Performance implications of sales & marketing strategy

Recently in marketing literature sales function is viewed in a strategic level and recent work elevates sales strategy from a tactical component to a more strategic component. But what is sales strategy and how it affects sales performance in relation to internal and external environment? The aim of this study is to identify sales strategy and moderating effects of internal and external environment and the effects of antecedent of sales strategy (marketing strategy) on sales performance. This study is a mixed research that composites a qualitative and a quantitative methods. The population entails sales managers، marketing managers or other marketing experts of companies in food industries that are members of Tehran stock exchange. The sample volumes in qualitative study were 26 and in quantitative study were 66 people. Analyses of survey and secondary data provide evidence that sales and marketing strategy have positive and meaningful relationships on sales performance while transformational leadership، competitive intensity and technological turbulence were found to exert significant moderating effects on this relationship. Also the moderating effects of demand uncertainty were not found to be significant.