Managing ad hoc sales encounters in B2B markets

Research in B2B markets has extensively investigated the role of long-term relationships between vendor firms and their customers. That research has focused on long-term personal relationships and trust between a vendor's sales rep – the key representative of the vendor firm – and B2B customers based on frequent sales encounters. However, in many B2B contexts, especially when serving small accounts whose buying potential are small, sales reps typically have no pre-existing personal relationship with the customer, who encounters the sales rep for the first time. These ad hoc encounters can create distrust in the sales rep, harming the trusting relationship between the buying and the vendor firms. The authors investigate selling behaviors that reduce the negative effects of such distrust. Using data from a telecommunications firm, the results show that distrust in the sales rep has a negative effect on vendor trust, lowering sales performance. However, the authors find that those negative consequences are mitigated if sales reps use relational selling behavior but are exacerbated by functional selling behavior. Finally, the authors show that the effectiveness of functional selling behavior depends on the amount of time a sales rep spends with a customer, while the effectiveness of relational selling behavior does not.

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Work Title Managing ad hoc sales encounters in B2B markets
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Christian Schmitz
  2. You Cheong Lee
  3. Lukas Isenberg
  4. Gary L. Lilien
Keyword
  1. Business-to-business marketing
  2. Small accounts
  3. Sales management
  4. Trust
  5. Distrust
  6. Selling behaviors
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Industrial Marketing Management
Publication Date June 1, 2022
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2022.04.010
Deposited January 30, 2023

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Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Added 125--Ad_Hoc_Sales_Encounters.pdf
  • Added Creator Christian Schmitz
  • Added Creator You Cheong Lee
  • Added Creator Lukas Isenberg
  • Added Creator Gary L. Lilien
  • Published
  • Updated Keyword, Publication Date Show Changes
    Keyword
    • Business-to-business marketing, Small accounts, Sales management, Trust, Distrust, Selling behaviors
    Publication Date
    • 2022-08-01
    • 2022-06-01
  • Updated