The Role of the Salesperson in Building Trust and Collaboration in Buyer-Seller Relationships

In this paper, the impact of the antecedents of trust including the buyer’s perception of equity with the salesperson and salesperson benevolence on development of trust in a buyer-salesperson relationship is examined. The moderating roles of supply risks on this association are also examined in the context of established business-to-business buyer-salesperson relationships. Further, a positive relationship between the buying firm’s trust in a supplier’s salesperson and the development of trust in that supplier is hypothesized. Also, it is hypothesized that this development of trust within the supply chain relationship will ultimately lead to collaboration within the supply chain. The theoretical and practical ramifications of these findings and future avenues of research are also discussed