Effectiveness of varying sales style on consumer orientations

Abstract

Using the role play technique, the effect of four different sales orientations on customers with four different need patterns was examined. In a factorial design, product-centred, company-centred, customer-centred, and self-centred salespersons interacted with strong need, marginal need, no need, and negative need consumers. Each salesperson-customer pair interacted for a period of ten minutes during which the salesperson attempted to sell a radio set to the customer. Neither the salesperson nor the customer was aware of the other's orientation. The study was conducted separately on two different samples; three groups of salesman and three groups of students with eight persons in each group. Date obtained from both samples were quite similar. Resuls indicated that product-centred sales persons made more positive impact on consumers followed by customer-centred and the company-centred.