J BUSN RES 1991:22:21-32 zyxwvutsrqponmlkjih 21 Salesperson and Product Country-of-Origin Effects on Attitudes and Intentions to Purchase Lynn W. McGee and Rosann L. Spiro Indiana University The results of an experiment that explores the effect of a salesperson’s nationality on buyers’ attitudes and intentions to purchase are reported. Salesperson ethnicity and product country of origin are manipulated and their effect on buyers’ evalu- ations of the salesperson, sales presentation, product, company, and intentions to purchase are assessed. While the results are mixed, this exploratory study is the first reported attempt to evaluate the impact of national stereotyping on the in- dustrial purchasing process. Introduction When a manufacturer decides to market its products in a foreign country, the company faces the decision of whether to use salespeople from its own country or salespeople from the target market country. One could argue that sales represen- tatives from the seller’s home country should be used because they are, and/or may be perceived to be, more knowledgeable about the product and the source company. However, the hypothesis that similarity of salesperson and customer increases salesperson effectiveness suggests the opposite decision: that companies should select salespeople who are natives of the target country. This research explores the effect of salesperson nationality on buyer attitudes and intentions by an experimental approach. Salesperson ethnicity (Indian, Jap- anese, and American) and product country of origin (India, Japan) are manipu- lated; their effect on buyers’ evaluations of the sales presentation, sales representative, product, and selling company, and on buyers’ purchase intentions are assessed. Theoretical Basis Buyer reaction to a sales presentation can be described as a cue utilization process. From their contact with the salesperson, buyers make judgments regarding the Address correspondence to Rosann L. Spiro, Marketing Department Graduate School of Business. Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405. Journal of Business Research 22, 21-32 (1991) 0 1991 Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc. 0148-2963/91/$3.50 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010