Value Creation Within The Sales-Marketing Interface: The Varied Approaches to Integration

While integration within the sales-marketing interface is critical in order to create value for their customer base, the sales-marketing interface varies across fi rms. Hence, integration may, in fact, take different forms. This is due, in part, to the varied role of marketing across fi rms. Using a grounded theory approach and depth interview data collected from forty-three sales and marketing executives, this study unravels the varied meaning of integration. Specifically, we find the diverse roles the marketing function plays within the fi rm; and that the conceptualization of sales-marketing integration construct is sensitive to the context within which it is examined. Additionally, we highlight that sales marketing integration may not always be as important for value creation, in certain contexts. Hence, we provide a new lens to sales-marketing integration and its importance in the value-creation process. Managerial implications of study findings are also suggested