If Looks Could Sell: Moderation and Mediation of the Attractiveness Effect on Salesperson Performance

Abstract

This study empirically investigates the effect of perceived salesperson attractiveness on actual salesperson performance, focusing first on the moderating effect of length of the buyer - salesperson relationship and then on the mediating effects of perceived communication ability, likeability, expertise, and trustworthiness on the attractiveness effect. A sample of 339 physicians was surveyed to obtain their evaluations of pharmaceutical company sales representatives’ attractiveness as well as their perceptions of the mediators. Actual brand-by-brand market share data of the subject physicians’ prescriptions was collected as the dependent variable. The results showed that perceived salesperson attractiveness had a significant positive effect on salesperson performance, but the effect was found to diminish as the length of the salesperson-customer relationship increased. Three of the four proposed mediators were found to partially mediate the effect of attractiveness on sales performance.

Keywords: Relationship length; Attractiveness; Performance; Source effects

JEL Classification: M30