Characteristics of Successful Sales Interaction in B2B Sales Meetings
The value co-creation has gained much attention in
sales research, but less is known about how salespeople and
customers interact in the authentic business to business (B2B) sales
meetings. The study presented in this paper empirically contributes to
existing research by presenting authentic B2B sales meetings that
were video recorded and analyzed using observation and qualitative
content analysis methods. This paper aims to study key elements of
successful sales interactions between salespeople and customers/
buyers. This study points out that salespeople are selling value rather
than the products or services themselves, which are only enablers in
realizing business benefits. Therefore, our findings suggest that
promoting and easing open discourse is an essential part of a
successful sales encounter. A better understanding of how
salespeople and customers successfully interact would help
salespeople to develop their interpersonal sales skills.
[1] Blocker, C.P. et al. “The Role of the Sales Force in Value Creation and
Appropriation: New Directions for Research,” Journal of Personal
Selling & Sales Management, Winter 2012, 32 (1), pp. 15-28.
[2] Dixon, A., & Tanner, J.F. “Transforming Selling: Why it is Time to
Think Differently about Sales Research,” Journal of Personal Selling &
Sales Management, 2012, 32 (1), pp. 9-14.
[3] Haas, A., Snehota, I., & Corsaro, D. “Creating Value in Business
Relationships: The Role of Sales,” Industrial Marketing Management,
January 2012, 41(1), pp. 94-105.
[4] Vargo, S.L., & Lush, R.F. “Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for
Marketing,” Journal of Marketing, 2004, 68 (1), pp. 1-17.
[5] Prahalad, C.K., & Ramaswamy, V. “Co-Creation experiences: The Next
Practice in Value Creation,” Journal of Interactive Marketing, 2004, 18
(3), pp. 5-13.
[6] Borg, S.W., & Johnston, W.J. “The IPS-EQ Model: Interpersonal Skills
and Emotional Intelligence in a Sales Process,” Journal of Personal
Selling & Sales Management, Winter 2013, XXXIII (1), pp. 39-51.
[7] Grant, A. “Rethinking the Extraverted Sales Ideal: The Ambivert
Advantage,” Psychologial Science, June 7, 2013,
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/24/6/1024.
[8] Hohenschwert, L. “Salespeople’s Value Creation Roles in Customer
Interaction: An Empirical Study,” Journal of Customer Behaviour,
Summer 2012, 11 (2), pp. 145-166.
[9] Ramirez, R. “Value Co-Production: Intellectual Origins and Implications
for Practice and Research,” Strategic Management Journal, 1999, 20,
pp. 49-65.
[10] Walter, A., Ritter, T., & Gemunden, H.G. “Value Creation in Buyer-
Seller Relationship: Theoretical Considerations and Empirical Results
from a Supplier’s Perspective,” Industrial Marketing Management,
2001, 30, pp. 365-377.
[11] Rapp, A., Bachrach, D.G., Panagopoulos, N., & Ogilvie J. “Salespeople
as Knowledge Brokers: A Review and Critique of the Challenger Sales
Model,” Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 2014, 34
(4), pp. 245-259.
[12] Guenzi, P., & Georges, L. “Interpersonal Trust in Commercial
Relationships: Antecedents and Consequences of Customer Trust in the
Salesperson,” European Journal of Marketing, 2010, 44:1/2; pp. 114-
138.
[13] Nikala, L., & Piercy, N. “Strategizing Sales Organization,” The Journal
of Strategic Marketing, 2009, 17 (¾), pp. 307-322.
[14] Plouffe, C.R. et al. “Testing an Enhanced Process Based View on Sales
Process,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 2013, 33
(2), pp. 141-164.
[15] Holopainen, M. & Helminen, P. “User-based service innovation
including a futures perspective: a case study with four methods.” In
Sundbo, J. & Toivonen, M (Eds.) User-based Innovation in Services.
Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 303-322. (2011)
[16] Cook, L., Bowen, D., Chase, R., Dasu, S, Stewart, D., Tansik, D.,
“Human issues in service design.” In Journal of Operations
Management 20) (2002)
[17] Zomerdijk, L. & Voss, C. A. “Service design for experience-centric
services.” In Journal of Service Research 13(1) (2010)
[18] Alamäki, A. & Dirin, A. “Designing mobile guide service for small
tourism companies using user centered design principle.” Proceedings of
International conference of computer science, computer engineering and
social media, Thessaloniki, Greece. (2014)
[19] Mäki, M., & Alamäki, A. “Developing and boosting online grocery
shopping through the customer-oriented field study method.” 7th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation,
Seville, Spain. (2014)
[20] Tracy, B. The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and
Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible. Thomas Nelson: Nashville
(2006)
[21] Pink, D.H. To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving
Others. Riverhead Books: New York (2012)
[22] Lingqvist, O. Plotkin, P.L., Stanley J. The B2B Customer Decision
Journey: The Route to Increased Sales. Forbers (accessed 13.3.3015)
(2013)
[23] Cheverton, P., van der Velde, J.P. Understanding the professional
buyer: What every sales professional should know about how the
modern buyer thinks and behaves. London: Kogan Page.
[1] Blocker, C.P. et al. “The Role of the Sales Force in Value Creation and
Appropriation: New Directions for Research,” Journal of Personal
Selling & Sales Management, Winter 2012, 32 (1), pp. 15-28.
[2] Dixon, A., & Tanner, J.F. “Transforming Selling: Why it is Time to
Think Differently about Sales Research,” Journal of Personal Selling &
Sales Management, 2012, 32 (1), pp. 9-14.
[3] Haas, A., Snehota, I., & Corsaro, D. “Creating Value in Business
Relationships: The Role of Sales,” Industrial Marketing Management,
January 2012, 41(1), pp. 94-105.
[4] Vargo, S.L., & Lush, R.F. “Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for
Marketing,” Journal of Marketing, 2004, 68 (1), pp. 1-17.
[5] Prahalad, C.K., & Ramaswamy, V. “Co-Creation experiences: The Next
Practice in Value Creation,” Journal of Interactive Marketing, 2004, 18
(3), pp. 5-13.
[6] Borg, S.W., & Johnston, W.J. “The IPS-EQ Model: Interpersonal Skills
and Emotional Intelligence in a Sales Process,” Journal of Personal
Selling & Sales Management, Winter 2013, XXXIII (1), pp. 39-51.
[7] Grant, A. “Rethinking the Extraverted Sales Ideal: The Ambivert
Advantage,” Psychologial Science, June 7, 2013,
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/24/6/1024.
[8] Hohenschwert, L. “Salespeople’s Value Creation Roles in Customer
Interaction: An Empirical Study,” Journal of Customer Behaviour,
Summer 2012, 11 (2), pp. 145-166.
[9] Ramirez, R. “Value Co-Production: Intellectual Origins and Implications
for Practice and Research,” Strategic Management Journal, 1999, 20,
pp. 49-65.
[10] Walter, A., Ritter, T., & Gemunden, H.G. “Value Creation in Buyer-
Seller Relationship: Theoretical Considerations and Empirical Results
from a Supplier’s Perspective,” Industrial Marketing Management,
2001, 30, pp. 365-377.
[11] Rapp, A., Bachrach, D.G., Panagopoulos, N., & Ogilvie J. “Salespeople
as Knowledge Brokers: A Review and Critique of the Challenger Sales
Model,” Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 2014, 34
(4), pp. 245-259.
[12] Guenzi, P., & Georges, L. “Interpersonal Trust in Commercial
Relationships: Antecedents and Consequences of Customer Trust in the
Salesperson,” European Journal of Marketing, 2010, 44:1/2; pp. 114-
138.
[13] Nikala, L., & Piercy, N. “Strategizing Sales Organization,” The Journal
of Strategic Marketing, 2009, 17 (¾), pp. 307-322.
[14] Plouffe, C.R. et al. “Testing an Enhanced Process Based View on Sales
Process,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 2013, 33
(2), pp. 141-164.
[15] Holopainen, M. & Helminen, P. “User-based service innovation
including a futures perspective: a case study with four methods.” In
Sundbo, J. & Toivonen, M (Eds.) User-based Innovation in Services.
Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 303-322. (2011)
[16] Cook, L., Bowen, D., Chase, R., Dasu, S, Stewart, D., Tansik, D.,
“Human issues in service design.” In Journal of Operations
Management 20) (2002)
[17] Zomerdijk, L. & Voss, C. A. “Service design for experience-centric
services.” In Journal of Service Research 13(1) (2010)
[18] Alamäki, A. & Dirin, A. “Designing mobile guide service for small
tourism companies using user centered design principle.” Proceedings of
International conference of computer science, computer engineering and
social media, Thessaloniki, Greece. (2014)
[19] Mäki, M., & Alamäki, A. “Developing and boosting online grocery
shopping through the customer-oriented field study method.” 7th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation,
Seville, Spain. (2014)
[20] Tracy, B. The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and
Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible. Thomas Nelson: Nashville
(2006)
[21] Pink, D.H. To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving
Others. Riverhead Books: New York (2012)
[22] Lingqvist, O. Plotkin, P.L., Stanley J. The B2B Customer Decision
Journey: The Route to Increased Sales. Forbers (accessed 13.3.3015)
(2013)
[23] Cheverton, P., van der Velde, J.P. Understanding the professional
buyer: What every sales professional should know about how the
modern buyer thinks and behaves. London: Kogan Page.
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:69579", author = "A. Alamäki and T. Kaski", title = "Characteristics of Successful Sales Interaction in B2B Sales Meetings", abstract = "The value co-creation has gained much attention in
sales research, but less is known about how salespeople and
customers interact in the authentic business to business (B2B) sales
meetings. The study presented in this paper empirically contributes to
existing research by presenting authentic B2B sales meetings that
were video recorded and analyzed using observation and qualitative
content analysis methods. This paper aims to study key elements of
successful sales interactions between salespeople and customers/
buyers. This study points out that salespeople are selling value rather
than the products or services themselves, which are only enablers in
realizing business benefits. Therefore, our findings suggest that
promoting and easing open discourse is an essential part of a
successful sales encounter. A better understanding of how
salespeople and customers successfully interact would help
salespeople to develop their interpersonal sales skills.
", keywords = "Personal selling, Relationship, Sales Management,
Value Co-Creation.", volume = "9", number = "4", pages = "1192-6", }
