Designing the marketing-sales interface in B2B firms

Purpose - This paper explores the marketing-sales interface in Dutch and Slovenian B2B firms. Design/methodology/approach - The study included 11 Dutch firms and ten Slovenian firms, with both samples as closely matched as possible. The firms were all manufacturers of physical products that operate internationally, but varied in terms of size and industry. Personal interviews with respondents from both marketing and sales were conducted, followed by interviews of a semi-structured format. Findings - In some firms it was difficult to identify the marketing-sales interface. For instance, in small firms marketing and sales would frequently be combined in one individual. Research limitations/implications - Since the paper is based on an exploratory investigation of 11 Dutch firms and ten Slovenian firms, the findings are only indicative. Follow-up research might investigate a larger sample, different industries or different economic contexts. In addition, future research might study the relationship between marketing as an organisational capability and marketing as an organisational function or the development of scales to measure various aspects of the marketing-sales interface. Practical implications - The findings emphasize the role of developing an effective marketing-sales interface in becoming a truly market-oriented Organisation. Thus, they can help managers to evaluate their own marketing-sales interface and look for improvements as part of becoming more market oriented. Originality/value - The findings describe how the marketing-sales interface is organised and managed in B2B firms operating in different contexts. It positions the marketing-sales interface as just part of a market-oriented Organisation. The findings help academics to understand the functioning of a marketing-sales interface and assist managers in evaluating their own marketing-sales interface and develop ways to improve it

Sales-marketing interfaces within business-firms:Transitions and evolution

In these turbulent economic times sales-marketing interfaces in business firms are in the state of flux. Sales-marketing interface researchers have till date characterized marketing within business firms in terms of a marketing department rather than a marketing function thereby ignoring B2B firms with no functional separation. This has limited our understanding of how such firms develop their marketing departments from where none exists and begin to formalize marketing processes. Our research suggests that many business firms do not have a formal marketing department as they start out but they do marketing. We also find that the sales-marketing interfaces in business firms evolve. Our paper explicates the internal and external triggers behind these transitions, the process of how such firms move toward a more sophisticated marketing, and the advantages and disadvantages of such transitions. The research has been done in three economically and culturally differing countries: Slovenia, The Netherlands and USA

Marketing-sales interface configurations in B2B firms

As the body of knowledge on marketing-sales interface expands, there is a greater need to investigate the specific aspects of marketing-sales configurations in B2B firms. Using a qualitative methodology and interview data collected from over 100 sales and marketing professionals from the US, The Netherlands and Slovenia, this study presents a dynamic, evolutionary spectrum of four B2B marketing-sales interface configurations. These configurations are described in detail in terms of structure, communication patterns, information sharing, collaboration, and strategic outcomes. The findings show that no configuration is inherently superior. Our dynamic configuration spectrum offers managers a toolkit to evaluate their firm's marketing-sales interface in terms of current and desired positions, and contribute to their firm's market orientation and business performance. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved