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Increasing resilience by creating an adaptive salesforce

Arun Sharma, Deva Rangarajan (UGent) and Bert Paesbrugghe (UGent)
(2020) INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT. 88. p.238-246
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Abstract
During disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the resilience of any commercial organization becomes a critical characteristic. This paper examines the flexibility of the sales process-that is, adaptive selling-as an analog to resiliency, and recommends that firms create an adaptive salesforce to increase resilience. By examining the extant research and conducting interviews with sales leaders, the findings of this paper suggest that an adaptive salesforce should focus on three areas of change within team structures. The first is an increase in flexibility and adaptiveness for the functions that the salesforce performs. The second area is an improvement of the adaptiveness of scale in which sales functions can be rapidly insourced or outsourced. The final area is technology adaptiveness, in which the salesforce adopts the use of technologies that are most relevant to customers. Implications for the firm, sales function, and individual salespeople are also derived.
Keywords
Marketing, SELLING ACTIVITY, TECHNOLOGY, PERFORMANCE, FRAMEWORK, IMPACT, FORCE, MANAGEMENT, SERVICE, PERCEPTIONS, MARKETS

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MLA
Sharma, Arun, et al. “Increasing Resilience by Creating an Adaptive Salesforce.” INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT, vol. 88, 2020, pp. 238–46, doi:10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.05.023.
APA
Sharma, A., Rangarajan, D., & Paesbrugghe, B. (2020). Increasing resilience by creating an adaptive salesforce. INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT, 88, 238–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.05.023
Chicago author-date
Sharma, Arun, Deva Rangarajan, and Bert Paesbrugghe. 2020. “Increasing Resilience by Creating an Adaptive Salesforce.” INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT 88: 238–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.05.023.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Sharma, Arun, Deva Rangarajan, and Bert Paesbrugghe. 2020. “Increasing Resilience by Creating an Adaptive Salesforce.” INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT 88: 238–246. doi:10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.05.023.
Vancouver
1.
Sharma A, Rangarajan D, Paesbrugghe B. Increasing resilience by creating an adaptive salesforce. INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT. 2020;88:238–46.
IEEE
[1]
A. Sharma, D. Rangarajan, and B. Paesbrugghe, “Increasing resilience by creating an adaptive salesforce,” INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT, vol. 88, pp. 238–246, 2020.
@article{8673004,
  abstract     = {{During disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the resilience of any commercial organization becomes a critical characteristic. This paper examines the flexibility of the sales process-that is, adaptive selling-as an analog to resiliency, and recommends that firms create an adaptive salesforce to increase resilience. By examining the extant research and conducting interviews with sales leaders, the findings of this paper suggest that an adaptive salesforce should focus on three areas of change within team structures. The first is an increase in flexibility and adaptiveness for the functions that the salesforce performs. The second area is an improvement of the adaptiveness of scale in which sales functions can be rapidly insourced or outsourced. The final area is technology adaptiveness, in which the salesforce adopts the use of technologies that are most relevant to customers. Implications for the firm, sales function, and individual salespeople are also derived.}},
  author       = {{Sharma, Arun and Rangarajan, Deva and Paesbrugghe, Bert}},
  issn         = {{0019-8501}},
  journal      = {{INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT}},
  keywords     = {{Marketing,SELLING ACTIVITY,TECHNOLOGY,PERFORMANCE,FRAMEWORK,IMPACT,FORCE,MANAGEMENT,SERVICE,PERCEPTIONS,MARKETS}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{238--246}},
  title        = {{Increasing resilience by creating an adaptive salesforce}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.05.023}},
  volume       = {{88}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}
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