Abstract
Being a solution provider differs significantly from being an industrial product manufacturer, as solution sales necessitate value-based selling techniques. In order to succeed in solution sales, sellers have to change their way of doing business by seeking to understand customer problems and communicating how their solution generates higher profits for the customer. The findings show that companies lack the tools and managerial capabilities to transform their organization into one that solves customer problems. We present a value-based sales approach to enable industrial companies to address customer problems and enhance customer certainty in that added value. Design thinking was applied to guide the process of identifying, co-creating and confirming customer-perceived value. The sales process and its relevant tools were developed in collaboration with our company partners in the DIMECC REBUS program.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Buchanan, R. (1992). Wicked problems in design thinking. Design Issues, 8(2), 5–21.
Brown, T. (2008, June). Design thinking. Harvard Business Review, 86(6), 84–92.
Cantù, C., Corsaro, D., & Snehota, I. (2011). Roles of actors in combining resources into complex solutions. Journal of Business Research, 65(2), 139–150.
Dalziel, M. (2007). A systems-based approach to industry classification. Research Policy, 36(10), 1559–1574.
Davies, A., Brady, T., & Hobday, M. (2007). Organizing for solutions: Systems seller vs. systems integrator. Industrial Marketing Management, 36(2), 183–193.
Hellström, M., Wikström, R., Gustafsson, M., & Luotola, H. (2016). The value of project execution services: A problem and uncertainty perspective. Construction Management & Economics, 34(4–5), 272–285.
Liinamaa, J., Viljanen, M., Hurmerinta, A., Ivanova-Gongne, M., Luotola, H., & Gustafsson, M. (2016). Performance-based and functional contracting in value-based solution selling. Industrial Marketing Management, 57, 37–49. doi:10.1016/j.indmarman.2016.05.032.
Romme, A. (2003). Making a difference: Organization as design. Organization Science, 14(5), 558–577.
Rost, K., Hözle, K., & Gemünden, H. (2007). Promoters of champions? Pros and cons of role specialization for economic process. Schmalenbach Business Review, 59, 340–363.
Storbacka, K. (2011). A solution business model: Capabilities and management practices for integrated solutions. Industrial Marketing Management, 40(5), 699–711.
Terho, H., Haas, A., Eggert, A., & Ulaga, W. (2012). It’s almost like taking the sales out of selling’: Towards a conceptualization of value-based selling in business markets. Industrial Marketing Management, 41(1), 174–185.
Ulaga, W., & Eggert, A. (2006). Value-based differentiation in business relationships: Gaining and sustaining key supplier status. Journal of Marketing, 70(January), 119–136.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Luotola, H., Ivanova-Gongne, M., Liinamaa, J. (2017). The Value-based Sales Approach—Design Process, Tools and Needed Capabilities to Create a Solution. In: Vesalainen, J., Valkokari, K., Hellström, M. (eds) Practices for Network Management . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49649-8_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49649-8_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-49648-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-49649-8
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)