Selling to enabled purchasers: the effect of perceived supply risk and profit impact on the buyer–seller interaction
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
ISSN: 0885-8624
Article publication date: 19 August 2021
Issue publication date: 15 April 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Based on insights from the buying process, the purpose of this study is to align selling firms to the buyer’s efficiency needs that are grounded on the different types of purchases.
Design/methodology/approach
Using thematic analysis, this study conducted 35 in-depth interviews with business-to-business buyers and salespeople on the changing buyers’ sourcing needs.
Findings
In line with buyer enablement, buyers prefer personal selling when they perceive the sales offer as highly risky for the buying organization, whereas they have a strong preference for a direct marketing approach by the selling firm when they are purchasing low-risk purchases.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is a qualitative study. Future research should collect secondary company data to validate the results.
Practical implications
This paper addresses the buyer’s sourcing needs and presents how direct marketing channels and personal selling should be balanced to increase the return on salesforce resources.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies to examine how sales organizations can create value by facilitating the buying process. Depending on the buyer’s categorization of the sales offer, this study highlights how a choice between direct marketing or personal selling improves the buyer’s perception of the sales organization.
Keywords
Citation
Paesbrugghe, B., Vuori, J. and Kock, H. (2022), "Selling to enabled purchasers: the effect of perceived supply risk and profit impact on the buyer–seller interaction", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 37 No. 5, pp. 1012-1024. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-05-2019-0252
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited