Customer‐initiated influence tactics in sales and marketing activities
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to describe supplier coordination of sales and marketing activities to manage customer relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
Six propositions are suggested that examine the drivers dictating how customers initiate influence tactics for their benefit in dealing with their suppliers.
Findings
Illustrations are provided to show how and when the marketing and sales functions come close to synergistic efforts and what hinders them from doing so.
Research limitations/implications
Although influence tactics have a rich history in social psychology and organizational behavior research, more influence tactics must be tested using various samples and multiple methods in the customer‐supplier realm of selling and marketing activities.
Practical implications
Understanding trust, commitment, and cooperation from the supplier's perspective, enhances one's ability to understand why the sales and marketing functions must work together to program a defense mechanism against customers that are initiating influence tactics against them.
Originality/value
The study presents useful information for the coordination of sales and marketing activities.
Keywords
Citation
Leila Borders, A. (2006), "Customer‐initiated influence tactics in sales and marketing activities", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 21 No. 6, pp. 361-375. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858620610690128
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited