DO PHYSICAL TRAITS OF SALES PROFESSIONALS PLAY A ROLE IN THE CUSTOMER DECISION PROCESS?

Steven Cates
Kaplan University

ABSTRACT

The marketing literature has provided some insight into buyer behavior by discussing
different frames of reference that consumers take. One such sociological phenomenon that has
been discussed in the literature was developed by Durkheim (1897) and by Srole (1956) and
Merton (1938, 1995) in the psychological literature known as anomie and anomia. This study
reviews the literature on the marketing effects of the physical characteristics of sales professionals
taking into consideration the consumer levels of anomie and proposes future research to find out
whether the physical characteristics of sales professionals and anomie play a role in the
customer’s purchase decision.

Keyword: Consumer, physical traits, behavior