Salesperson Solution Involvement Scale

What it measures

Salesperson solution involvement captures the degree to which a salesperson engages in activities that enact the four customer-supplier relational processes inherent in customer solution provision: (1) customer requirements definition -- probing needs and broader business objectives; (2) customization and integration -- assembling and modifying bundles of goods/services to meet identified requirements; (3) deployment -- managing delivery, installation, and user enablement; and (4) postdeployment customer support -- maintaining ongoing dialogue and diagnosing emerging needs. The 18-item second-order reflective scale (four first-order reflective dimensions) was developed through qualitative interviews with 27 senior executives and a 170-article literature review, then validated across five studies spanning multiple firms, industries, and countries. Two parallel versions were validated: a customer-reported version (assessed relative to competing salespeople) and a salesperson self-report version (also framed comparatively against competitors).

Representative items

• [Supplier Name]'s salesperson has a deep understanding of our needs. [Customer Requirements Definition]
• Designs goods and services that can work together as a solution. [Customization and Integration]
• Keeps us updated about new developments after solution implementation. [Postdeployment Support]

Citation

Panagopoulos, N. G., Rapp, A. A., & Ogilvie, J. L. (2017). Salesperson solution involvement and sales performance: The contingent role of supplier firm and customer-supplier relationship characteristics. Journal of Marketing, 81(4), 144-164. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0342