The concept of sales peak performance (SPP) and the locus of control (LOC) amongst business to business (B2B) sales professionals was the pretext for this research. There were many different concepts and theories considered during the development and conceptualisation of this book. This study acknowledges the use of these theories and concepts in supporting the quest to solve the research problem under investigation. This chapter discusses the major findings in relation to these theories and examines their implications. The discussion is developed in the form of arguments and recommendations. This chapter pulls together the cogent aims and objectives of this research and addresses the primary question surrounding sales peak performance. This research has used both primary and secondary sources during the data collection and analysis process. This chapter will use the results from both the quantitative and qualitative data analyses when formulating this discourse.
Top6.3 Discussion Of The Main Research Questions
This section restates the research questions derived from the initial theories and investigated during the study. The four research questions being discussed in the next four sections are denoted below.
- 1.
What are the determinants that contribute to the sales peak performance (SPP) amongst business to business (B2B) sales professionals? (section 6.4)
- 2.
Where does the locus of control (LOC) reside in relation to SPP? Does the ability to perform at SPP level depend upon the internal locus of control (ILOC)? Or upon the external locus of control (ELOC)? (section 6.5)
- 3.
What is the framework for the sales peak performance (SPP) model? (section 6.6)
- 4.
What is sales peak performance (SPP) (section 6.7)
Top6.4 What Are The Determinants That Contribute To Spp Amongst B2b Sales Professionals?
The main issue with sales performance was identified very early on within the literature. The challenge was that there were so many variables which could impact on SPP. Churchill et al. (1985) posit that previously no single determinant could explain the variation in sales performance. They went on to suggest that “theoretical models which hypothesise multiple determinants and categories of determinants are probably on the right track” (ibid.:117).
The determinants were identified within the primary and secondary data collection process, which shaped the variables in question. Within this section, the organisational determinants (leadership, training and skills, rewards and compensation, and organisational culture) will be discussed first (see section 6.4.1); second will be the personal determinants (personality, motivation, self-efficacy, self-determination and personal branding) in section 6.4.2, and third, the symbiotic determinants will be discussed (goal setting and EI) in section 6.4.3.