Rolul caracteristicilor individuale în prezicerea comportamentelor de cross-selling și up-selling în industria asigurărilor – Cristian Dorel Lăcătuș

Past research has outlined the idea that personality traits deserve to be taken into account when predicting sales performance. The main goals of this research are: (1) analysing the predictive role that self-discipline, achievement motivation, emotional stability, friendliness, and activity level have upon sales performance, crossselling, and up-selling behaviours; (2) investigating the increment that biodata (gender, age, work experience, and position) brings in addition to personality traits in explaining sales performance, cross-selling, and upselling behaviours on a sample consisting of 381 insurance employees. The statistical analyses revealed that: (1) self-discipline is a valid predictor for sales performance and up-selling behaviours; (2) achievement motivation predicts sales performance and cross-selling behaviours; (3) friendliness predicts cross-selling behaviours; (4) activity level predicts neither sales performance nor cross-selling and up-selling behaviours; (5) emotional stability predicts up-selling behaviours; (6) gender was the only biodata that brought a significant increment above personality traits in explaining up-selling behaviours, men showing a higher proclivity to engage in this type of selling behaviour. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed throughout the paper.

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1 The cross-selling process implies the selling of additional products that are related to the main product that the client intends to buy. The up-selling process refers to an increase in the volume of sales by convincing the clients to buy either a bigger quantity of the product, or a more expensive version of the same product.