Summary Brief: Scent of a Salesperson: The Effect of Scent Congruency on the Sales Visit

The development of marketing atmospherics is furthered in this study with the addition of scent introduced to the sales call. The scent of the salesperson attribute demonstrates its influence on the buyer. Using theories such as the approach / avoidance as well as the congruency theory, scent can be utilized to better understand its impact on the sales call. A study is proposed to observe and record the buyer\u27s actions and responses in reaction to the sales representative\u27s scent. This odor will be presented in a positive, neutral, and negative manner. A paper and pencil sales instrument will be developed to measure the self-reported evaluation of the confederate sales representative from the subject buyer immediately following the mock sales call