"Once again I gained so much" - Understanding the value of business-to-business sales interactions from an individual viewpoint
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Once again I gained so much" -Understanding the value of business-tobusiness sales interactions from an individual viewpoint Sales research traditionally has considered value in the form of quantitative outcomes of selling processes.Value has been scrutinized predominantly from the perspective of social exchange theory and treated as objectively determined, static outcomes becoming evident in the post-transactional context of a selling process.However, value can also be studied in the pre-transactional context by considering sales meetings as independent interaction platforms for the emergence of value.Value may be approached as a dynamic process phenomenon that entails qualitative characteristics and is subjectively perceived and used by individuals also in the pre-transactional context of a selling process.The purpose of this research is to understand how individuals appreciate sales meetings in the context of buying and selling professional business-tobusiness services.The study strives to understand the nature of interactionbased value, the application of interaction-based value, and the levels and contexts of the application of value.The aim of this research is to offer a substantive grounded theory on the emergence, appreciation, and application of interaction-based value in face-to-face sales meetings.The data-driven grounded theory was produced based on the premises of symbolic interactionism and the methodology of constructivist grounded theory.The dyadic data mainly consist of audio recordings of eight sales meetings and 20 individual interviews with salespeople and customer representatives who participated in the sales meetings.The constructed grounded theory offers interaction-based value as unfolding through particular value spaces.The unfolding of interaction-based value comprises three interrelated processes (the emergence, appreciation, and application) that occur both in the exclusive and shared value spaces (personal, relational, and corporate).Interaction-based value emerges on the basis of interpersonal interaction in a shared and relational context.Value appreciation takes place in an exclusive context at a personal level and results in six forms of interaction-based value.Based on the dynamic and processual nature of interaction-based value, value may be applied through 17 value application processes in both shared and exclusive value spaces.The data imply that value Keywords: personal selling; sales research; value; interaction-based value; interpersonal interaction; symbolic interactionism; constructivist grounded theory; sales meeting; professional services some peculiar reason the challenge took the form of a PhD project.In order to diminish my performance anxiety, I thought of all those who had defended their theses before me.I reasoned that a PhD is an achievable goal for human beings in general, and being a human being myself, I might also survive the process.After five years of intense study, this human being is ready to hand over her ideas and findings to the scrutiny of the academic community and business audience.I could never have guessed how much I would gain from the research process in addition to receiving the diploma in the end.First and foremost, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to my instructor Professor Aino Halinen-Kaila.Aino has encouraged me to pursue research according to my natural inclinations and interests.She has been tolerant enough to guide me through the research process and bring my business-based thinking closer to academic aims, purposes, and questions.As a highly disciplined, perceptive and insightful academic, Aino has always pushed me to take suitable steps throughout the process.I am brave enough to state that during the final phases of the research process, we have shared the academic joy of producing new ideas together.
Source: UTUPub (University of Turku)
Author: Sini Jokiniemi
Language: English
Subfield: Marketing
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Itä-Suomen Yliopisto
OpenAlex ID: W1489966211