Abstract
Purpose Digital ecosystemic business environments challenge dyadic approaches to value creation and particularly to business-to-business (B2B) sales. This paper aims to offer a novel conceptualization of the connection between value creation and B2B sales, which indicates practical implications and builds an agenda for future research. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper integrates theoretical insights on service-dominant logic, service ecosystems, interactional value co-creation and B2B sales. This paper uses anecdotal evidence from the field of B2B sales to illustrate theoretical concepts developed in the paper. Findings The paper develops the concept of value idea emergence (VIE), the process through which B2B entities become aware of a pursuable benefit. The paper further proposes that value (co-)creation in ecosystems happens through VIE’s intertwinement with the process of value proposition creation, a process, which includes all activities needed to bring a value proposition to a customer. The paper then discusses the role of B2B in these processes and proposes an agenda for future research. Practical implications The novel conceptualizations of value (co-)creation can help B2B sales managers to understand the ecosystemic nature of the interactions that affect sales and value creation in the current business environment. Originality/value The paper contributes to the literature on B2B sales and value creation by proposing a novel concept of VIE, introducing a conceptual model of interactive value (co-)creation in ecosystems and reformulating the role of B2B sales in value creation. These theory-developing insights can be used to guide both academic and managerial attention to interactions happening in the ecosystem outside of the buyer-seller dyad.
Highlights
Value creation in business-to-business (B2B) situations and in B2B sales, has recently undergone rapid changes, becoming more complex, digital and systemic (Akaka and Vargo, 2014; Hartmann et al, 2018; Moncrief, 2017)
Due to changes in the business environment introduced by digitalization, value-creating interactions do occur in sales processes shared by the customer and the provider
This paper proposes a conceptualization of value creation in an ecosystemic setting and how this is reflected in B2B sales
Summary
Value creation in business-to-business (B2B) situations and in B2B sales, has recently undergone rapid changes, becoming more complex, digital and systemic (Akaka and Vargo, 2014; Hartmann et al, 2018; Moncrief, 2017). In this intertwinement, the agencial assemblages of the value proposer and beneficiary entity interact through the shared APPI components of the interactive platform – such as a salesperson (people), company website (artefacts and possible interface) or social media platform (interface). 4.1 Business-to-business sales coordinating the intertwinement of value proposition creation and value idea emergence The model presented in Figure 1 builds on the ecosystemic understanding of value creation by conceptualizing the set of heterogeneous interactions that take place in VPC and VIE before the two processes are intertwined These interactions are as crucial as those that happen during (co-)creation as they set expectations and the starting point for (co-)creation.
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