Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D. in Business Administration

First Advisor

Barry J. Babin

Second Advisor

Gary K. Hunter

Third Advisor

James S. Boles

School

University of Mississippi

Relational Format

dissertation/thesis

Abstract

Salespeople depend on sales-related technologies to make themselves more efficient and effective. The extant sales-technology research tends to examine specific sales technologies in sales settings with the emphasis on the impact on salespeople. With the growth of technological capabilities, sales technology has become more integrated, thus making it harder to separate individual technologies from one another. The current research conducts a typological literature review of sales technology. Next, with an eye toward the development of indigenous theory, it introduces the term sales-stacks as capturing the aggregate of sales technologies that, when effective, provide a powerful, connected, easy-to-use experience for every sales role. Six foundational premises are introduced to differentiate sales-stacks from single use technology. Sequential chapters empirically test the proposed premises using nine unique samples, in a multistage, multi-method approach. Confirmatory factor analysis results, support the development of a three factor sales-stack effectiveness perceptions psychological measure. Nomological validity is then tested by employing the scale in a structural equation model with follow-up analyses using metric invariance testing. Findings support the positive relationship between perceptions of sales-stack effectiveness and salesperson outcomes. However, low sales-stack adopters make the relationship between sales-stack effectiveness and outcomes negative compared to their high adoption counter parts. Thus, sales managers need to make sure their organizational sales-stack is not only effective but also utilized to ensure salesforce success.

Available for download on Wednesday, October 30, 2024

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