Linking B2B sales performance to entrepreneurial self-efficacy, entrepreneurial selling actions

This study addresses the interrelationships between a business-to-business (B2B) salesperson's sales performance and their level of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial sales actions. Data was collected through a survey of 252 participants (B2B salespeople working in Australia). Structured equation modeling was used to analyze and test the hypotheses. The findings suggest that entrepreneurial self-efficacy strongly influences sales innovativeness and creative selling, highlighting the importance of senior management encouraging and rewarding new selling methods (a salesperson's entrepreneurial actions). Finally, these sales actions positively and significantly impacted individual sales performance. Thus, creative selling and sales innovativeness are powerful influencers of personal sales performance. This research contributes to the sales performance literature by highlighting the relationship between entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE), creative selling, and sales innovativeness. These findings provide additional lessons for senior management when pursuing increased growth and sales performance. As ESE has a positive impact on a salesperson's actions and performance, senior management may wish to encourage an internal environment in which ESE behaviors are not only accepted but encouraged.