THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

CROSS-SELLING PERFORMANCE IN SERVICES: AN INTERNAL

MARKETING PERSPECTIVE

By

JAMES J. ZBOJA

A Dissertation submitted to the

Department of Marketing
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Awarded:
Fall Semester, 2006
The members of the Committee approve the dissertation of James J. Zboja defended on
November 6, 2006.

Michael D. Hartline
Professor Directing Dissertation

James M. Carson
Outside Committee Member

Ronald E. Goldsmith
Committee Member

Daekwan Kim
Committee Member

Approved:

Caryn L. Beck-Dudley, Dean, College of Business

The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables v
List of Figures vi
ABSTRACT vii

1. INTRODUCTION 1
Chapter Introduction 1
Relationship Marketing and Services 2
Contributions and Implications 4
Dissertation Overview 5

2. LITERATURE REVIEW 7
Chapter Introduction 7
Cross-Selling 7
Overview 7
The Present Study 11
Cross-Selling of Insurance Services 12
Perceived Cross-Selling Support 13
Cross-Selling Training 14
Cross-Selling Incentives 15
Management Commitment to Cross-Selling 16
Workgroup Commitment to Cross-Selling 17
Direct Antecedents of Cross-Selling Performance 18
Cross-Selling Self-Efficacy 19
Motivation to Cross-Sell 20
Cross-Selling Role Clarity 22
Cross-Selling Performance 23
Chapter 2 Summary 26

3. RESEARCH MODEL AND HYPOTHESES 28

Chapter Introduction 28
The Influence of Perceived Cross-Selling Support 29
Effects of Cross-Selling Training 29
Effects of Cross-Selling Incentives 30
Effects of Management Commitment to Cross-Selling 31
Effects of Workgroup Commitment to Cross-Selling 32
The Influence of the Direct Antecedents of Cross-Selling Performance 34
Effects of Cross-Selling Self-Efficacy 34
Effects of Motivation to Cross-Sell 35
Effects of Cross-Selling Role Clarity 36
Chapter 3 Summary 38

4. RESEARCH METHOD 39
Chapter Introduction 39

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 Sample 39
Measures 45
Data Analysis 50
Measurement Model Results 50
Structural Model Results 55
Hypothesis Testing Results 55
Perceived Cross-Selling Support Relationships 56
Direct Antecedents of Cross-Selling Performance Relationships 59
Chapter 4 Summary 60

5. DISCUSSION 61
Chapter Introduction 61
Principal Research Findings 61
Perceived Cross-Selling Support Relationships 63
Direct Antecedents of Cross-Selling Performance Relationships 68
Managerial Implications 71
Limitations of the Dissertation 74
Recommendations for Future Research 75

APPENDICES
A. MEASURES USED 79
B. DATA COLLECTION INSTRUCTIONS FOR PARTICIPANTS 84
C. HUMAN SUBJECTS COMMITTEE APPROVAL 85

REFERENCES 86

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 99

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 LIST OF TABLES

1. Demographics of Sample 42
2. Means, Standard Deviations, and Correlations among the Variables 44
3. Significant Demographic ANOVA Results 45
4. Scales Used in the Dissertation 46
5. Confirmatory Factor Analysis Results 51
6. Structural Model Results 56
7. Summary of Hypothesis Tests Results 62

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 LIST OF FIGURES

1. Hypothesized Theoretical Cross-Selling Performance Model to be Tested 06

2. Hypothesized Cross-Selling Performance Model to be Tested 28
3. Path Coefficient Results of the Impact of Perceived Cross-Selling Support 58
4. Path Coefficient Results of the Impact of Direct Antecedents to Cross-
Selling Performance 59
5. Reduced Theoretical Model 63

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 ABSTRACT

This dissertation tests a comprehensive model of cross-selling performance in the

context of services. Specifically, the present study examines three antecedents (in the
form of cross-selling role clarity, cross-selling self-efficacy, and motivation to cross-sell)
to the specific realm of cross-selling performance, while also determining the relative
influence of more managerially actionable variables (cross-selling training, cross-selling
incentives, management commitment to cross-selling, and workgroup commitment to
cross-selling--under the umbrella of the term “perceived cross-selling support”) on these
direct antecedents. Although management may be responsible for the decision to initiate
cross-selling as a practice for the organization to undertake, it is ultimately the efforts of
the employees, who implement the strategy of cross-selling, that determine its success or
failure. Therefore, this study takes an internal marketing perspective, in that it seeks to
help determine which management strategies can best be used to motivate the salesperson
to attain high levels of cross-selling performance. Using a sample of 225 independent
insurance salespeople, eight of the seventeen study hypotheses tested were supported by
the data. The empirical results, though mixed, serve to provide interesting findings for
cross-selling in the realm of services. The dissertation also provides additional directions
for research on cross-selling in services.

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