Initiation of business relationships in service-dominant settings |
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Authors: | Bo Edvardsson Maria Holmlund Tore Strandvik |
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Affiliation: | a CTF, Karlstad University, SE-65188 Karlstad, Sweden b Department of marketing, CERS, Swedish School of Economics, PO Box 479, FIN-00101 Helsinki, Finland |
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Abstract: | Industrial companies today are becoming increasingly service-oriented and therefore need to shift from selling hardware to valuing services and managing customer relationships. A new and particularly significant challenge for these companies is how to initiate relationships which is an issue that has received surprisingly limited scientific attention. The aim of this study is to develop a conceptualization that explores the dynamics in the relationship initiation process in service-dominant settings. Narratives from three sellers of professional services, augmented with narratives from a buyer's view, form the empirical basis of the study. The dynamics in the relationship initiation process are clarified with three new concepts: status, converter, and inhibitor. The paper concludes with implications of the new conceptualization and suggestions for future research. |
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Keywords: | Business relationship Relationship initiation process Status Converter Inhibitor Business-to-business professional services Executive education Narratives |
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