Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2009
Abstract
Selling is a social activity in which bilateral influence is exchanged but ultimately where the seller seeks to influence the buyer. Previous work has investigated social influence in many forms and settings but has been of limited, practical use in B2B sales. This paper introduces new measures, derived from French and Ravens bases of power, which integrate ideas from social psychology and ideas grounded in business practice. These measures are tested in a theoretical model linking B2B social influence to trust and sales performance. This paper contributes to the existing understanding of B2B buyer-seller relationships in two ways. First, it develops new scales of social influence that can be taught, learned and applied in B2B selling. Second, it proposes a new model relating six non-coercive social influence principles to trust.
Keywords
selling--ability testing, sales personnel, sales, power, social influence, cognitive trust, affective Trust
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Strolin, Stuart, "Reconceptualizing Social Influence Mechanisms For Buyer-Seller Relationships" (2009). Student Scholarship. 351.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/351
