How accurate are salespersons' perceptions of their customers?

The accuracy of salespersons' perceptions of their customers can have a significant effect on corporate profitability. Aside from the impact on short-term sales performance, inaccurate information from the salesforce can adversely affect the quality of long- term, strategic plans. An earlier study by the authors reported on the mean level of error of salespeople in predicting their customers' perceptions in the chemical industry [1]. This article extends the research and examines two related issues. First, are salespeople equally inaccurate across industries? The article compares salesperson accuracy from chemical, high-technology, and service industries. Second, are sales managers and customer contact personnel more accurate than salespeople? The article funds that salespeople are on the average inaccurate and emphasizes that the determination and improvement of salespersons' accuracy should be an essential part of the management of the sales force.