Abstract
This study investigates how purchase decisions may be influenced by ties linking customer account personnel and sales personnel. Two distinct forms of social contagion-cohesion and structural equivalence-are posited as mechanisms for triggering purchase similarity among customer accounts. We empirically test our hypotheses using field-collected sociometric data that captures social ties among customer accounts and sales personnel within a retail sales territory. The results support structural equivalence rather than cohesion as a key driver of brand choice similarity among retail firms. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for sales management practice and research.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 7-20 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2011 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Management of Technology and Innovation
- Human Factors and Ergonomics
Cite this
The ties that buy : The role of interfirm social contagion across customer accounts. / Bowler, Wm Matthew; Dahlstrom, Robert; Seevers, Matthew T.; Skinner, Steven J.
In: Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Vol. 31, No. 1, 01.01.2011, p. 7-20.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The ties that buy
T2 - The role of interfirm social contagion across customer accounts
AU - Bowler, Wm Matthew
AU - Dahlstrom, Robert
AU - Seevers, Matthew T.
AU - Skinner, Steven J.
PY - 2011/1/1
Y1 - 2011/1/1
N2 - This study investigates how purchase decisions may be influenced by ties linking customer account personnel and sales personnel. Two distinct forms of social contagion-cohesion and structural equivalence-are posited as mechanisms for triggering purchase similarity among customer accounts. We empirically test our hypotheses using field-collected sociometric data that captures social ties among customer accounts and sales personnel within a retail sales territory. The results support structural equivalence rather than cohesion as a key driver of brand choice similarity among retail firms. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for sales management practice and research.
AB - This study investigates how purchase decisions may be influenced by ties linking customer account personnel and sales personnel. Two distinct forms of social contagion-cohesion and structural equivalence-are posited as mechanisms for triggering purchase similarity among customer accounts. We empirically test our hypotheses using field-collected sociometric data that captures social ties among customer accounts and sales personnel within a retail sales territory. The results support structural equivalence rather than cohesion as a key driver of brand choice similarity among retail firms. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for sales management practice and research.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78651403949&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=78651403949&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2753/PSS0885-3134310101
DO - 10.2753/PSS0885-3134310101
M3 - Article
VL - 31
SP - 7
EP - 20
JO - Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management
JF - Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management
SN - 0885-3134
IS - 1
ER -