Pathways towards Sales Performance: Empirical Evidence on the Role of Field Managers’ Monitoring, Emotional Intelligence and Interpersonal Mentalizing Skills

Abstract

Sales performance, field management is one of the main issues of manufacturing, profit oriented, customer centered and marketing firms. In this regards sales workers act as a bridge between customers and top management of the firms. Managers have to keep their work force motivated and pay special attention to build high level of emotional intelligence and interpersonal mentalizing skills among their workers. This study has investigated the parallel mediating effects of emotional intelligence and interpersonal mentalizing skills on the relationship between field managers monitoring and sales workers performance. Population of the study was 800 pharmaceutical firms in Pakistan. Non-probability convenience sampling technique was used for selecting sample size. Self-administered questionnaire was adapted from past studies. 400 questionnaires were distributed after getting permission from relevant and concerned officials in national and multinational pharmaceutical firms operating in Pakistan. Medical representatives (med-rep) were contacted to fill the survey. Aim of the study was explained to the med-rep prior obtaining the data. They were made assured that data would be kept confidential. Total 308 completed questionnaires were used in the final analyses. SPSS and AMOS-SEM were used for data analyses. Percentage, frequency, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation, regression and mediation analysis were run. Findings revealed that scales used in the study were found reliable and valid. AVE, CR and Cronbach alpha values met threshold. All predictors and criterion variables such as field managers monitoring, emotional intelligence, interpersonal mentalizing skills, and sales workers performance were positively and significantly related with each other. It was also identified in regression that field managers’ monitoring and emotional intelligence do not predicted sales performance significantly. Only interpersonal mentalizing skills have significant impact on sales performance. Moreover emotional intelligence and Interpersonal mentalizing skills significantly partially mediated between field managers’ monitoring and sales performance. it is concluded that managers, practitioners should pay due attention to build emotional intelligence and interpersonal mentalizing skills among their workforce.