The role of the sales force in multichannel distribution: Organizational determinants and consequences

Companies have to choose not only an appropriate organization of sales force activities but also an optimal level of integration in order to align the sales force with other channels. Based on an exploratory qualitative study, a conceptual model for determining sales force activities is developed and tested empirically. We found a positive impact of using the sales force in a target-oriented way, and strong support that a relational selling strategy enhances the performance of the sales force as well as the total distribution success. Furthermore, we were able to identify channel interference as an important contingency factor for sales force integration.