Examining Savvy Salespeople Practicing Entrepreneurship And Client-Oriented Selling To Enhance Cross-Border Sales
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21632/irjbs.16.2.189-209Keywords:
Corporate Entrepreneurship, Clients Oriented Selling, Absorptive Capacity, Cross-border Sales PerformanceAbstract
Organizational marketing, sometimes referred to as business-to-business (B2B) marketing, typically deals with a limited clientele, resulting in a close relationship between customers and salespeople. The link must be managed carefully for the salesmen to employ entrepreneurial strategies to increase clients’ readiness to repurchase products and ultimately meet the company’s sales target, especially for those working in international markets. However, no well-validated model has been developed to demonstrate that salespeople who engage in corporate entrepreneurship and client-focused sales of the company do better in cross-border sales. The goal of the study is to test and validate a conceptual model that claims salespeople who engage in corporate entrepreneurship and client-centered selling perform better in cross-border sales when the company has a high capacity for absorption. Data analysis was done as part of the quantitative research method utilized in this study.
References
Adomako, S., Quartey, S. H., & Narteh, B. (2016). Entrepreneurial orientation, passion for work, perceived environmental
dynamism, and firm performance in an emerging economy. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development.
Arnett, D. B., & Wittmann, C. M. (2014). Improving marketing success: The role of tacit knowledge exchange between sales
and marketing. Journal of Business Research, 67(3), 324-331.
Baker, W. E., & Sinkula, J. M. (2009). The complementary effects of market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation on
profitability in small businesses. Journal of small business management, 47(4), 443-464.
Ben, A. W., & Lubica, H. (2021). Corporate entrepreneurship, product innovation, and knowledge conversion: The role of
digital platforms. Small Business Economics, 56(3), 1191-1204. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-019-00262-6
Bolton, R. N., & Tarasi, C. O. (2017). Managing customer relationships. In Review of marketing research (pp. 3-38). Routledge.
Boso, N., Cadogan, J. W., & Story, V. M. (2012). A complementary effect of entrepreneurial and market orientations on
export new product success under differing levels of competitive intensity and financial capital. International Business
Review, 21(4), 667-681.
Bouguerra, A., Mellahi, K., Glaister, K., Hughes, M., & Tatoglu, E. (2021). Revisiting the concept of absorptive capacity: The
moderating effects of market sensing and responsiveness. British Journal of Management, 32(2), 342-362.
Bucktowar, R., Kocak, A., & Padachi, K. (2015). Entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, and networking: impact on
innovation and firm performance. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, 20(04), 1550024.
Carrión, G. C., Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Roldán, J. L. (2016). Prediction-oriented modeling in business research by means of
PLS path modeling: Introduction to a JBR special section. Journal of business research, 69(10), 4545-4551.
Chatterjee, S., Rana, N. P., Tamilmani, K., & Sharma, A. (2021). The effect of AI-based CRM on organization performance and
competitive advantage: An empirical analysis in the B2B context. Industrial Marketing Management, 97, 205-219.
Chin, W. W. (1998). The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. Modern Methods for business
research, 295(2), 295-336.
Chonko, L. B., Tanner Jr, J. F., & Smith, E. R. (1991). Selling and sales management in action: The sales force’s role in international
marketing research and marketing information systems. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 11(1), 69-80.
Cohen, W. M., & Levinthal, D. A. (1990). Absorptive capacity: A new perspective on learning and innovation. Administrative
science quarterly, 128-152.
Cooper, R. G., & Edgett, S. J. (2008). MAXIMIZING PRODUCTIVITY IN PRODUCT INNOVATION. Research-Technology
Management, 51(2), 47–58. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24135221
Covin, J. G., & Miles, M. P. (1999). Corporate entrepreneurship and the pursuit of competitive advantage. Entrepreneurship
theory and practice, 23(3), 47-63.
Covin, J. G., & Slevin, D. P. (1989). Strategic management of small firms in hostile and benign environments. Strategic
management journal, 10(1), 75-87.
Cuervo–Cazurra, A. (2011). Global strategy and global business environment: The direct and indirect influences of the home
country on a firm’s global strategy. Global Strategy Journal, 1(3–4), 382-386.
Cuervo-Cazurra, A., & Rui, H. (2017). Barriers to absorptive capacity in emerging market firms. Journal of World Business, 52(6),
727-742.
Daphne W. Yiu, ChungMing Lau, & Bruton, G. D. (2007). International Venturing by Emerging Economy Firms: The Effects of
Firm Capabilities, Home Country Networks, and Corporate Entrepreneurship. Journal of International Business Studies,
38(4), 519–540. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4540440
Denicolai, S., Zucchella, A., & Strange, R. (2014). Knowledge assets and firm international performance. International business
review, 23(1), 55-62.
Dess, G. G., & Lumpkin, G. T. (2005). The role of entrepreneurial orientation in stimulating effective corporate
entrepreneurship. Academy of Management Perspectives, 19(1), 147-156.
Dess, G. G., Pinkham, B. C., & Yang, H. (2011). Entrepreneurial orientation: Assessing the construct’s validity and addressing
some of its implications for research in the areas of the family business and organizational learning. Entrepreneurship
Theory and Practice, 35(5), 1077-1090.
Dijkstra, T. K., & Henseler, J. (2015). Consistent partial least squares path modeling. MIS quarterly, 39(2), 297-316.
Dung, L. T., & Giang, H. T. T. (2021). The effect of international intrapreneurship on firm export performance with driving force
of organizational factors. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 37(11), 2185-2204.
Dutta, D. K., & Crossan, M. M. (2005). The nature of entrepreneurial opportunities: Understanding the process using the 4I
organizational learning framework. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 29(4), 425-449.
Edwards, J., Miles, M. P., D’Alessandro, S., & Frost, M. (2022). Linking B2B sales performance to entrepreneurial self-efficacy,
entrepreneurial selling actions. Journal of Business Research, 142, 585-593.
ELSamen, A. A., & Akroush, M. N. (2018). How does customer orientation enhances salespeople’s performance? A case study
from an international market. Benchmarking: An International Journal.
Engelen, A., Gupta, V., Strenger, L., & Brettel, M. (2015). Entrepreneurial orientation, firm performance, and the moderating role
of transformational leadership behaviors. Journal of Management, 41(4), 1069-1097.
Evans, K. R., Landry, T. D., Li, P. C., & Zou, S. (2007). How sales controls affect job-related outcomes: the role of organizational
sales-related psychological climate perceptions. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 35(3), 445-459.
Fletcher, M., & Harris, S. (2012). Knowledge acquisition for the internationalization of the smaller firm: Content and
sources. International Business Review, 21(4), 631-647.
Fornell, C., & Bookstein, F. L. (1982). Two structural equation models: LISREL and PLS applied to consumer exit-voice
theory. Journal of Marketing Research, 19(4), 440-452.
Franke, G. R., & Park, J. E. (2006). Salesperson adaptive selling behavior and customer orientation: A meta-analysis. Journal of
Marketing Research, 43(4), 693-702.
Göcke, L., Hülsebusch, K., & Menter, M. (2021). The legitimacy of corporate entrepreneurship: a structured literature
review. Management Review Quarterly, 1-32.
Goldsby, M. G., Kuratko, D. F., Bishop, J. W., Kreiser, P. M., & Hornsby, J. S. (2018). Social proactiveness and innovation: The
impact of stakeholder salience on corporate entrepreneurship. Journal of Small Business Strategy, 28(2), 1-15.
Good, M. C., & Schwepker Jr, C. H. (2022). Business-to-business salespeople and political skill: Relationship building, deviance,
and performance. Journal of Business Research, 139, 32-43.
Gounaris, S., Vassilikopoulou, A., & Chatzipanagiotou, K. C. (2010). Internal–market orientation: A misconceived aspect of
marketing theory. European Journal of Marketing.
Grewal, R., & Tansuhaj, P. (2001). Building organizational capabilities for managing economic crisis: The role of market
orientation and strategic flexibility. Journal of Marketing, 65(2), 67-80.
Gruber-Muecke, T., & Hofer, K. M. (2015). Market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation, and performance in emerging
markets. International Journal of Emerging Markets.
Guenzi, P., De Luca, L. M., & Troilo, G. (2011). Organizational drivers of salespeople’s customer orientation and selling
orientation. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 31(3), 269-285.
Hair Jr, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Hopkins, L., & Kuppelwieser, V. G. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLSSEM): An emerging tool in business research. European Business Review.
Hair Jr, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Gudergan, S. P. (2017). Advanced issues in partial least squares structural equation
modeling. Sage publications.
Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond Culture Garden City, NY.
Hartmann, N. N., & Lussier, B. (2020). Managing the sales force through the unexpected exogenous COVID-19 crisis. Industrial
Marketing Management, 88, 101-111.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural
equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43, 115-135.
Hernandez-Perlines, F. (2018). The moderating effect of absorptive capacity on the entrepreneurial orientation of international
performance of family businesses. Journal of Family Business Management.
Hohenthal, J., Johanson, J., & Johanson, M. (2015). Network knowledge and business-relationship value in the foreign market.
In Knowledge, Networks, and Power (pp. 187-224). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Hurley, R. F., & Hult, G. T. M. (1998). Innovation, market orientation, and organizational learning: an integration and empirical
examination. Journal of Marketing, 62(3), 42-54.
Jaworski, B. J., & Kohli, A. K. (1993). Market orientation: antecedents and consequences. Journal of Marketing, 57(3), 53-70.
Javalgi, R. R. G., Martin, C. L., & Young, R. B. (2006). Marketing research, market orientation, and customer relationship
management: a framework and implications for service providers. Journal of Services Marketing.
Javalgi, R. G., Hall, K. D., & Cavusgil, S. T. (2014). Corporate entrepreneurship, customer-oriented selling, absorptive
capacity, and international sales performance in the international B2B setting: Conceptual framework and research
propositions. International Business Review, 23(6), 1193-1202.
Johnson, J. P., Lenartowicz, T., & Apud, S. (2006). Cross-cultural competence in international business: Toward a definition and
a model. Journal of International Business studies, 37(4), 525-543.
Kahiya, E. T., & Dean, D. L. (2016). Export stages and export barriers: Revisiting traditional export development. Thunderbird
International Business Review, 58(1), 75-89.
Kirzner, I. M. (1997). Entrepreneurial discovery and the competitive market process: An Austrian approach. Journal of Economic
Literature, 35(1), 60-85.
Konrad, A. (2018). The impact of salespeople’s customer orientation on performance: a literature review. Proceedings of the
12th MAC 2018, 136.
Koponen, J., Julkunen, S., & Asai, A. (2019). Sales communication competence in international B2B solution selling. Industrial
Marketing Management, 82, 238-252.
Lane, P. J., Koka, B. R., & Pathak, S. (2006). The reification of absorptive capacity: A critical review and rejuvenation of the
construct. Academy of Management Review, 31(4), 833-863.
Lange, H. E., Drews, P., & Höft, M. (2021). Realization of Data-Driven Business Models in Incumbent Companies: An Exploratory
Study Based on the Resource-Based View. ICIS 2021 Proceedings.
Lievens, A., & Blažević, V. (2021). A service design perspective on the stakeholder engagement journey during B2B innovation:
Challenges and future research agenda. Industrial Marketing Management, 95, 128-141.
Lisboa, A., Skarmeas, D., & Lages, C. (2011). Entrepreneurial orientation, exploitative and explorative capabilities, and
performance outcomes in export markets: A resource-based approach. Industrial Marketing Management, 40(8), 1274-
1284.
Li, Y., Kwok, R. C. W., Zhang, S., & Gao, S. (2019). How could firms benefit more from absorptive capacity under technological
turbulence? The contingent effect of managerial mechanisms. Asian Journal of Technology Innovation, 28(1), 1-20.
Lohmöller, J. B., & Lohmöller, J. B. (1989). Predictive vs. structural modeling: Pls vs. ml. Latent variable path modeling with
partial least squares, 199-226.
Lopez, S. P., Peón, J. M. M., & Ordás, C. J. V. (2005). Organizational learning is a determining factor in business performance. The
learning organization.
Martinkenaite, I., & Breunig, K. J. (2016). The emergence of absorptive capacity through micro–macro level interactions. Journal
of Business Research, 69(2), 700-708.
Marvasti, N. B., Huhtala, J. P., Yousefi, Z. R., Vaniala, I., Upreti, B., Malo, P., ... & Tikkanen, H. (2021). Is this company a lead
customer? Estimating stages of B2B buying journey. Industrial Marketing Management, 97, 126-133.
McFadzean, E., O’Loughlin, A., & Shaw, E. (2005). Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation Part 1: the missing link. European
Journal of Innovation Management.
Men, C., Luo, J., Fong, P. S., Zhong, J., & Huo, W. (2020). Translating external knowledge to team creativity in turbulent
environments: The role of absorptive capacity and knowledge integration. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 54(2), 363-
377.
Metallo, C., Agrifoglio, R., Briganti, P., Mercurio, L., & Ferrara, M. (2021). Entrepreneurial behavior and new venture creation:
The psychoanalytic perspective. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 6(1), 35-42.
Mintu-Wimsatt, A., & Gassenheimer, J. B. (2000). The moderating effects of the cultural context in buyer-seller negotiation.Journal
of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 20(1), 1-9.
Moreno, A. M., & Casillas, J. C. (2008). Entrepreneurial orientation and growth of SMEs: A causal model. Entrepreneurship
Theory and Practice, 32(3), 507-528.
Narula, R., & Verbeke, A. (2015). Making internalization theory good for practice: The essence of Alan Rugman’s contributions
to international business. Journal of World Business, 50(4), 612-622.
Nguyen, T. T. L., Hoang, X. Q., Lien, P. T., Pham, T. H., & Pham, H. H. (2022). Antecedents of salesperson performance in the
information service industry: The role of guanxi, adaptive selling behaviors and customer orientation. Cogent Business
& Management, 9(1), 2044433.
Obal, M., & Gao, T. T. (2020). Managing business relationships during a pandemic: Conducting a relationship audit and
developing a path forward. Industrial Marketing Management, 88, 247-254.
Ohiomah, A., Benyoucef, M., & Andreev, P. (2020). A multidimensional perspective of business-to-business sales success: A
meta-analytic review. Industrial Marketing Management, 90, 435-452.
Orlandi, L. B. (2016). Organizational capabilities in the digital era: Reframing strategic orientation. Journal of Innovation &
Knowledge, 1(3), 156-161.
Panagopoulos, N. G., Lee, N., Pullins, E. B., Avlonitis, G. J., Brassier, P., Guenzi, P., ... & Weilbaker, D. C. (2011). Internationalizing
sales research: Status, opportunities, and challenges. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 31(3), 219-242.
Pandey, A., & Charoensukmongkol, P. (2019). Contribution of cultural intelligence to adaptive selling and customer-oriented
selling of salespeople at international trade shows: does cultural similarity matter? Journal of Asia Business Studies.
Pelham, A. (2006). SALESFORCE INVOLVEMENT IN PRODUCT DESIGN: THE INFLUENCE ON THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN
CONSULTING-ORIENTED SALES MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS AND PERFORMANCE. Journal of Marketing Theory and
Practice, 14(1), 37-55. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/sales-force-involvement-productdesign-influence/docview/212244645/se-2
Pelham, A. M. (2010). The impact of salesperson perception of firm market orientation on behaviors and consulting
effectiveness. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 17(2), 105-126.
Pelham, A. M. (2002). An exploratory model and initial test of the influence of firm-level consulting-oriented sales force
programs on sales force performance. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 22(2), 97-109.
Penrose, E. (1959). The Theory of the. Growth of the Firm (Oxford: Blackwell.
Periatt, J. A., LeMay, S. A., & Chakrabarty, S. (2004). The selling orientation–customer orientation (SOCO) scale: Cross-validation
of the revised version. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 24(1), 49-54.
Ringle, C. M., Wende, S., & Becker, J. M. (2015). SmartPLS 3. SmartPLS GmbH. Bönningstedt, Germany.
Sari, T. D. R., & Sukmasari, D. (2018). Does Organizational Learning and Innovation Influence Performance? Journal of
Behavioral Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Accounting and Transport, 6(1), 22-25.
Shafique, I., & Kalyar, M. N. (2018). Linking transformational leadership, absorptive capacity, and corporate
entrepreneurship. Administrative Sciences, 8(2), 9.
Sharma, V. M., & Erramilli, M. K. (2004). Resource-based explanation of entry mode choice. Journal of Marketing Theory and
Practice, 12(1), 1-18.
Sheth, J. N. (1973). A model of industrial buyer behavior. Journal of Marketing, 37(4), 50-56.
Singh, R., & Koshy, A. (2012). A new conceptualization of salesperson’s customer orientation: Propositions and
implications. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 30(1), 69-82.
Steward, M. D., Narus, J. A., Roehm, M. L., & Ritz, W. (2019). From transactions to journeys and beyond The evolution of B2B
buying process modeling. Industrial Marketing Management, 83, 288-300.
Szulanski, G. (1996). Exploring internal stickiness: Impediments to the transfer of best practice within the firm. Strategic
Management Journal, 17(S2), 27-43.
Tse, D. K., Lee, K. H., Vertinsky, I., & Wehrung, D. A. (1988). Does culture matter? A cross-cultural study of executives’ choice,
decisiveness, and risk adjustment in international marketing. Journal of Marketing, 52(4), 81-95.
Verbeke, W., Dietz, B., & Verwaal, E. (2011). Drivers of sales performance: a contemporary meta-analysis. Have salespeople
become knowledge brokers? Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(3), 407-428.
Wachner, T., Plouffe, C. R., & Grégoire, Y. (2009). SOCO’s impact on individual sales performance: The integration of selling
skills as a missing link. Industrial Marketing Management, 38(1), 32-44.
Webster Jr, F. E. (1965). The industrial salesman is a source of market information. Business Horizons, 8(1), 77-82.
Welpe, I. M., Spörrle, M., Grichnik, D., Michl, T., & Audretsch, D. B. (2012). Emotions and opportunities: The interplay of
opportunity evaluation, fear, joy, and anger as antecedent of entrepreneurial exploitation. Entrepreneurship Theory and
Practice, 36(1), 69-96.
Yiu, D. W., & Lau, C. M. (2008). Corporate entrepreneurship as resource capital configuration in emerging market
firms. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 32(1), 37-57.
Zahra, S. A., & Covin, J. G. (1995). Contextual influences on the corporate entrepreneurship-performance relationship: A
longitudinal analysis. Journal of Business Venturing, 10(1), 43-58.
Zahra, S. A., & George, G. (2002). Absorptive capacity: A review, reconceptualization, and extension. Academy of Management
Review, 27(2), 185-203.
Zou, T., Ertug, G., & George, G. (2018). The capacity to innovate: A meta-analysis of absorptive capacity. Innovation, 20(2),
87-121.
Downloads
Submitted
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Hubert Widiastono, Fathony Rahman, Christiana Yosevina
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Journal Author(s) Rights
For IRJBS to publish and disseminate research articles, we need publishing rights (transferred from the author(s) to the publisher). This is determined by a publishing agreement between the Author(s) and IRJBS. This agreement deals with the transfer or license of the copyright of publishing to IRJBS, while Authors still retain significant rights to use and share their own published articles. IRJBS supports the need for authors to share, disseminate and maximize the impact of their research and these rights, in any databases.
As a journal Author, you have rights to many uses of your article, including use by your employing institute or company. These Author rights can be exercised without the need to obtain specific permission. Authors publishing in IRJBS journals have comprehensive rights to use their works for teaching and scholarly purposes without needing to seek permission, including:
- use for classroom teaching by Author or Author's institution and presentation at a meeting or conference and distributing copies to attendees;
- use for internal training by the author's company;
- distribution to colleagues for their research use;
- use in a subsequent compilation of the author's works;
- inclusion in a thesis or dissertation;
- reuse of portions or extracts from the article in other works (with full acknowledgment of the final article);
- preparation of derivative works (other than commercial purposes) (with full acknowledgment of the final article);
- voluntary posting on open websites operated by the author or the author’s institution for scholarly purposes,
(But it should follow the open access license of Creative Common CC-by-SA License).
Authors/Readers/Third Parties can copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, as well as remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. Still, they must give appropriate credit (the name of the creator and attribution parties (authors' detail information), a copyright notice, an open access license notice, a disclaimer notice, and a link to the material), provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made (Publisher indicates the modification of the material (if any) and retain an indication of previous modifications.
Authors/Readers/Third Parties can read, print and download, redistribute or republish the article (e.g. display in a repository), translate the article, download for text and data mining purposes, reuse portions or extracts from the article in other works, sell or re-use for commercial purposes, remix, transform, or build upon the material, they must distribute their contributions under the same license as the original Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA).
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
