COMMENTARY ON ROLE OF RECEPTIVE AND EXPRESSIVE INFLUENCE TACTICS AND BEHAVIOURS IN PERSONAL SELLING PROCESS

In modern times, organizations have been identified as an important part of societal existence and reliant on effective interpersonal relationships. For profit-seeking organizations, the infusion of capital plays an essential role in the continued existence and functioning of organizational health. The primary activity for most market-driven companies is generating profits and shareholder value from sales initiatives. As capitalist societies change their focus from production to consumption orientations, corporations are moving toward controlling this consumption by attempting to get people to consume through marketing functions (Ritzer, 2005). Organizations have an increased interest in developing mutually beneficial long-term influence relationships with their clients through the use of an organizational sales force considering the rising and intensified competition. These organizational sales members that engage in personal selling initiatives play a vital role in the overall success or failure of businesses. In this connection, the current study reviews the previous studies in order to explore how salespersons can use different influence tactics and behaviours effectively to achieve strategic goals of the organizations. The study concludes that when a salesperson has established a realistic but optimistic goal, considered the state of the relationship, and analyzed the contextual factors, he/she is in a good position to select the tactical approach and specific behaviours that are most likely to accomplish the results he/she plans to achieve. Effective deployment of different receptive and expressive influence behaviours by the salespersons can result into increased flexibility in dealing with clients with diverse backgrounds and requirements, improved conflict resolving skills and more positive and productive personal and professional relationships with the clients. Thus, sales managers are urged to ensure their sales force develop their skills of receptive and expressive influence behaviours in a balanced way as critical means to improve their sales performance and to nurturing mutually beneficial relationships with valued clients.