The antecedents of salespeople's relational behaviors

Abstract

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the driving factors of salespeople's relational behaviors in the business to business marketing context. Design/methodology/approach: The hypotheses were tested through a quantitative study via an online survey. Data were collected from 224 salespeople dealing with business customers in manufacturing as well as service industries in China. Findings: The results showed that perceived consequences, affect-based judgment and salespeople's communal or exchange orientation influenced their relational behaviors. In particular, communal orientation, perceived reciprocity from the customer, and a liking for the customer positively affected relational behaviors, whilst exchange orientation had a negative impact on those behaviors. Originality/value: This paper provides a framework of the antecedents to salespeople's relational behaviors in the business to business marketing context, filling in the gaps found in previous research by studying the driving factors, not the outcomes, of individual salespeople's relational behaviors. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.