TY - JOUR A1 - Homburg, Christian A1 - Hohenberg, Sebastian A1 - Hahn, Alexander T1 - Steering the Sales Force for New Product Selling T2 - Journal of Product Innovation Management N2 - This study investigates how to direct and assemble the sales force for new product selling. In a first step, the authors draw on self‐determination theory to explore and empirically test a threefold conceptualization of motivation. Results provide insights into why sales force steering works differently in the new product selling context. Specifically, results show that for new products’ financial performance, internalized new product selling motivation is more important than intrinsic and controlled motivation. In a second step, the authors show how firms can motivate different sales reps to achieve higher financial performance of new products. In doing so, they examine the interaction effects of sales reps’ predispositions and widespread firm‐steering instruments on new products’ financial performance. Results reveal that the new product sales orientation of the bonus strengthens the positive relationship between sales reps’ performance predisposition and new product financial performance but weakens the relationship between sales reps’ learning predisposition and financial new product performance. Moreover, results reveal that the new product sales orientation of the periodic review strengthens the positive relationship between sales reps’ learning predisposition and financial new product performance. A post hoc analysis shows that a differentiated steering approach that matches appropriate steering instruments with sales reps’ varying predispositions substantially enhances reps’ financial new product performance. Y1 - 2018 UR - https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-ohm/frontdoor/index/index/docId/2486 SN - 0737-6782 VL - 36 IS - 3 SP - 282 EP - 304 PB - Wiley ER -