Question 3.

6: You observe the following condition: “Our female sales representatives

have lower customer defections than do our male sales representatives.”

A. Propose the concepts and constructs you might use to describe this
phenomenon.
The meaning of concepts and constructs can be easily confused. Concepts are a collection of
meanings or characteristics associated with certain events, objects, conditions, situations, and
behaviors. Concepts are created by classifying and categorizing objects or events that have
common characteristics (Cooper & Schindler, 2014). Concepts are usually acquired through
personal experience. Some of the concepts that are more frequent and general have been
developed over a longer period (Cooper & Schindler, 2014).
Constructs on the other hand are more abstract. They consist of images and/or abstract idea
that were invented for a research study and/or theory (Cooper & Schindler, 2014). To create a
construct you combine simpler, more concrete concepts.

In the case of the female sales representatives having lower customer defections, a set of
concepts and constructs must be developed and defined to accurately study this phenomenon.
An operational definition must be formulated for the terms we are looking to study, which means
that the definition needs to be tested and measured. The two constructs that are worth
looking at in this situation as it regards to customer defections is the personality and
attractiveness/appearance of the female employees.

In a study published in the PsyCh Journal, a group of researchers looked into the charming
personality style and sales. This personality style corresponds to the histrionic personality,
which is described in the DSM-IV (Kazen, Kuhl, Boermans, & Koole, 2013). An individual with
this personality type would process characteristics such as having friendly and cheerful verbal
and nonverbal behavior (Kazen, Kuhl, Boermans, & Koole, 2013).

Appearance and/or attractiveness may also be playing a role in this company’s situation.
Appearance/attractiveness can be measured by if they are well groomed, their hair brushed,
and they are clean shaven. Also, are they dressed appropriately, their clothes clean pressed
and free of stains, wrinkles, and holes. All these concepts encompass the construct of having a
positive appearance and being attractive. It is extremely important for salespeople to look the
part, if they do not look like they take care of themselves, that will translate into customers
thinking they don’t care about their job and they don’t care about the customer and/or product in
which they are selling. This is most evident in Samuel 16:7 when the LORD said to Samuel “Do
not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at
the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart”
(Samuel 16:7, n.d.).

b. How might any of these concepts and/or constructs be related to explanatory

hypotheses.

In a study looking at the charming personality style and sales, it was found that they
characteristics of that personality are associated with have a persuasive impact on others and
that this personality style is a “stable trait associated with positive affect and with a power
motivation (having an influence on other people” (Kazen, Kuhl, Boermans, & Koole, 2013). In
turn, individuals who hold this personality style are more likely to exude their positive vibes on
people around them. Customers are more likely to purchase a product and/or service when they
are in a good mood (Kazen, Kuhl, Boermans, & Koole, 2013).
 A group of researchers published an article in the Journal of Fashion Marketing and
Management as it relates to attractiveness in salespeople. The group of researchers used
avatars (digital animated person) on an online sales website. It was found that the type of avatar
used had a significant influence on the customers perception of credibility and attractiveness. It
was also found that the attractiveness of the avatar significantly influenced the consumers
intention to interact with the avatar (Mull, Wyss, Moon, & Lee, 2015). ”Additionally they found
that attractiveness of the avatar’s physical appearance had a positive effect on consumer’s
perceptions of credibility and likeability” (Mull, Wyss, Moon, & Lee, 2015).

References
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2014). Business Research Methods. New York, NY: McGraw-
Hill/Irwin.

Kazen, M., Kuhl, J., Boermans, S., & Koole, S. L. (2013, August). Excelling at selling: The
charming personality style predicts occupational activities, sales performance, and persuasive
competence. PsyCh Journal, 2(2), 86-100. doi:10.1002/pchj.22

Mull, I., Wyss, J., Moon, E., & Lee, S. (2015). An exploratory study of using 3D avatars as online
salespeople. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 19(2), 154-168.
10.1108/JFMM-05-2014-0033

Samuel 16:7. (n.d.). Retrieved from Bible Gateway:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel+16%3A7