Journal of Worker Competency and Performance Vol.

1(04), October 2021

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Efforts to identify factors that shape the competence of field sales

personnel in implementing Knowledge Management Systems to
improve sales performance
Dwi Lestari
Economic management student
dwilestari@gmail.com

Revised : July 23, 2021

Accepted : September 20, 2021
Abstract
Sales force performance also depends on how the goal of working smart pattern orientation is
developed and implemented by the sales force by allocating and coordinating resources more
effectively and efficiently. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that shape the
competence of field sales personnel in implementing Knowledge Management Systems to improve
sales performance. The research method used is a survey method by collecting data through
research instruments, and distributing questionnaires to employees whose results are then
processed through the SPSS program. Based on the analysis results show that People have a
positive effect on Field Sales Performance is accepted, Process has a positive effect on Field Sales
Performance is accepted and Technology has a positive effect on Field Sales Performance is
accepted.
Keywords: Field Sales Performance, Knowledge Management Systems, People, Process,
Technology

1.1. Introduction
Salesperson support is very important, considering that salespeople are the spearhead of
the company (Arief et al. 2020). To maximize profits and sales, the company will provide sales
targets for its marketers. It is expected that the salesperson has competence as a sales force so
that the assigned targets are achieved (DeCarlo & Lam, 2016).
Salespeople must have competence in sales so that they can improve their sales
performance. Competency orientation is an attempt by sales managers to develop the competence
of salespeople and instill in their behavioral qualities, such as in sales presentations (Lin, 2017).
Improving the competence of salespeople, is expected to improve the performance of salespeople.
As information technology developed and diversified globally, many organizations began to
allow their field salespeople to have multiple field salespeople to save costs and increase efficiency
(Zoltners et al. 2007). Field salespeople refer to the extent to which field salespeople participate in
multiple teams and switch between different teams (Piercy et al., 2006). This is listed as one of the
most important topics for future team research. Field sales are widely used in organizations or
workplaces. In highly competitive industries, field salespeople employ more than 65 percent of their
field salespeople and even as high as 95 percent in knowledge-intensive industries such as
management consulting, product development, and scientific research (Wiig Aslesen & Isaksen,
2007). As a result, field salespeople are starting to attract more attention from researchers.
Research shows that field salespeople can empower field salespeople to gain more specialized
skills, provide them with career development opportunities, facilitate knowledge transfer between
teams, and increase employee productivity and knowledge acquisition (Ahmed et al. 2018). Apart
from these benefits, field salespeople can also create new challenges for organizations and field
salespeople. The widespread use of field salespeople can cause relationships between field
salespeople to become more complex, leading to new problems such as identity conflicts (Darrat et
al. 2010).
Today there are many benefits obtained from the use of Knowledge Management Systems,
including the ease of finding information and knowledge quickly and practically, can be a good
forum, in coordinating or collaborating between members of the organization, Broadcasting
important information can be done quickly and widely without obstacles, As a forum for problem
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solving from similar experiences that have been occurs, Improving the knowledge and skills of
organizational members, able to create a productive and effective workforce. The main purpose of
this study is to examine what factors affect the competence of field salespeople in implementing
Knowledge Management Systems to improve their competence.

2. Literature Review
2.1. Knowledge Management Systems
Knowledge Management Systems is used as the most important tool when carrying out
processes, including the analytical process of knowledge management itself (Mohamed et al.
2009). So it is necessary to do an analysis so that it can be seen how far the running processes are
able to influence the performance of Knowledge Management Systems. The results of the analysis
carried out are expected to be used as evaluation material which will later have an impact on the
development of the company later.
Knowledge is a very valuable asset for the company. The more knowledge the stakeholders
of a company have, the more advanced the company will be (Claver‐Cortés et al. 2007). Knowledge
Management can help companies to share knowledge about business processes, problems that
occur in each work unit, to share experiences about things outside of work that are beneficial for the
development of knowledge from company employees. When viewed from the definition, Knowledge
Management is a process that helps organizations identify, select, organize, disseminate, and
transfer important information and experiences that are part of the organization (Hasballah, 2021).
In organizations, there are 2 types of knowledge, namely:
1. Tacit
It is knowledge that exists within us that has not been documented. In this case, Tacit
Knowledge can be a valuable asset for the company because Tacit Knowledge contains
knowledge from daily experience, which if shared will greatly help all stakeholders in the
company to overcome problems or increase knowledge (Chen et al. 2018). An example of
Tacit Knowledge is the knowledge that employees get from sharing with other employees
during meetings or training.
2. Explicit
Is knowledge that is implied or has been documented, making it easier for employees to
learn it. An example of explicit knowledge is a module in the company for new employees
that contains a job description or documentation of the company's business process flow.
With the two types of knowledge mentioned above, Knowledge Management is needed to
manage the documentation of this knowledge, so that it can become a competitive advantage for
the company. This is what makes a Knowledge Management System (KMS) needed by companies.
KMS is a knowledge-based information system that supports the creation, organization, and
dissemination of business knowledge to employees and managers of a company (Alhawari et al.
2012).
2.2. Knowledge Management Systems Theory
The Knowledge Management System is a virtual repository for relevant information that is
critical to the tasks performed every day by an organization's knowledge workers. Knowledge
Management System is an information system that specifically provides facilities for the process of
creating, storing, remembering, transferring, and applying knowledge to organizations (Mills &
Smith, 2011).
Some of the components that can support the sustainability of the knowledge management
system itself are as follows:
1. People
People are a collection of individuals who have knowledge, people are also components
that carry out system settings and processes from the knowledge management system itself
(Cabrera et al. 2006). These components are considered important in the sustainability of the
knowledge management system, because without people who play an active role in the knowledge
management system, the knowledge management system will not be able to run smoothly and last
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long. In this study, the People indicators discussed include the role of employees, communication,
training, rewards for sharing knowledge, and the ability of employees to access KMS.
2. Process
The process is a component in the conversion of knowledge management from tacit
knowledge to explicit knowledge. This component is the process of making changes from the two
knowledges. These changes include changes in work processes, organizations, and so on that are
needed in the knowledge management system (Reich et al. 2012). In this study, the process
indicators discussed in this study include: Knowledge Creation, Knowledge Storage, Knowledge
Retention, Knowledge Sharing, Knowledge Utilization, and Work Accuracy.
3. Technology
Technology plays an important role as a medium used for the application of knowledge
management. Technology has a function in storing, and managing the knowledge possessed by
employees of the organization so that it can be used by other employees to facilitate the
performance of these employees (Bollinger & Smith, 2001). Technology variables consist of Quality
of KM Features and Content as well as Complexity Barriers.

2.3. Sales Performance

According to Beltrán-Martín and Bou-Llusar, (2018), employee performance is a function of
the interaction between ability and motivation, namely work performance. Employee performance or
work achievement is the level of employee work results in achieving the job requirements given.
Work performance or employee performance (performance) is influenced by 3 (three) factors,
namely (Sudiardhita et al. 2018): individual factors, psychological factors, organizational factors.
According to McDonald and Hite, (2008), what is considered important in a job and the problem is a
measure of success which is difficult to do.
Salesperson performance is an evaluation of the salesperson's contribution to achieving
organizational goals (Herjanto & Franklin, 2019). The definition of salesperson performance
according to Joshi and Randall, (2001), is an evaluation of the salesperson's contribution to the
achievement of organizational goals. Research hypothesis
The hypotheses generated in the review are:
H1: People Knowledge has a positive effect on field sales performance
H2: The process of using KMS has a positive effect on field sales performance
H3 : Technology has a positive effect on field sales performance

3. Research Method
The research method used is a survey method by collecting data through research
instruments, and distributing questionnaires to employees whose results are then processed
through the SPSS program to determine the relationship between existing variables. The method is
used to test the relationship between two independent variables and one dependent. The
population of this research is PT XYZ's field sales staff for the Jabotabek area. The sample of this
study used a purposive sampling technique with a sampling of 100 respondents. This study was
designed using a summative evaluation method with a quantitative approach. Descriptive statistical
methods are used to explain the phenomena that occur regarding research data. While quantitative
methods are used to explain the effect of independent variables on the dependent variable in this
study.

4. Analysis and discussion

The data in this study were collected from questionnaires filled out by respondents. It
provides an overview of respondents' answers based on their gender, age, education, and years of
service.
Table 1. Table of Characteristics of Respondents
Respondents Indicator Characteristics Total
People %
Respondents' Gender
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 Men 53 53 %
 Women 47 47 %
Respondents by Employment Tenure
 <5 years 43 43 %
 5-10 years 28 28 %
 11-20 years 15 15 %
 > 21 years 14 14 %
Respondents by Age
 <25 years 31 31 %
 25-30 years 40 40%
 30-35 years 19 19 %
 35 -40 years 9 9%
Respondents by Highest Education
 SMA 18 18 %
 S1 60 60 %
 S2 22 22 %
Respondents by sales practices
 Online sales 88 88 %
 non online sales 12 12 %

Based on the data above, it is known that the majority of respondents are men, as many as
53 respondents with working time of less than 5 years, as many as 40 respondents with ages in 25-
30 years as many as 40 respondents. Most respondents have an undergraduate education with
experience using online sales methods.

4.1. Validity test

Validity test is used to determine the feasibility of items in a list of questions in defining a
variable. This Questionnaire generally supports a particular group of variables.
Table 2 Validity Test
Rotated Component Matrixa
Component
1 2 3 4
P1 .779
P2 .767
P3 .783
P4 .869
P5 .855
P6 .872
R1 .842
R2 .833
R3 .832
R4 .837
R5 .753
R6 .764
T1 .854
T2 .856
K1 .883
K2 .845
K3 .853
K4 .848
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Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.
a. Rotation converged in 6 iterations.

Source: SPSS Processed Results, 2022

Based on Table 2, it can be seen that the results of the validity test of each question item.
Based on the questions on the People, Process, and Technology variables, each question item has
a significance value above the standard 0.5 so it can be concluded that each question is valid and
can be continued for reliability testing.
4.2. Reliability Test
Reliability test can only be done after an instrument has been confirmed its validity. This
reliability test to show the level of reliability used is to measure the Cronbach' Alpha coefficient. The
alpha value varies from 0 to 1, a question can be categorized as reliable if the alpha value is greater
than 0.60. The results of the reliability test are summarized in Table 3 below
Table 3. Cronbach Alpha Alpha Reliability Test Results
Factor Variable Koefisien Alpha Minimum Limit Information
Cronbach’s Value
Reliabel / handal
People 0,853 0,600

Reliabel / handal
Proses 0,850 0,600

Reliabel / handal
Technology 0,863 0,600

Sales Performance 0,893 0,600 Reliabel / handal

Source: SPSS Processed Results,2022

Based on Table 3 above, it is explained that the Cronbach Alpha coefficient value for the
People variable is at 0.853, the Process variable is at 0.850, the Technology Variable is at 0.863,
and the Sales Performance Variable is at 0.893. These values prove that the People, Process,
Technology and Sales Performance variables have good reliability values because they are above
the Cronbach Alpha standard of 0.600.
4.3. Hypothesis test
1. Coefficient of Determination Test (R Square Test)
2
The R test is used to measure how far the model's ability to explain the variation of the
2
dependent variable is. In this study, the coefficient of determination uses the adjusted R value.
Table 4 Test Results of R Square
Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R Std. Error of the
Square Estimate
1 .648a .640 .519 .67598
a. Predictors: (Constant), Technology, Proses, People

Source: SPSS Processed Results, 2022

2 2
From the results of the R test, the value of Adjusted R is 0.640 or 64%. This shows that
the Field Sales Performance variable of 64% can be explained by Knowledge Management
Systems (People, Processes and Technology) and the remaining 36% is explained by other
variables.
2. Simultaneous F Test
Table 5 Simultaneous F Test Results
a
ANOVA
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Model Sum of df Mean Square F Sig.

Squares
b
Regression 17.849 3 6.543 17.754 .000
1 Residual 35.687 96 .446
Total 53.536 99
a. Dependent Variable: Field Sales Performance
b. Predictors: (Constant), Technology, Proses, People

Source: SPSS Processed Results, 2022

Based on Table 5, it can be seen that the results of the Simultaneous F-Test are 17,754
and the Probability Value of 0.000 <0.05, indicating that the People, Process and Technology
variables have a significant positive effect on Sales Training Performance.
3. Partial T Test
Table 6 Partial T Test Results
Model Unstandardized Standardized t Sig.
Coefficents Coefficents
B Std.Error Beta
1 (Constant) .139 .146 .428 .564
People .256 .073 .251 3.529 .004
Proses .102 .025 .338 3.791 .000
Technology .362 .092 .356 4.644 .000
a. Dependent Variable : Field Sales Performance
Source: SPSS Processed Results, 2022
Based on Table 6, it can be seen that the regression coefficient between People and Field
Sales Performance is 0.256, meaning that for every increase in People by 1 unit assuming other
variables are constant, then Employee Performance will increase by 0.256. The results of the T test
of 3.529 and the Probability Value of 0.004 <0.05 indicate that People have a significant positive
effect on Field Sales Performance. Based on the results of the Partial T-Test above, it is shown that
Hypothesis 1 which states that People have a positive effect on Field Sales Performance is
accepted. This shows that the better the sales assessment of the People variable, the better the
Field Sales Performance performance is influenced by Knowledge Management. The key to
success in Knowledge Management is being able to give someone visibility and recognition that he
or she is an expert in their field and utilize their expertise for business success.
The result of the regression coefficient between Process and Field Sales Performance is
0.102, meaning that for every process increase of 1 unit assuming other variables are constant,
Field Sales Performance will increase by 0.102. The results of the T test of 3.791 and the
Probability Value of 0.000 <0.05 indicate that the process has a significant positive effect on Field
Sales Performance. Based on the results of the Partial T Test above, it is shown that Hypothesis 2
which states that the process has a positive effect on Field Sales Performance is accepted.
A process is a formal responsibility or task or an official order or way of doing things. One of
the concrete forms of work procedures is the Standard Operation Procedure. Standard Operation
Procedures or basic implementation procedures are made to maintain the quality and results of
work, where tasks will be easier to do. Sales force performance also depends on how the goal of
working smart pattern orientation is developed and implemented by the sales force by allocating
and coordinating resources more effectively and efficiently (Bachrach et al. 2017). The adaptation
process adopted in the working smart pattern orientation which in the end is able to direct
salespeople to think creatively and get benefits from their work.
The result of the regression coefficient between Technology and Field Sales Performance
is 0.362, meaning that for every technology increase of 1 unit assuming other variables are
constant, Field Sales Performance will increase by 0.362. The results of the T-test of 4.506 and the
Probability Value of 0.000 <0.05 indicate that technology has a significant positive effect on Field
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Sales Performance. Based on the results of the Partial T Test above, it is shown that Hypothesis 3
which states that technology has a positive effect on Field Sales Performance is accepted.
The use of technology for employees is very influential in carrying out their daily work. In
detail, it can be explained based on the description of respondents' answers that the Internet is a
tool used by sales to help their work, especially for sales in the field of environmental management,
to design a good environmental arrangement one of the things needed is technology or currently
known as the Internet. Along with the development of the times and technology, many applications
have emerged that can facilitate work, especially in business matters. For a distributor company,
whether engaged in manufacturing, FMCG, Pharmacy, or other distributor companies, it is very
necessary to carry out monitoring (Ding, 2018).

5. Conclusions and suggestion

5.1. Conclusion
Based on the analysis conducted, it has been found that people have a positive effect on
accepted field sales performance, process has a positive effect on field sales performance and
technology has a positive effect on accepted field sales performance. This is important to increase
the productivity of the field sales team and simplify the sales process optimally. One way that
companies can do in HR management and field sales performance is field sales application
technology.
5.2. Suggestion
From the conclusions above, companies need to pay attention to several things so that this
knowledge management system can run well. The importance of support from top management to
motivate employees to use this knowledge management system properly. Support and policies from
top management to increase awareness to employees of the importance of sharing knowledge that
can increase the potential of employees and the company.

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