@article{2022:wagner:the_impact,
title = {The Impact of Bodily Behaviors of Sales Representatives on Charisma Evaluations by Consumers: A Time-Series Perspective},
year = {2022},
note = {Significant resources are spent each year on sales forces and the
means by which to enhance their effectiveness during a sales
interaction or presentation. Specifically, studies point to the
importance of charismatic nonverbal cues (for example, facial
expressions, gestures) in impression formation. However, these
behaviors are mainly perceived in an unconscious manner, making
behavior measurement a difficult task. Moreover, existing research is
dominated by post-exposure measures and neglects customers’
processing of impressions over time. This research addresses the
outlined gaps and introduces continuous measurement of sales
presentations based on different data sources. First, we provide novel
insights by applying high-precision coding of 141 nonverbal behaviors
of 22 videotaped sales presentations using body actions and posture
coding procedures. Second, this study uses an innovative approach to
capture customer impressions of sales representatives’ charisma in
real-time by means of a program analyzer, which allows evaluative
measurements while concurrently being exposed to sales presentations.
This time-series evaluation approach contributes to the understanding
of impression formation and allows for linking nonverbal sales
behaviors to customers’ evaluations over the course of time.
Findings from a large sample experimental study (n = 663) show that
negative opinions are formed somewhat faster than positive ones. In
addition, body movements (e.g., head/trunk/leg/knee movements, arm
actions) driving these impressions are the same for the first few
seconds and for longer periods.},
journal = {Marketing ZFP},
pages = {44--59},
author = {Wagner, Udo and Pauser, Sandra},
volume = {44},
number = {3}
}