SALESFORCE PERCEPTIONS OF TIME MANAGEMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY IN AGRIBUSINESS
Main Article Content
Abstract
The agribusiness sector is characterized by strong competitiveness and commercial dynamics that require mobility, close relationships with clients, and the ability to organize field activities effectively. In this context, time management becomes a relevant factor for the productivity of sales teams, since a significant portion of commercial activities involves travel, assistance to producers, and the execution of administrative tasks. In light of this scenario, the present study aimed to analyze how a sales team from a company in the agricultural sector perceives productivity and time management in the performance of their commercial activities. To achieve this objective, an applied research design with a mixed-methods approach was adopted. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview protocol administered to 20 professionals working in the commercial department of an agricultural company. The results indicate that a substantial portion of the sales representatives’ working time is allocated to activities considered unproductive. It was also observed that, although the company provides some technological tools to support management, there are limitations related to the integration of internal processes and the availability of training focused on time management. As an implication, the findings highlight the importance of organizational investments in technologies, process simplification, and training programs within the sector.
Downloads
Article Details
Section

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Autores mantêm os direitos autorais e concedem à revista o direito de primeira publicação, com o trabalho simultaneamente licenciado sob a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License que permite o compartilhamento do trabalho com reconhecimento da autoria do trabalho e publicação inicial nesta revista.
How to Cite
References
ANCILLAI, C.; TERHO, H.; CARDINALI, S.; PASCUCCI, F. Advancing social media driven sales research: establishing conceptual foundations for B-to-B social selling. Industrial Marketing Management, v. 82, p. 293-308, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.01.002
AZIMA, S.; MUNDLER, P. Does direct farm marketing fulfill its promises? Analyzing job satisfaction among direct-market farmers in Canada. Agriculture and Human Values, v. 39, p. 791–807, 2022. DOI: 10.1007/s10460-021-10289-9
BAKKER, A. B.; DEMEROUTI, E. The Job Demands-Resources model: state of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, v. 22, n. 3, p. 309-328, 2007. DOI: 10.1108/02683940710733115.
BARDIN, L. Análise de conteúdo. Lisboa: Edições 70, 2011.
BASHAW, R. E.; INGRAM, T. N.; KEILLOR, B. D. Improving sales training cycle times for new trainees: an exploratory study. Industrial Marketing Management, v. 31, n. 4, p. 329–338, 2002. DOI: 10.1016/S0019-8501(01)00166-3
BOWEN, M.; LAI-BENNEJEAN, C.; HAAS, A.; RANGARAJAN, D. Social media in B2B sales: why and when does salesperson social media usage affect salesperson performance? Industrial Marketing Management, v. 96, p. 166–182, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2021.05.007
CHAPMAN, G. Inside sales vs. outside sales & the evolving art of communication. Disponível em: < https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/honors-theses/340>. Acesso em 10 jan. 2026.
CRESWELL, J. W.; CRESWELL, J. D. Projeto de pesquisa: métodos qualitativo, quantitativo e misto. Porto Alegre: Penso, 2021.
DEMEROUTI, E.; BAKKER, A. B. The Job Demands-Resources model: challenges for future research. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, v. 37, n. 2, 2011. DOI: 10.4102/sajip.v37i2.974.
GEIGER, S.; GUENZI, P. The sales function in the twenty-first century: where are we and where do we go from here? European Journal of Marketing, v. 43, n. 7/8, p. 873–889, 2009. DOI: 10.1108/03090560910961434
HAIR, J. F.; BLACK, W. C.; BABIN, B. J.; ANDERSON, R. E.; TATHAM, R. L. Análise multivariada de dados. Porto Alegre: Bookman, 2009.
HAMZA, O.; COLLINS, A.; EWEJE, A.; BABATUNDE, G. O. A unified framework for business system analysis and data governance: integrating Salesforce CRM and Oracle BI for cross-industry applications. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation, v. 4, n. 1, p. 653–667, 2023. DOI: 10.54660/.ijmrge.2023.4.1.653-667
HARTMANN, N. N.; WIELAND, H.; VARGO, S. L. Converging on a new theoretical foundation for selling. Journal of Marketing, v. 82, n. 2, p. 1–18, 2018. DOI: 10.1509/jm.16.0268
HOLTZ, B. C.; HAROLD, C. M.; PURANIK, H.; GARDNER, K. Don’t waste my time! The development and validation of the waste time perceptions scale. Journal of Management, v. 51, n. 7, p. 3017–3060, 2025. DOI: 10.1177/01492063241258726
ITANI, O. S.; AGNIHOTRI, R.; DINGUS, R. Social media use in B2B and its impact on competitive intelligence collection and adaptive selling: examining the role of learning orientation as an enabler. Industrial Marketing Management, v. 66, p. 64–79, 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2017.06.012
ITANI, O. S.; BADRINARAYANAN, V.; RANGARAJAN, D. The impact of business-to-business salespeople’s social media use on value co-creation and cross/up-selling: the role of social capital. European Journal of Marketing, v. 57, n. 3, p. 683–717, 2023. DOI: 10.1108/EJM-11-2021-0916
JARAMILLO, F.; MULKI, J. P.; LOCANDER, W. B. The role of time wasted in sales force attitudes and intention to quit. International Journal of Bank Marketing, v. 24, n. 1, p. 24–36, 2006. DOI: 10.1108/02652320610642326
JAROTSCHKIN, V.; SOYKOTH, M. W.; CHAKER, N. N. Artificial intelligence in sales research: identifying emergent themes and looking forward. Journal of Business Research, v. 198, p. 115383, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115383
LEO, R. M.; CAMBOIM, G. F.; AVILLA, A. M. S.; REICHERT, F. M.; ZAWISLAK, P. A. Innovation capabilities in agribusiness: evidence from Brazil. RAUSP Management Journal, v. 57, n. 1, p. 65–83, 2022. DOI: 10.1108/RAUSP-02-2021-0019
LIN, J.; LI, L.; LUO, X. R.; BENITEZ, J. How agribusiness thrive through complexity? The pivotal role of e-commerce capability and business agility. Decision Support Systems, v. 135, p. 113342, 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.dss.2020.113342
LINAO, J. R. Innovation strategies and customer satisfaction among agri-business enterprises in Davao del Sur. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, v. 9, n. 14, p. 477–497, 2025. DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS.2025.914MG0037
MALSHE, A. Strategic sales organizations: transformation challenges and facilitators within the sales-marketing interface. Journal of Strategic Marketing, v. 17, n. 3–4, p. 271–289, 2009. DOI: 10.1080/09652540903064811
MALSHE, A.; AL-HABIB, M.; AL-TORKISTANI, H.; AL-KHATIB, J. A. Challenges to sales force transformation in emerging markets. Journal of Strategic Marketing, v. 21, n. 4, p. 347–367, 2013. DOI: 10.1080/0965254X.2013.790471
MCCLURE, C. E. Personal selling and sales management abstracts. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, v. 45, n. 4, p. 446–458, 2025. DOI: 10.1080/08853134.2025.2571552
RAPP, A. A.; PETERSEN, J. A.; HUGHES, D. E.; OGILVIE, J. L. When time is sales: the impact of sales manager time allocation decisions on sales team performance. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, v. 40, n. 2, p. 132–148, 2020. DOI: 10.1080/08853134.2020.1717961
REGO, A.; PINA, M.; MEYER JR., V. Quantos participantes são necessários para um estudo qualitativo? Revista de Gestão dos Países de Língua Portuguesa, v. 17, n. 2, p. 43–57, 2018. DOI: 10.12660/rgplp.v17n2.2018.78224
RODRIGUEZ, M.; BOYER, S. The impact of mobile customer relationship management (mCRM) on sales collaboration and sales performance. Journal of Marketing Analytics, v. 8, p. 173–184, 2020. DOI: 10.1057/s41270-020-00087-3
ROMÁN, S.; RUIZ, S.; MUNUERA, J. L. The effects of sales training on sales force activity. European Journal of Marketing, v. 36, n. 11/12, p. 1344–1366, 2002. DOI: 10.1108/03090560210445218
ROSTAMI, A.; GABLER, C.; AGNIHOTRI, R. Under pressure: the pros and cons of putting time pressure on your salesforce. Journal of Business Research, v. 103, p. 153–162, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.06.026
SINGH, V. L.; MANRAI, A. K.; MANRAI, L. A. Sales training: a state-of-the-art and contemporary review. Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, v. 20, n. 38, p. 54–71, 2015. DOI: 10.1016/j.jefas.2015.01.001
THAKUR, P. et al. Marketing performance and factors influencing farmers’ choice for agricultural output marketing channels: the case of garden pea (Pisum sativum) in India. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, v. 7, p. 1270121, 2023. DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2023.1270121
TORRES, A.; AKRIDGE, J. T.; GRAY, A. W.; BOEHLJE, M.; WIDDOWS, R. An evaluation of customer relationship management (CRM) practices among agribusiness firms. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, v. 10, n. 1, p. 1–26, 2007. DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.8169
ZYLBERSZTAJN, D. Agribusiness systems analysis: origin, evolution and research perspectives. Revista de Administração, v. 52, n. 1, p. 114–117, 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.rausp.2016.10.004