The impact of salesperson customer orientation on the evaluation of a salesperson's ethical treatment, trust in the salesperson, and intentions to purchase

Previous research suggests that salespersons' customer orientation can impact the effectiveness and outcomes of their selling interactions with customers. The purpose of this exploratory research was to create a foundation (based on prior results) for more comprehensive future work investigating customer judgments of a salesperson based on observed behaviors. Specifically, this study assessed whether a salesperson's relational customer orientation (compared to a functional orientation) could trigger improved evaluations of a salesperson's ethical treatment of a customer, increased trust in the salesperson, and stronger intentions to purchase. The relationships among perceptions of ethical treatment, trust, and purchase intentions were also explored. Using data collected from a large sample of working professionals, the results indicated that a relational selling approach resulted in increases in the three indicators of sales effectiveness. Additionally, perceived ethical treatment was positively related to trust in a salesperson and purchase intentions, and trust was positively related to purchase intentions. Implications for sales professionals in general as well as sales organizations and sales leaders in particular are discussed.