The impact of passion on sales performance: is negotiation a missing link?

Abstract

This study introduces the passion construct to the sales management literature and proposes a model of passion that links two types of passion – harmonious passion and obsessive passion – to sales performance via four different negotiation strategies. Results from a survey of 322 salespeople from various industries in a metropolitan city indicate that harmonious passion positively influences the integrating and obliging negotiation strategies, which enhance sales performance. On the other hand, obsessive passion is found to positively affect avoiding and dominating negotiation strategies, which are also related to sales performance. The study also provides future research and practical implications for job passion and performance management in B2B companies in a transition market.