Multiple Roles of Sales Executives in Sales Transaction: An Exploratory Study

The frontline sales executives interact with the customers to generate sales. During this they might demonstrate Sales Oriented Behaviour (SOB) or Customer Oriented Behaviour (COB). Recently the emphasis on Adaptive Selling Behaviour (ASB) has also emerged significantly. The sales executives also perform multiple roles during business-to-business exchange relationships. The present study is based on a survey carried out to understand the various roles a sales executive plays in a sales transaction, especially in financial services. Factor analysis was performed on the data collected from the survey. Seven different types of roles viz. convincer, consultant, investigator, canvasser, pleader, influencer, and enforcer emerged in the study which describes the multiple roles played by the sales executives during their interaction with the customers.