Secondary Selling: Selling Beyond the Customer
When working through the sales process, salespeople and sales managers often understandably focus on how they interact with the customer in front of them. We refer to this type of selling as “primary selling.” Importantly, however, we argue that selling also involves what we refer to as “secondary selling.” We define secondary selling as a salesperson interacting with secondary entities, namely objects and people outside the core salesperson-customer dyad, in a manner that indicates the salesperson values these entities. For example, the consideration a salesperson shows coworkers, other customers in the building, managers, suppliers, or anyone else in the room would reflect secondary selling. Company property is generally what it sounds like but could theoretically be extended to the salesperson’s or customer’s personal property as well, if the salesperson has any meaningful contact with it.
We wanted to see if secondary selling had an impact on a focal customer’s receptivity to a sales pitch, purchase behavior, feelings about the salesperson, and satisfaction with the sales process. Going into our research, we expected to find that secondary selling increases customer receptivity to a sales pitch, sales revenue, and satisfaction.
The Study
In order to develop and test our theory about secondary selling, we conducted three sets of studies. The first of these studies was exploratory, using unobtrusive, fly-on-the-wall videos to gain insights into the behaviors of the most effective salespeople. We partnered with a US-based Fortune 1000 automotive maintenance services firm and analyzed videos of sales interactions of salespeople. We obtained their cross-selling revenues and customer satisfaction scores from company records and surveys.
Our second set of studies involved collecting and analyzing survey data from salespeople and customers that could give us insights as to how secondary selling affects the sales process as a whole. In the first study, we analyzed survey results from salespeople and their customers (as well as sales performance data from company records) to determine how secondary selling behaviors affected both customer satisfaction and cross-selling revenues. The second study in this set only focused on customer survey results, and did so for a variety of retail settings such as electronics, clothing, furniture, and hardware stores. The questions asked were largely similar, focusing on how the focal customer reacted to primary and secondary selling efforts.
Our third set of studies provided context for our research in an experimental setting. For these studies, we designed and ran a hypothetical sales encounter in a furniture store. In the first study of this set, we manipulated secondary selling involving non-focal customers, while in the second study we focused on changing salesperson’s secondary selling behavior regarding company property. Across 240 participants in each study, we had the salesperson exhibit high and low levels of secondary selling involving non-focal customers or company property before engaging in primary selling with the customer. After each sales encounter, we had customers rate their levels of reactance to sales recommendations, salesperson satisfaction, cross-buying intentions, and persuasion knowledge.
The Results
By and large, the results of these various studies confirmed our hypotheses that secondary selling would have an impact on reactance to primary selling efforts and both focal customer satisfaction and cross-selling revenues. Each of the second and third studies failed to provide enough evidence to support some of our six hypotheses, but between the two studies, we did find support for all of the hypotheses in at least one setting. As such, the results of our studies indicate that:
higher levels of secondary selling involving both non-focal customers and company property can lower a focal customer’s reactance to a salesperson’s recommendations,
that higher primary selling efforts will also lower reactance,
that higher levels of secondary selling make primary selling efforts with a focal customer more effective in reducing reactance,
that both primary and secondary selling efforts involving non-focal customers are more effective when the focal customer has low levels of persuasion knowledge,
that secondary selling efforts involving company property are more effective when a customer has high levels of persuasion knowledge,
and that greater reactance from a customer towards a salesperson’s recommendations will lead to lower sales revenues and customer satisfaction.
Real Estate Implications
While working to sell or buy real estate, it is important for salespeople and sales managers to understand how secondary selling outside of a formal sales agent/focal customer dyad can affect one’s ability to effectively accomplish sales goals. From a general reputational perspective, it can be easy to see how the ways in which someone treats others around them (non-focal customers) and the objects with which they interact (company property) can affect how they are perceived by others. It is helpful to quantify that effect however, and that is what our research accomplishes. We are able to definitively say that secondary selling interactions have a very tangible effect on agents’ ability to sell and achieve customer satisfaction. In real estate specifically, secondary selling can be observed in how agents treat properties they are showing, how agents speak to co-workers, managers, or non-focal customers, or even something as small as how hard salespeople close a door on their way into or out of a meeting.
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Recommended Reading
Burchett, Molly R., Brian Murtha, and Ajay K. Kohli (2023), “Secondary Selling: Beyond the Salesperson-Customer Dyad,” Journal of Marketing, 87(4), 575-600.
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About the Authors
Molly R. Burchett, PhD
Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Wyoming
Dr. Molly Burchett (PhD – University of Kentucky) teaches in the areas of professional selling and marketing strategy. Her research interests include business-to-business sales strategy as well as uncovering effective influence techniques for business-to-government and business-to-consumer selling. Her research has been published in the Journal of Marketing, Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Substance Use, Journal of Gerontological Nursing, Journal of Palliative Medicine, and Communication Education. Prior to joining the University of Wyoming, she gained industry experience as a Director of Development and Financial Agent for Northwestern Mutual, among other positions.
Brian Murtha, PhD
Carol Martin Gatton Chair in Marketing and University Research Professor, Gatton College of Business & Economics, University of Kentucky
Dr. Brian Murtha (PhD – Georgia Institute of Technology) teaches courses and researches the subjects of Personal Selling and Sales Management. His research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Management Science, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. Dr. Murtha’sresearch on marketing doctrine won the Shelby D. Hunt/Harold H. Maynard from the Journal of Marketing and was a finalist for the Sheth Foundation/Journal of Marketing Award. Brian is also an Associate Editor for the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.
Ajay K. Kohli, PhD
Gary T. and Elizabeth R. Jones Chair and Regents’ Professor, Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Ajay K. Kohli (PhD – University of Pittsburgh) teaches courses on managing marketing and theory construction. His research interests include market orientation, salesforce management, brand management, and customer solutions. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Marketing from 2008-2011 and currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal. In addition, he has served on the Editorial Advisory Boards of a number of other journals. His research has appeared in Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing, and many more. In addition, Dr. Kohli has been a featured speaker at numerous conferences, companies, and has received numerous awards.
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