Personal Inducements: Selected Views from a Sales Management Perspective

There has been a minimum level of research in personal inducements, a set of sales promotional techniques used in business-to-business marketing. Following a brief review of previous research, this paper describes the current thoughts and behaviors of national sales managers in various businesses with regards to personal inducements. The pervasiveness of the practice is clearly evident. The research indicates that most companies do not have formal policies for use of inducements. In addition ethical views toward inducements are positive, and especially so for those using them. In general it appears that sales managers are not sure if these activities have an effect on sales effectiveness.