Interesting research this week.
Identifying sales leads
Salespeople often have discussions with potential customers that lead nowhere. Obviously this is hugely frustrating and an inefficient way to run a business. This latest research though shows that by analysing text in online discussions, salespeople can identify ‘cues’ in the text that suggest whether the person is likely to buy. There is an acronym for summarising these cues; MINITS: mode of chat (e.g. mobile/PC), immediacy (how urgent is the need), need, interest, time spent chatting, and specificity (details of the product required).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2025.07.001
Encouraging people to help others
Social marketing campaigns often try to change behaviour, sometimes to encourage people to help one another (known as ‘prosocial behaviour’). For example, people can be encouraged to volunteer or support a charity. This research from Cristian et al. (2025) shows that people are more likely to engage in such prosocial behaviour after they have enjoyed themselves i.e. engaged in ‘hedonic consumption’. I wonder, for instance, whether charities might benefit from marketing at concerts, theme parks, or other locations where people pay to have fun.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2025.07.002
Photo by Adam Nowakowski on Unsplash
