Customer trust in the salesperson: An integrative review and meta-analysisof the empirical literature

The development of trust between salespeople and their customers has tradit ionally been considered a critical element in developing and maintaining a successful sales relationship. This article presents the first comprehensiv e literature review and meta-analysis of the antecedents of trust and conse quences of trust in a sales context. A summary conclusion is thai trust has a moderate bur beneficial influence on the development of positive custome r attitudes, intentions, and behavior. Another conclusion is that salespeop le have modest influence over the development of trust between themselves a nd their customers. A comprehensive model of the role of trust in sales is presented. Directions for future research are identified. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.