They know what the customer wants! Proposal and validation of a scale to evaluate the sales force integration into the product development process

Alcides Barrichello; Melby Karina Zuniga Huertas

doi:10.5585/remark.v18i1.3851

Autores/as

Alcides Barrichello Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, São Paulo https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1531-3651
Melby Karina Zuniga Huertas Centro Universitário FEI https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8128-3465

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5585/remark.v18i1.3851

Palabras clave:

Salesforce, Product development process, Salesman and product development, Salesforce and PDP

Resumen

Objective: To propose and test a scale to measure the salesperson’s integration into the product development process (PDP), considering the perspective of salespeople.

Methodology: The data were collected through a survey applied to 258 salespeople from medical device industry and analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

Main results: The analysis of the scale’s psychometric properties was satisfactory, with good reliability and validity parameters.

Contributions: The study provides an instrument for measuring salesperson’s integration into the PDP, considering the perspective of salespeople, since much of what is in the literature is based on managers and supervisors’ opinions. Also, the study can help organizations design PDPs that effectively integrate the salesperson, covering a range of meaningful information for the company, as well as helping to maintain employees with a broader view of sales activity.

Relevance / originality: Lack of clarity regarding sales force integration into the PDP indicates that the salesperson may receive non-effective training, resources may be invested incorrectly, and worthy information may be lost simply because there is no understanding on the part of the salesperson that they are part of the product development process.

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Biografía del autor/a

Alcides Barrichello, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, São Paulo

Doutor em Administração pelo Centro Universitário FEI

Professor de Pós-graduação Lato Sensu da Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie

Professor de Executive MBA e programas PEC da Fundação Getúlio Vargas

Melby Karina Zuniga Huertas, Centro Universitário FEI

Doutorado em Administração pela Universidade de São Paulo - USP, São Paulo, (Brasil). Professorra adjunta e pequisadora do Centro Universitário FEI, São Paulo.

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