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In multidimensional data modeling practice, there is the concept of a bridge dimension. A bridge dimension, being the dimensionalized equivalent of a normalized data design's associative entity, allows for the [...]

Alain Desmier, Managing Director of Contact State, explains how API integrations that directly link lead generation platforms with other sales and marketing processes will establish truly end-to-end connected operations between [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2009.12.010 Byline: Robert Cascio (a), Babu John Mariadoss (b), Nacef Mouri (c) Keywords: Management commitment alignment; Sales force automation; Technology adoption; Supervisor commitment; Top management commitment Abstract: Marketing and information systems scholars have explored several factors that affect sales force automation (SFA) technology adoption. In this study, we introduce a new antecedent to the SFA adoption model, management commitment alignment (MCA). We show that alignment between top management and immediate supervisors' commitment to the SFA technology is an important factor in influencing SFA adoption. Results show that while commitment from both leadership levels (perfect alignment) is the most conducive to SFA adoption, misaligned commitment conditions have differential effects on adoption. Specifically, even when supervisors are committed to sales technology, lack of top management commitment can hurt SFA adoption. Managerial implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed. Author Affiliation: (a) University of Central Florida, College of Business Administration, Department of Marketing, Orlando, FL 32816-1400, United States (b) Washington State University, College of Business, Department of Marketing, Pullman, WA 99164-4750, United States (c) George Mason University, School of Management, Department of Marketing, Fairfax, VA 22030, United States Article History: Received 1 January 2009; Revised 23 July 2009; Accepted 29 July 2009

The new frontier of Web 2.0 is not just about informing your customers; it's about communicating with them. Today's Web 2.0 tools, such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the [...]

Warning! This isn't about dumping on salespeople or blaming them for failing to meet their "numbers." If that's what you're looking for, this won't help you. Understandably, the pressure to […]

Radio frequency identification (RFID) has been identified as one of the ten greatest contributory technologies of the 21st century. This technology has found a rapidly growing market, with global sales expected to top US $7 billion by 2008. An increasing variety of enterprises are employing RFID to improve their efficiency of operations and to gain a competitive advantage. To shed light on RFID trends, and contributions, a historical review and bibliometric analysis are included in this research. The bibliometric analytical technique was used to examine this topic in SCI journals from 1991 through November of 2005. Also, a historical review method was used to analyze RFID innovation, adoption by organizations, and market diffusion. From the analysis of the study's findings, supply chain management (SCM), health industry, and privacy issues emerge as the major trends in RFID. Also, the contributions of the RFID industry and forecasts of technological trends were also analyzed, concluding that RFID will be more ubiquitously diffused and assimilated into our daily lives in the near future. Keywords: RFID; Historical review; Bibliometric

An enhanced model for efficient implementation of enterprise resource planing tools in sales management is presented.

See also 36. [57] Ahearne, Michael, Ronald Jelinek, and Adam Rapp (2005), 'Moving Beyond the Direct Effect of SFA Adoption on Salesperson Performance: Training and Support as Key Moderating Factors,' [...]

A focus on the technology needed to support the Sales and operations process, and an overview on the working and uses of Sales and Operations Maturity Model is presented.

The concept of technology acceptance in a field sales setting and its link with the outcome measures of adaptive selling and job performance of salespeople is examined. The results give evidence that behavioral intensions to use technology positively affect salesperson performance through enhanced propensity to practice adaptive selling.

The reasons behind salespeople using sales force automation (SFA) technologies along with the perceived barriers to SFA usage and the management's role in increasing the usage of SFA technology are explored. The study shows that more productivity/efficiency was the main reason for salespeople to use SFA technology, whereas the lack of management and technical support proved to be the main barrier to usage and training proved most effective in increasing usage of SFA technology.

The factors that lead to the effective acceptance of CRM technology and the impact of its implementation on the individual sales representative performance are examined. The limitations and suggestions for future research are provided.

The factors affecting sales force automation (SFA) technology usage by salespeople are analyzed by proposing a model that examines the consequences of task complexity on role perceptions and technology usage and understanding the negative repercussions of SFA technology on the user. The results indicate that integration of SFA technology induces adverse role perceptions in salespeople.

The potential effectiveness and efficiency the sales force automation (SFA) can bring to the sales force and also understanding the SFA implementation failures from a managerial perspective are presented. The in-depth analysis has come out with few recommendations and has also proposed a model to assist managers in the implementation of their SFA as well as getting their salespeople to buy-in to the SFA, and ultimately reduce SFA failures.

The critical moderating role of user training and support on the relationship between the use of sales force automation (SFA) tools and salesperson performance is examined. The analysis shows that the use of SFA tools only enhances salesperson efficiency and effectiveness under conditions of adequate user support and training, however, under low levels of user training and support, the use of SFA tools was found to reduce salesperson efficiency and effectiveness.

The differences in perceptions held by the US Army's recruiting force and its higher-level management towards the Army's newly adopted sales force automation (SFA) system, the Army Recruiting Information Support System (ARISS), are investigated. The results of the study show that significant differences exist between the perceptions held by the recruiting force and higher-level management towards ARISS and they also offer important insights into managing SFA system deployment and gauging user expectations.

The impact of sales technology on sales and sales management is examined from the perspectives of sales person, the field sales manager, the sales executive and the customer. The needs and evaluations of technology change depending on the functional position and viewpoint and thus a research agenda are provided that reflects these different perspectives.

The problem areas that affect the acceptance, adoption and implementation and success of sales force automation (SFA) are identified and explained and few guidelines are provided to overcome these impediments. The gaps between organizational planning, communication and evaluation and also the perceived benefit/cost tradeoffs as viewed by the firm and salesperson are determined.

The adoption of information technology by many salespeople is described. The results show that putting sales technology to use strongly depends on salespeople's perceptions about the technology enhancing their performance, their personal innovativeness and organizational efforts in terms of user training and the threat from competing peers using same technology seems to be of secondary importance for individual sales technology adoption.

Many areas of sales force automation are examined to provide both practicing managers and sales force academicians with a clearer perspective of new sales force technology or sales force automation (SFA) in the B2B marketplace. The impact of technology on B2B personal selling and sales management is discussed.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2004.09.015 Byline: Deva Rangarajan (a), Eli Jones (b), Wynne Chin (c) Abstract: This study unveils factors affecting sales force automation (SFA) technology usage by salespeople. It differs from previous research by: (1) proposing a model that examines the consequences of task complexity on role perceptions and technology usage, and (2) understanding the negative repercussions of SFA technology on the user. The proposed model was tested using data from 150 salespeople employed by a national organization. The results suggest that integration of SFA technology induces adverse role perceptions in salespeople. However, controlling for extraneous variables, effort is significantly related to salespeople's usage of technology. Key managerial implications for theory and practice are discussed. Author Affiliation: (a) Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, Belgium (b) Department of Marketing, C.T. Bauer College of Business, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun, Houston TX 77204, United States (c) University of Houston, United States

The Market Grand View Research valued the global sales force automation market at $7.3 billion in 2019 and predicted it would reach $7.9 billion by the end of this year [...]

Bechtel Group is using?technology from Good Technology?to wirelessly enable its remote sales force. Salespeople?can access e-mail, scheduling and back-end systems.?

Are your reps still fumbling in client meetings with laptops that boot up in slow motion, or spending too much of their precious time inputting sales reports into clunky old […]

The article researches the relationship between usage and beliefs and sales person performance.