A research on how sales representative competency affects brand image and the customer loyalty in B2B environment

Businesses in the B2B market need to find new opportunities as well as long-term deals with existing customers to continue to grow. This study is to identify the factors of strengthening sales force that can keep customers and link them to new opportunities.

In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey on stakeholder or organizational purchasers of a purchasing center to a company located in a consumer’s place in a B2B transaction centered on domestic office equipment, and applied a social scientific research methodology.

We conducted an empirical study on the impact of sales representative’s technical support and consulting capabilities on brand image and loyalty in B2B transactions.

The results of this study are as follows. First, Technical support capability of salespeople affects the brand image positively. Second, the consulting capacity of sales representative affects the brand image positively. Third, brand image has a positive effect on repurchase. Fourth, Technical support capability of sales representative has a positive effect on repurchase. Fifth, the salesperson’s consulting competency does not affect loyalty.

The results of this study provide implications for the training of salespeople of B2B companies and help to establish corporate marketing strategy.

In the case of planning marketing and sales strategy, companies that act as supplier of B2B transaction relation can compare the competencies (technical support capacity, consulting capacity) to find ways to communicate effectively to stakeholders and link them to action.

Organizational structure and action item should be established through thorough review of suppliers’ core business value delivery methods that can achieve positive results between buyer and supplier. Also, it is necessary to consider the strategic development plan of the salesperson that directly affects the sales of the company.