The impact of flattery: The role of negative remarks

This study extends our understanding of flattery and consumers’ use of persuasion knowledge in the retail context by addressing the role that negative evaluations from a salesperson play on consumer's perceptions of store agent trustworthiness. Across two experiments, our findings show that a negative salesperson remark along with a positive remark reduces the client's use of persuasion knowledge therefore enhancing the client's perception of the salesclerk's trustworthiness. Additionally, we found a boundary condition of this effect: the price of the target product. Finally, perceptions of salesperson trustworthiness mediated the effect of the remarks on behavioral intentions.