Determinants of Sales Force Performance: A Multiple Company Study

What factors account for the wide variation in performance within a sales force, and what is the relative importance of these factors? This paper attempts to answer that question by first developing a framework that identifies the major constructs to be included in a model of sales force performance, and then testing the model in three different corporate settings. The empirical results provide a basis for developing useful generalizations about the importance of territory characteristics, span of control, and other factors in explaining the variability of salesperson performance.