Suchergebnisse

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of how the "seven steps of selling" are used within the modern international business environment and the degree to which international sales executives are able to identify and adapt to differences in global markets.


Design/methodology/approach
A phenomenological type of approach was used. In-depth interviews were conducted with international sales executives (based either in the USA or UK) that operated across multiple different regions of the world.


Findings
This study provides a holistic assessment of the international business-to-business sales process. This study outlines four key aspects of the sales process that differ from traditional domestic industrial selling. Then, the study suggests examining the international sales process as a stage-based approach, versus exclusively focusing on the sales process as a seven-step process. Third, the study focuses on differences between regions of the world.


Research limitations/implications
From an academic standpoint, this study highlights a number of avenues to pursue. In addition, this study underscores the limited volume of research focused on international sales force management, especially the differences within the sales process. Limitations focus on issues pertaining to the sales executives examined within the study.


Practical implications
Firms looking to enter or expand their international market presence will be able to use the results of this study focusing on the international sales process. Firms can apply the results of this study to build both initial and continuous training programs.


Originality/value
This study identifies aspects that occur during each stage of the international sales process to provide a detailed account of the activities that international salespeople are engaged in. Further, this study suggests that the stages of the sales process differ between transactional exchanges and strategic relationships. However, this study offers more insight on the development of strategic long-term relationships, as the majority of the sales executives focused on the strategic relationship development during the interviews. As a last step within this study, seven country-specific issues are described.

Purpose
This paper aims to investigate business-to-business sales executives' navigation of challenges and changes in planning during two separate periods (prevaccine and postvaccine) of time, which were impacted by a disruptive event (the COVID-19 pandemic).


Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a two-phase qualitative data collection approach. Thirteen executives, primarily from the Business-to-Business (B2B) manufacturing industry, were interviewed in phase one (2–3 months before the first COVID-19 vaccine). The second period of data collection was collected 4–5 months after vaccines became available.


Findings
The prevaccine business environment focused on short-term challenges, while the vaccine created exponential changes to long-term sales practices, suggesting the need to focus on critical inflection points that occur after the initial disruptive event.


Research limitations/implications
This exploratory study is a step toward developing a deeper understanding of managing disruptive events within a business-to-business sales environment by stressing the importance of both the actual disruptive event and the inflection points that follow the event.


Practical implications
New business models are constantly developing and evolving. However, this study suggests the biggest changes could occur after an inflection point from the disruption. Thus, firms need to consider different planning strategies before and after certain inflection points following a disruptive event. First, firms should adapt from their predisruption strategy to focus on short-term challenges during the initial phases of a disruption, likely halting most of the long-term planning. Second, inflection points create the need to move beyond short-term challenges and changes to focus on long-term changes. Third, long-term strategies and planning postinflection point will be different, and likely more complex, than long-term strategies and planning predisruption.


Originality/value
Most studies look at a disruptive event through a single data collection period. This longitudinal study compares prevaccine and postvaccine thought processes to explore the impact of an inflection point.