Design a competency model for salespeople in food distribution industry of Iran

To fulfill customers' expectations in the food distribution industry, empowering salespeople is important. Therefore, this study aims to identify salespeople's competencies and construct a competency model. This research is an applied research from the perspective of its objectives, and it is conducted with a mixed method (qualitative-quantitative, respectively). Grounded theory has been used for model presentation in the qualitative section and Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect information. The data set was organized in 172 codes that included initial propositions, 16 categories at the first level, 7 categories at the second level, and 3 categorical clusters. The final result was prepared in the form of an initial theory and finally, hypotheses was tested by means of quantitative techniques, such as structural equations, descriptive statistics, and confirmatory factor analysis. A researcher-made questionnaire collected the quantitative data provided by a statistical population of 214 active salespeople in food distribution companies of Iran.