Training Differences Between Services and Goods Firms

The impact of training on salesperson performance has frequently been the focus of empirical research. However, whether training has effects beyond performance, and whether these effects vary depending upon the type of product being sold, has not been examined. This study is an exploratory investigation into the relationship between training and performance, satisfaction, and commitment for salesforces whose products were either a good or a service. The results indicate that the relationship between training and performance is substantially weaker if the product is a service, but both types of salesforces showed satisfaction to be strongly correlated with training. Commitment does not seem to be strongly affected by training, irrespective of the product. Future research directions are suggested.