How to transform a product-focused salesforce to solution sales?

: Anna Salonen, Harri Terho, Eva Böhm, Ari Virtanen, Risto Rajala

: The European Marketing Academy Annual Conference

: University of Strathclyde

: 2018

The
purpose of the study is to improve understanding of the ways a manufacturer can
transition to solution business with a product-focused salesforce. The dataset
draws from a survey administered to the global sales organization of a building
solutions provider with respondents from three levels: salespersons, solution
champions, and sales managers. The data is analyzed using fsQCA. The findings
indicate that a salesperson’s value-based selling capability is a necessary
condition for salesperson-level engagement in solution selling. Beyond this,
salespeople can vary in their level of previous experience in solution sales
and risk perceptions, as long as adequate support is provided at the management
or operational levels of the sales organization. Hence, managers should not
merely focus on identifying the right salespeople, but they
should also place emphasis on adequate organizational-level support. The
provided support should be adapted to the individual salesperson’s needs.