Consumers' trust of salesperson and manufacturer: an empirical study

A positive model of consumers' trust of salesperson and manufacturer is dev eloped which provides suggestions for improving relationships and increasin g buyer-seller trust. The findings indicate that buyer-seller trust results from salesperson competence, low-pressure selling tactics, service quality manufacturer ethical concern, and a general tendency to trust others. Prod uct familiarity acts to decrease the overall trust of the salesperson. Manu facturer trust is fostered by satisfaction with the ownership experience, t hrough the antecedents of satisfaction (salesperson competence, low-pressur e selling tactics, product quality, and manufacturer ethical concern), and a general tendency to trust others. Global managerial implications and dire ctions for future research are provided. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.