Assessing the impact of sales-force contents: An application

Abstract Sales force contests are an important component of many business firms' marketing programs. However, reports on research measuring the effect of contests have been sparse in the marketing literature. This paper reports on measuring the effect of two sales-force contests conducted by a regional investments brokerage firm. The research employes an ex-post-facto approach using historical data analyzed with multiple regression analysis using dummy variables. Results indicate a net positive effect of the contents on sales and profits. The study represents an application of problem-oriented research [9] and illustrates a measurement approach which is uncomplicated and easy to apply, but applicable to many situations.