The Impact of Salesperson's Behavior on Consumer's Purchase Decision: An Empirical Study

Every time a customer visits a store for purchasing, the very first person with whom he interacts is the salesperson. The manners of a salesperson mean a lot to a customer. So, salesperson's attitude/behavior cannot be ignored in the entire buy-sell course. In this paper, efforts have been made to examine the impact/influence of salesperson's behavioral traits-Ethical Behavior, Listening Ability, Relational Skills and Emotional Intelligence-on the coinciding purchasing behavior of the customer. The outcome of this study emphasizes the soft skills of a salesperson, which is otherwise disregarded as an antecedent variable, accordingly providing insights for salespersons in refining their selling behavior.IntroductionLooking behind 50-60 years, when retailing was more of the unorganized kind, consumer's purchase decision was mainly based on the product and its benefits. They tended to visit a store to look for the product they desired, choose it and pay for it. Very little attention was paid to the shop owner's or salesperson's behavior with them. But, in the last few decades, with the change in the retailing concept and introduction of organized retailing, the consumers are exposed to a kind of freedom for choosing and behaving sensitively towards the buying process. The marketers are now experiencing a dramatic change in consumer's behavior. Nowadays, apart from the product features, there are lot many aspects that a consumer explores to reach the purchase decision. It has been observed in the recent past that consumers seek the attention of the shopkeepers and salespersons and are more likely to visit those outlets where they have experienced a royal and cantered attention from them.It will not be a mistake to say that a consumer today has started to feel like the 'king' of the market and strives for a similar treatment. So, it is of utmost importance for the outlet owners to satisfy the consumers not only with the genuine products but also with their behavior and proper response. A well-treated and pleased consumer often turns out to be a loyal consumer, which is profitable for the business.The salespersons can be considered as the key around whom the sales and profitability of any business or retail store rotates. A bunch of effective salespersons can decide the success or failure of any business. As a salesperson remains in constant interaction with one or other customer, he should be efficient in certain behavioral aspects, so that a customer can be moulded into a loyal one. Once a customer becomes comfortable with them, they will gradually become dedicated towards the store or business. So, the salespersons should make attempts and keep check on their behavior with consumers so as to delight them. In the present study, attempts have been made to detect the effectiveness of such relevant aspects of salesperson's behavior.Literature Review and Hypotheses DevelopmentIn today's competitive business environment, salespersons are expected to attain sales targets and shape long-term, profitable business relationships with consumers. Previous studies like Morgan and Hunt (1994) and Doney and Cannon (1997) suggest that salespeople should enhance customer satisfaction and trust, or what some scholars call 'relationship quality' (term coined by Crosby et al., 1990). Several studies have examined the effect of a few specific interpersonal behavior, such as salesperson's listening (Ramsey and Sohi, 1997) as well as less specific salesperson's behavior, such as conveying cooperative intentions and practicing mutual disclosure behaviors. In addition to these, some other behaviors like following moral principles in action and catering to consumers sensitively and rationally also have their own implications.Behavioral Aspects of SalespersonEvery profession has certain behavioral traits associated with it. That turns into a major soft skill required to perform a specific task of that respective role in the organization. …