Blinded by the brand: inauthentic salesperson brand attachment and its influence on customer purchase intentions

Prior research finds that the more attached salespeople are to a brand they sell, the more effort they extend on behalf of the brand, thus improving sales performance. However, high salesperson brand attachment may also have undesirable consequences that are only evident when viewed from the customers’ perspective. We argue that brand attachment can have a “blinding effect” on salespeople, leading them to adopt emotionally laden sales strategies...