Sales Organization Recovery Management and Relationship Selling: A Conceptual Model and Empirical Test

Gabriel R. Gonzalez, Thunderbrid School of Global Management
Douglas Hoffman, Colorado State University
Thomas N. Ingram, Colorado State University
Raymond W. LaForge, University of Louisville

This paper presents and tests a model of recovery management practices in business-to-business (B2B) sales organizations. The linkages between organic and mechanistic approaches are integrated to provide a more comprehensive conceptualization of sales organization recovery management relationships than currently exists in the literature. Responses from 177 B2B sales managers indicate that maintaining a positive service recovery culture, analyzing service failures, implementing recovery strategies, and monitoring, evaluating, and seeking feedback about recovery efforts are linked with important customer and financial outcomes. Results indicate the importance of proactive integration of service recovery concepts and behaviors into relationship selling efforts.

 

Gabriel R. Gonzalez, K. Douglas Hoffman, Thomas N. Ingram, Raymond W. LaForge (2010), “Sales Organization Recovery Management and Relationship Selling: A Conceptual Model and Empirical Test,” Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 30(3) 223-238.