Salesperson's accent as a globalization issue

This study provides a test for the ability of Tajfel’s theory to explain how the relationship between salesperson accents and country affect consumer purchase intentions. The theory predicts that the most influential salesperson will be the person who speaks with the standard accent for a particular country. Consistent with Tajfel’s theory, this study concluded that for an American audience, the most influential salesperson would be an individual who represents the standard for the United States—an American‐English‐accented salesperson. However, the results of a Mexican study in four Mexican cities indicated that both a Mexican‐Spanish‐ and an American‐English‐Spanish‐accented salesperson had a similar impact on consumer purchase intentions. The implications for a multinational firm’s salesforce management strategy are discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.