Sales force specialization
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · 1975 · Volume 3 · Issue 1
Abstract
The decision whether to specialize a general-line sales force is important for firms attempting to sell a broad range of products in diffuse market segments. Many Canadian firms, particularly those affiliated with large U.S. manufacturers, find themselves in this situation. The substantive issues which influence this decision are first examined. Then the implications of allocation theory are considered with regard to the possible convexity of the relationship between selling effort and sales. Several empirical problems are examined, and prescriptions are provided which relate to the use of expert judgments to estimate a sales response functional form of the above relationship.
Keywords
Product Line, Selling Effort, Sales Force, Individual Customer, Data Unavailability
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