Met Expectations and Turnover in Direct SellingMet Expectations and Turnover in Direct Sellingby Thomas R. Wotruba & pradeep K. Tyagiby Thomas R. Wotruba & pradeep K. Tyagi

直銷通路管理報告指導教授﹕陳得發教授學生 : 王昭雄 學號﹕ 8941812中華民國九十一年六月二日

The authors’ study of direct salespeople shows that stayers and leavers differ significantly on met expectations in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.

The managerial usefulness of such findings is

discussed.

Abstract

To examine the impact of met expectation (ME) on voluntary turnover among salespeople in direct selling firms.

The differences between prior turnover studies and this study: 1. A literature search revealed no published studies reporting relationships between ME and turnover in sales organizations.

2. ME is a different type of construct from those explored previously in that ME involves a process rather than a specific set of variable defined in a particular domain.

Purpose

Variables drawn from such domains as job satisfaction,. organizational commitment, leadership consideration, self-esteem, and job performance could be candidates for use in assessing met expectations.

The test of whether one’s expectations for a job are met does not happen immediately upon employment, but rather requires a period of job experience.

Purpose

BackgroundBackground

Four parts studies: 1. Studies of met expectations and related concepts, 2. Studies of the socialization process in sales organizations, 3. longitudinal studies showing the effects on turnover of changes over time in predictor variables, 4. studies involving turnover in direct selling.

A study of new salespeople aimed at testing a model of salesforce socialization found that greater realism on the part of the salesperson when entering the job led great job satisfaction.

Socialization in Sales organization

study How Measure Reliability Result

Sager & Johnston

(1989)

3-items anticipatory socialization scale, in which two items asked whether, given present knowledge, the subject would have taken the job and worked for the company

.90

r with work satisfaction=.445 r with organization commitment =.503(p<.05)

Longitudinal Studies Suggest that quitting follows a decline in satisfaction or commitment that is significantly great for the leavers than for the stayers.

Turnover might be similarly influenced by declining met expectations.

Longitudinal Studies and Changes Over Time

H1: ME1 of actives at t1 are greater than ME1 of inactives at t1

H2: ME2 of actives at t2 are greater than ME2 of inactives at t2

H3: ME1 of actives at t2 are greater than ME1 of inactives at t2

H4: MEd of actives at t2 are greater than MEd of inactives at t1

1. Each of these group was measured at two points in time(t1 and t2) 2. Measures of met expectations obtained at t1 and t2 are noted ad ME1 and M|E2.3. The changes in those measures between t1 and t2 are noted as MEd

Study Design and Hypotheses

MethodMethod Sample

1.Selling firm: Mary Kay Cometics, Saladmaster, Tupperware, United Consumers Club

2.Questionaires: 1600

3. Received : a. 491 (31% response rate) , b. 85% were women c. the median age was 27 d. 62% were married e. the median annual household income was $27,000 f. 296 were still active g. 195 had already become inactive

4. The 296 actives at t1 constituted the list of salespeople who were mailed a follow-up questionnaire about one year later. Responses were received from 175, who become the t2 sample.

5. Of the 175 respondents at t2, a. 71 were still active and 104 had become inactive since t1. b. 90% were women, c. media age were32 d. 77% were married, e. the median annual household income was $31,000.

H1: ME1 of actives at t1 are greater than ME1 of inactives at t1 -- supportingH2: ME2 of actives at t2 are greater than ME2 of inactives at t2 -- supportingH3: ME1 of actives at t2 are greater than ME1 of inactives at t2H4: MEd of actives at t2 are greater than MEd of inactives at t2 -- supporting

Discussion and Implications

Managerial implications

1. To reduce turnover is to clarify and increase the realism of entering salespersons’ expectations to bring them into closer alignment with the available rewards and opportunities.

2. Expectations are dynamic and are likely to be modified over time in response past rewards, performance, available alternatives, and other factors.

3. attempts can be made to increase the total number of potentially desirable job characteristic and thus increase the probability that expectations about those characteristics will be met.

4. Sales managers should think beyond job satisfaction/dissatisfaction as being the leading antecedent of turnover.

Discussion and Implications

Limitations and Research Directions Because no commonly accepted scale is available to measure met expectations, the result based on 25-item scale might be different if different items were used.

Discussion and Implications

Managerial implications

1. To reduce turnover is to clarify and increase the realism of entering salespersons’ expectations to bring them into closer alignment with the available rewards and opportunities.

2. Expectations are dynamic and are likely to be modified over time in response past rewards, performance, available alternatives, and other factors.

3. attempts can be made to increase the total number of potentially desirable job characteristic and thus increase the probability that expectations about those characteristics will be met.

4. Sales managers should think beyond job satisfaction/dissatisfaction as being the leading antecedent of turnover.

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