Salesperson competitive intelligence and performance: The role of product knowledge and sales force automation usage Babu John Mariadoss a,1 , Chad Milewicz b,2 , Sangwon Lee c, ⁎, Arvin Sahaym d,3 a Department of Marketing and International Business, College of Business, Washington State University, P.O. Box 641227, Pullman, WA 99164-4750, USA b Department of Economics and Marketing, Romain College of Business University of Southern Indiana, 8600 University Boulevard, Evansville, IN 47712, USA c Department of Marketing and Management, Miller College of Business, Ball State University, 2000 W. University Ave., Muncie, IN 47306, USA d Department of Management, College of Business, Washington State University, P.O. Box 641227, Pullman, WA 99164-4750, USA abstract article info Article history: Received 9 August 2012 Received in revised form 21 July 2013 Accepted 23 July 2013 Available online 19 September 2013 Keywords: Salesperson product knowledge Competitive intelligence behaviors Performance Sales force automation This research models and tests the relationship between a salesperson's product knowledge, competitive intelli- gence behaviors (SCIB), and performance. Moreover, the research examines how a salesperson's use of a sales force automation (SFA) system influences the knowledge–SCIB–performance relationship. Our model and em- pirical evidence suggest that a salesperson's product knowledge influences performance indirectly through SCIB, and that this indirect influence is moderated by salesperson SFA use. Results show that the indirect positive influence of salesperson product knowledge on salesperson performance through SCIB is attenuated as SFA use increases, and enhanced when SFA use decreases. Theoretical and managerial implications are presented, followed by a discussion of limitations and future research. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction “By the word intelligence we mean all the information we have about the enemy and his country, that is, the basis for our own plans and ac- tions. If we consider for a moment the nature of this information, how unreliable and variable it is, we soon get a feel for how dangerous the edifice of war is and how easily it can collapse, burying us under its rubble.” [Carl von Clausewitz (1852), Prussian General, Vom Kriege [On war].] “Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move, and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men, is foreknowledge”. [Sun Tzu (1963), The art of war.] In competitive markets, groups of value-creating organizations coex- ist “in a state of vigorous and creative tension with one another, each contributing to economic progress in different ways” (Ghoshal et al., 2000). In these markets, salespersons are often the ultimate conveyers of each organization's value proposition. The vigorous tension among competitors requires salespersons to make sense of various forms and sources of knowledge in order to successfully meet their customers' and their organizations' demands. However, mere attainment of knowl- edge is not enough. Left unused, it is merely a stockpile of intellectual capital. A salesperson must continually and capably utilize the sum of competitive knowledge available to them to turn those stocks of intellec- tual capital into a competitive advantage (Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998; Spender, 1996; Subramaniam & Youndt, 2005). Rapp et al. (2011) refer to salesperson competitive intelligence as “individual-level knowledge about competitors and the competitive envi- ronment, that can be used tactically to aid in enhancing salesperson per- formance”. In this paper, we focus on the competitive intelligence behaviors of salespersons, and conceptualize salesperson competitive in- telligence behaviors (SCIB) as the salesperson's gathering, organization, and utilization of competitive intelligence. Practitioners and academic re- searchers tend to agree that SCIBs can greatly enhance organizational- level competitive intelligence efforts (e.g., Glitman, 2007; Le Bon & Merunka, 2006; Liu & Comer, 2007), yet we know relatively little about how SCIBs influence individual-level performance (Rapp et al., 2011). While research is scant on the role of SCIB on salesperson perfor- mance, several studies examine salespersons' behaviors and influences related gathering and disseminating competitive intelligence for their or- ganizations (Le Bon & Merunka, 2006; Le Meunier-FitzHugh & Piercy, 2006; Pass et al., 2004). For example, research explores how salespersons influence firm performance by coordinating information with marketing (Homburg et al., 2008), coping with diverse social environments (Verbeke et al., 2008), adapting sales processes (Franke & Park, 2006; Industrial Marketing Management 43 (2014) 136–145 ⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 765 285 5195. E-mail addresses: bjohnmar@wsu.edu (B.J. Mariadoss), cmmilewicz@usi.edu (C. Milewicz), slee20@bsu.edu (S. Lee), arvin@wsu.edu (A. Sahaym). 1 Tel.: +1 509 335 6354. 2 Tel.: +1 812 464 1937. 3 Tel.: +1 509 335 6365. 0019-8501/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2013.08.005 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Industrial Marketing Management