Trust in Professional Selling
The Role of Trust in Professional Selling and its Marketing Related Outcomes.
Richard Eberle, Ian McGurran, Miranda Schoenfish
This study examines the role trust plays in professional selling. The results show that building a trust based relationship with consumers can help create long lasting, mutually beneficial arrangements. Along with that, companies understand the importance of trust and educated their employees on how to build that rapport.
Introduction
Trust is a primary sociological function that has distinct cognitive, emotional and behavioral dimensions which merge to create a congruent social experience (Lewis, 1985). It is commonly defined as "one 's expectations, assumptions, or beliefs about the likelihood that another 's future actions will be beneficial, favorable, or at least not detrimental to one 's interests" (Robinson 1996, p.576). These expectations, assumptions and beliefs shape how the consumer views a salesperson. Customers may come into a meeting with assumptions or stereotypes because they do not know the person they are negotiating with. “In the change from a face-to-face society to one of widespread anonymity in a demographically large and structurally complicated system, a person often interacts with others who are not known well or even at all” (Lewis 1985, p. 973). However, consumers do not hesitate to buy from people who are unknown. This is due to the reliance on system trust that depicts contemporary, complex civilizations. That trust is especially important when salespeople are corresponding with potential consumers because a long lasting relationship based on trust could create value for both the customer and the seller.
Trust is a meaningful part of the relationship because it causes the buyer to have risked something on the salesperson’s claims or promises (Swan & Nolan, 1985). Trust is not the only significant aspect in the customer-salesperson relationship, but it assists in establishing the capability of a
Richard Eberle, Ian McGurran, Miranda Schoenfish
This study examines the role trust plays in professional selling. The results show that building a trust based relationship with consumers can help create long lasting, mutually beneficial arrangements. Along with that, companies understand the importance of trust and educated their employees on how to build that rapport.
Introduction
Trust is a primary sociological function that has distinct cognitive, emotional and behavioral dimensions which merge to create a congruent social experience (Lewis, 1985). It is commonly defined as "one 's expectations, assumptions, or beliefs about the likelihood that another 's future actions will be beneficial, favorable, or at least not detrimental to one 's interests" (Robinson 1996, p.576). These expectations, assumptions and beliefs shape how the consumer views a salesperson. Customers may come into a meeting with assumptions or stereotypes because they do not know the person they are negotiating with. “In the change from a face-to-face society to one of widespread anonymity in a demographically large and structurally complicated system, a person often interacts with others who are not known well or even at all” (Lewis 1985, p. 973). However, consumers do not hesitate to buy from people who are unknown. This is due to the reliance on system trust that depicts contemporary, complex civilizations. That trust is especially important when salespeople are corresponding with potential consumers because a long lasting relationship based on trust could create value for both the customer and the seller.
Trust is a meaningful part of the relationship because it causes the buyer to have risked something on the salesperson’s claims or promises (Swan & Nolan, 1985). Trust is not the only significant aspect in the customer-salesperson relationship, but it assists in establishing the capability of a
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