A comparative evaluation of an empirical versus judgement-based salesforce decision model

The purpose of this dissertation is to perform a comparative evaluation of an empirical and judgment-based salesforce decision model. The study consists of applying each modeling approach to the same set of randomly selected retail accounts served by a sales organization that markets low-priced, consumer grocery products. Model development is based on a comprehensive conceptual framework, while several promising methodological approaches are employed to make it possible to develop salesforce decision models for the complex research site. The research is designed to determine if the empirical and judgment-based salesforce decision models lead to comparable sales resource allocations when applied to the same set of control units.

Analysis of the research results indicates that the models generally determine the same direction for changing sales calls to retail accounts, but the magnitude of these sales resource changes is typically greater for the judgment-based model than the empirical model. The results are encouraging and have important implications for the implementation of the models by sales organizations and for future research directions in the salesforce decision model area. Although empirical and judgment-based models represent the two most important types of salesforce decision models, this study is the first known attem.pt to comparatively evaluate the two modeling approaches in the same research site.