational outcomes with customers by fostering more committed and grateful customers through their own expressions of gratitude. If a salesperson's goal is to turn first time clients into repeat clients and to increase the likelihood of buyers referring you to others, gratitude and extra-role behaviors are the answer. Take control of the emotional interaction between you and your clients, take the time to express your gratitude for your clients, and take the initiative to go above and beyond for clients, especially new ones. These recommendations may seem simple, but they are powerful in taking advantage of the role gratitude plays in buyer-seller relationships.