Sales Approach Research Articles

Comparative Analysis of Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant

With the rapid development of e-sports and online games, shooting games have received significant global attention and popularity. This article uses the research methodology of literature review to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the disparities and attributes of the two shooting games, Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) and Valorant, in terms of gameplay, community engagement, and business strategy. Through detailed analysis, this article finds that Valorant emphasizes character diversity and innovative skill systems in game design to enhance the strategy and interactivity of the game; while CS2 retains the fundamental aspects of traditional first-person shooting games, such as precise tactical execution and technical requirements, focusing on the technical depth and operational difficulty of the game. In terms of business model, CS2 continues the open market system for skin trading , fostering economic interaction among players. In contrast, Valorant adopts a more closed and direct sales approach, offering exclusive skins at fixed prices, and exerting control over the market. This research serves as a valuable resource for game developers in shaping future game design and market strategy, and it also introduces a new theoretical perspective to the field of game research, enhancing the understand of how different game designs influence player behavior and market response.

Umdenken beim Verkauf von Business-to-Business-Lösungen: Integration von Marketing, Vertrieb und Customer Success Management

ZusammenfassungDie Vermarktung und der Vertrieb von komplexen Produkt- und Dienstleistungsbündeln in Business-to-Business-Märkten wird als Solution Selling bezeichnet. Dieser Verkaufsansatz vermarktet keine einzelnen Produkte oder Dienstleistungen, sondern maßgeschneiderte Lösungen. Die Komplexität und Individualität der verkauften Lösungen erzeugt einen erhöhten Bedarf an relevanter und genauer Information auf beiden Seiten: Potenzielle Käufer recherchieren bereits vorab nach potenziellen Lösungen und die Anbieter müssen wiederum die Situation des Käufers verstanden haben. Für dieses tiefgreifende Verständnis der Kundenanforderungen sowie die passgenaue Distribution notwendiger Informationen ist eine enge Zusammenarbeit von Marketing, Vertrieb und Customer Success Management notwendig. Traditionelle Unternehmensstrukturen weisen jedoch oft eine Trennung zwischen Abteilungen auf, was zu Effizienzverlusten in der Kundenansprache und -bindung führen kann. Besonders in mittelständischen Unternehmen dominiert häufig der Vertrieb, während das Marketing unterrepräsentiert ist und das Customer Success Management in der Entwicklung hinterherhinkt. Dieser Beitrag stellt einen integrierten Verkaufsansatz vor und zeigt strategische Maßnahmen zur Förderung der Integration auf. Diese umfassen u. a. die Dezentralisierung von Entscheidungsprozessen, die Bildung funktionsübergreifender Teams oder die Einführung integrativer Rollen wie die eines Chief Revenue Officer (CRO).

Proactive Marketing Strategy: Exploring Marketing Strategies to Increase Occupancy through a Dynamic Sales Approach at Madani Hotel Medan

Marketing strategy is an important aspect in the hotel sector to attract visitor interest. The research aims to investigate the marketing strategies implemented by the Management of Madani Hotel Medan to increase occupancy rates and income at the hotel. The focus of the research includes analyzing marketing strategies carried out by the marketing team, as well as identifying the strengths and weaknesses of Madani Hotel in attracting consumers, both those staying overnight and those using meeting room facilities. The research results show that the Madani Hotel marketing team implements various marketing programs, such as Sales Calls, determining hotel rates, preparing new price brochures, promotions through print media, organizing promotional packages, sales trip activities, radio talk shows, travel and company gatherings, shipping birthday cake and souvenirs, afternoon tea with friends, telemarketing to potential contacts, and participation in MATTA FAIR in Malaysia.

The Benefits of Private Domain Sales --A Case Study of Kuaituantuan

In this study, the benefits of private domain sales are examined using the case study of Kuaituantuan Company. The research specifically investigates the advantages of target customer positioning, customer loyalty, product customization, and sales conversion rates. Empirical research methods, such as case studies and data collection, were employed to gather insights. The findings reveal that private sales offer precise targeting, foster loyal customer relationships, enable personalized service, and yield high conversion rates. This study contributes practical experience and guidance for enterprises seeking to attain a competitive edge in the market. By leveraging private domain sales, companies can develop effective sales strategies and business models to effectively navigate challenges. The research underscores the significance of private domain sales as a powerful tool for companies to enhance their market position and drive growth. The findings provide valuable insights for businesses aiming to optimize their sales approach and capitalize on the potential of private domain sales in today's competitive landscape.

B2B service sales on a digital multi-sided platform: Transformation from value chains to value networks

Business-to-business (B2B) service suppliers mobilize a platform approach to enhance their competitive advantage, service selling, and long-term relationships. These emerging platforms in established value chains have been insufficiently studied on a strategic level, especially regarding value orchestration. The aim of this article is to examine how digital multi-sided platforms (DMSPs) change platform owners' value chains toward joint value creation from a sales approach, including sales strategy, sales structure, and customer relationships. Our longitudinal multiple case study was conducted on four platform owners adopting a DMSP as part of their service selling. The findings show how the transition from value chain toward value orchestration in a network shifts the platform owner's focus to develop a common sales strategy with strategic network actors. The restructuring of sales with platform resources allows platform owners to manage larger networks with fewer resources and utilize enhanced interaction to create commitment in network relationships. We put forward three propositions and a framework to illustrate the interdependence of the value chain changes under examination. Additionally, this study offers various managerial implications for companies when utilizing platforms and provides avenues for further research.

Digitalization in Entrepreneurship: Unveiling the Motivational and Demographic Influences towards Sustainable Digital Sales Strategies

Digitalization is incrementally transforming business practices, particularly in sales and digital marketing, although the factors motivating entrepreneurs to adopt digital technologies in sales strategies remain underexplored. Consequently, the aim of our research is to identify the factors that influence the use of digital technologies in sales. This research elucidates the interplay between demographics and entrepreneurial motivations, utilizing data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, involving 464 entrepreneurs in Slovenia and Croatia, analyzed through logistic regression. Notably, demographic factors, including gender, age, and education, do not significantly influence digitalization adoption in sales strategies. Among entrepreneurial motives, only the aspiration “to make a difference in the world” propels entrepreneurs towards considering digital sales approaches, while other motivations do not have a significant influence. Despite extensive studies on demographic factors influencing digital technology adoption, a consistent trend is conspicuously absent, necessitating an intricate examination of various dimensions of digital business transformation. Furthermore, our findings underscore that, while digitalization is acclaimed for enhancing companies’ profitability, entrepreneurs motivated by altruistic goals demonstrate a pronounced proclivity to integrate digitalization into sales, signifying that digitalization’s pragmatic utility extends beyond merely amplifying profitability and growth, insinuating a more integrative role in sculpting sustainable entrepreneurial practices and business models.

Salespeople’s sales performance skills in B2B of services firms – a cross-industrial study

PurposeThis study aims to examine the role of salespeople’s skills in relative and absolute SP in business-to-business (B2B) settings of services firms. This conceptual logic reported in meta-analytical works, that salespeople’s skills relate directly to their sales performance (SP), is questioned.Design/methodology/approachhis research relies on existing theory and previous studies on SP drivers and SP measures. The literature identifies a set of common denominators on the role of salespeople’s skills regarding their SP, all of which are tested in this study. Based on a deductive approach and questionnaire survey, 732 service firms in Norway were targeted. A total of 389 questionnaires were returned, generating a response rate of 53.1%.FindingsA total of 10 out of 12 hypothesized relationships in the research model dealing with the relationship between SP drivers and SP turn out to be non-significant. The hypothesized relationship in the research model between relative and absolute SP is also supported.Research limitations/implicationsThe results reported in this study, based on a large sample of service firms, empirically confirm that the direct effect is generally overestimated. Empirical evidence is provided that sheds additional light on the role of salespeople’s skills in relative and absolute SP in B2B settings of services firms.Practical implicationsThis study offers meaningful and relevant insights into the monitoring of SP drivers to practitioners in B2B sales settings of services firms. Salespeople need to learn about gathering knowledge in training programs about each customer and their specific situation. Firms should strive to recruit salespeople who possess the appropriate skills, taking into consideration their customers and specific situations related to them, such as experiences from competitors. Salespeople may be organized around similar customers and similar customer situations, rather than geographical assignments.Originality/valueOverall, this research contributes insights into the role played by salespeople’s skills in relative and absolute SP in B2B settings of services firms. In particular, the research contributes additional insights into the non-existent role of interpersonal presentation and communication skills, adaptiveness of sales approach and sales behavior skills and product/technology-related knowledge skills in salespeople’s relative and absolute SP in B2B settings of services firms.

Long short-term memory network based deep transfer learning approach for sales forecasting

Üretim ve hizmet sektörlerinde faaliyet gösteren firmalar, artan rekabet koşulları ile mücadele edebilmek için belirsizlik altında geleceğe yönelik çeşitli kararlar alırlar. Bu kritik kararlardan biri satış tahminidir. Dijital teknolojilerin yaygınlaşması ile derin öğrenme yaklaşımlarının satış tahmininde kullanımı artmaktadır. Derin öğrenme, başarılı sonuçlar vermesine rağmen büyük miktarda veri ile uzun eğitim sürelerine ihtiyaç duymaktadır. Bu duruma çözüm olarak problemler arası bilgi aktarımını sağlayan transfer öğrenme (TL) kullanılmaktadır. Transfer öğrenme, kaynak veriler ile modelin eğitimini ve hedef veriye aktarımını sağlamaktadır. Bu çalışmada, farklı ürünlerin satış tahmini modellerinden elde edilen bilginin gelecekteki tahmin modellerine aktarımını sağlamak üzere derin transfer öğrenme yaklaşımı önerilmiştir. Satış verisi tek değişkenli zaman serisi olarak ele alınmıştır. Kaynak veri seçiminde aktarılabilirlik ölçütü olarak hedef ve kaynak veri arasındaki gerçek cezalı düzenleme uzaklığı (ERP) kullanılmıştır. Seçilen kaynak veri ile zamansal bağımlılıkların modellenmesini sağlayan uzun kısa vadeli hafıza (LSTM) ağı eğitilmiştir. Ön eğitilen LSTM ağında parametre transferi yapılarak hedef veri için ERP-LSTM-TL tahmin modeli oluşturulmuştur. Çeşitli sektörlere ait satış veri kümelerinde yapılan deneysel çalışmalarda ERP-LSTM-TL, hedef veri ile eğitilen LSTM’e göre tahmin doğruluğunda ve eğitim süresinde iyileşme sağlamıştır. Önerilen yaklaşımın performansı klasik tahmin ve makine öğrenmesi yöntemlerinin performansları ile karşılaştırılmıştır. ERP-LSTM-TL karşılaştırılan yöntemlere göre istatistiksel olarak daha iyi sonuç vermiştir.

Douyin Made Me Buy It: Examining the User Impulsive-Buying Response in Live-Streaming Shopping Scenarios from An Emotional Attachment Perspective

The explosion of the global disaster and the ongoing e-shopping improvements have fueled China’s fast growth in the live shopping industry. This new business paradigm enables merchants to communicate with consumers in a direct way. The goal of this study, which is based on the SOR theory, is to explore critical variables of consumers’ emotional attachment, along with their influence on consumer impulsive buying response within the live streaming scenario. The link between impulse buying behaviour and emotional attachment, moderated by trust, is also examined. A total of 154 usable surveys with “Oriental Selection” purchasing experience are collected. This research uses correlation analysis, ANOVA, and regression analysis to analyse the data. After empirical investigation, the results confirm that content-based sales approach and attractiveness have a significant impact on users’ emotional attachment, which in turn positively affects impulse buying. However, trust is not significantly related to impulse buying behaviour. The research also demonstrates that trust acts as a moderator in the relation between emotional attachment and online impulsive purchasing. Based on the analysis, managerial implications such as providing consumers with eye-opening experiences and adding more entertainment activities are proposed.

Selection Bias in Housing Price Indexes: The Characteristics Repeat Sales Approach*

AbstractThe widely used repeat sales method for constructing house price indexes only uses data for properties that sell twice or more. This makes it susceptible to selection bias as price movements for these properties may not be representative of those for the stock of homes. We outline a novel approach to modelling repeat sales, which allows for a home's characteristics to influence its price movement. This allows us to impute price changes for the stock of homes and control for selection‐on‐observables. Using data for Florida from 2002 to 2020 we find that selection effects significantly exaggerated the volatility of Florida's housing prices.

Data Analytics Approach for Short-term Sales Forecasts Using Limited Information in E-commerce Marketplace

Data Analytics Approach for Short-term Sales Forecasts Using Limited Information in E-commerce Marketplace

The Nexus of Altruistic and Courteous Behaviors on Job Satisfaction and Affective Organizational Commitment among Pharmaceutical Executives

Prior research in several management disciplines has shown that Altruistic and Courtesy organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) positively enhances Affective organizational commitment (OC) and Job Satisfaction (JS) in employees. The study aims to test the assumption that Altruism and Courtesy OCB positively influence JS and Affective OC among pharmaceutical executives in Nigeria. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey with data randomly collected from selected respondents (N=401). The assumptive model was evaluated with structural equation modeling using advanced analysis of composites software (ADANCO). The structural model had an acceptable fit and internal reliability of constructs. Study findings revealed that altruism OCB was not a significant predictor of JS and Affective OC (p>0.05). Courtesy OCB was a significant predictor of JS and Affective OC (p<0.01). Courtesy OCB's influence on OC is partially mediated by JS. Pharmaceutical executives' level of emotional attachment and sense of connection towards their organization improves substantially in a friendly, supportive work environment. The empirical model supports intra-collegial collective performance and productivity instead of focusing on an individual's altruistic tendencies. The study reinforces the team-based sales approach as well as the need to reward altruistic behavior from employees and subordinates.

An approach for sales forecasting

Inaccurate sales forecasting (SF) leads to over-stock or stock-out, in which can increase inventory costs, thereby reducing profits and return on investment. Furthermore, stock-out can eliminate customer loyalty, as well as opportunities to acquire new customers, and maximize sales or competitive advantage. This study proposed a retail SF model called the SalesKBR, which integrates the decision-making (Best-Worst Method/BWM) and the data mining methods (k-Means) into the Recency-Frequency-Monetary (RFM) model. The BWM was used to extract criteria that have a significant influence on retail SF. The k-Means method and six validity indices were applied to improve the quality of the product clustering results, while the RFM model was used for assessment. The extraction results from BWM that correlate with the retail company databases showed the criteria that significantly affect SF are frequency, quantity, and monetary. The results also showed that SalesKBR is a retail SF model with a reasonable level of accuracy. Therefore, it can be utilized to forecast retail sales, and it has the potential to be an alternative solution for making scientific and valuable management decisions.

STUDY OF SELLING BEHAVIOR OF SALESPERSON

Today's sales management faces difficult sales management problems in order to achieve the desired performance. Company performance is closely tied to how effectively sales represent perform sales tasks. Sales need to be flexible and adapt their sales style to all different situations, as they need to deal with different customers and work on different sales situations. The behavior of a salesperson in coordinating a sales approach is known as adaptive sales behavior. The ability of a salesperson to perform a sales task depends on being able to practice adaptive sales behavior during and during sales with the customer. This study focuses on management and empowerment management techniques and looks at their simultaneous impact on the adaptive behavior of sales. The survey was conducted on a sample of a Grocery Shops. Ten Big Grocery Shops participated in the survey, (Big bazaar, Reliance, Lots Etc.) with a total of 100 responses. The results show that activity management and empowerment practices for encouraging decision-making participation, expressing trust, and providing autonomy are closely linked to sellers' adaptive sales behavior practices. Implications, research limitations, and improvements for future research were discussed. Keywords #salesperson #grocery #customers #sales #sales management #salesbehavior #sales #research #researchproject

A Value-in-Use-Oriented Sales Approach for Digital Services of Technology Companies

Today, technology companies are paying increased attention to the provision of digital services, and business customers’ actual usage process has become a pivotal concern. Thus, technology companies are turning their focus to customer value created during usage processes, referred to as “value-in-use”. This implies that the entire organization and ist ecosystem must adapt accordingly. This qualitative study identifies and classifies concrete fields of action for the sales team structure, the sales role itself, the selling process, and the customer-supplier relationship. The results shed light on a value-in-use-oriented sales approach for digital services that is currently implemented in the technology industry. The theoretical contributions include a holistic perspective on a changing business environment and its impact on the sales organization as well as an explicit focus on value-in-use. Managerial implications include recommendations to adjust recruitment and training activities based on developments in the team structure and a salesperson’s individual skills as well as to strengthen and extend the customer-supplier relationship.

Optimal pre-sale policy for deteriorating items

<p style='text-indent:20px;'>Pre-sale policy is a frequently-used sales approach for deteriorating products, e.g, fruits, vegetables, seafood, etc. In this paper, we consider an EOQ inventory model under pre-sale policy for deteriorating products, in which the demand of pre-sale period depends on price and pre-sale horizon, and the demand of spot-sale period depends on the price and stock level. Optimal pricing decisions and economic order quantity are also provided. We compare pre-sale model with a benchmark inventory model in which all the products are sold in spot-sale period. Theoretical results are derived to show the existence and uniqueness of the optimal solution. Numerical experiments are carried out to to illustrate the theoretical results. And sensitivity analysis is conducted to identify conditions under which the pre-sale policy is better off than the spot-sale only policy.</p>

SALES APPROACH WITH NEUROLINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING (NLP) IN A PHARMACEUTICAL DISTRIBUTOR OF PIRACICABA-SP

This study investigates the theme of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) as a guideline for training salespeople regarding the sales approach in B2B (Business to Business). Methodologically, Exploratory Study sought theoretical support in Neuroliguistic Programming (NLP) as well as in marketing and sales. In a second stage, a Descriptive Statistical Study was carried out in the form of a survey with the salespeople of a Pharmaceutical Distributor with a main focus on phyto-drugs, with a target audience of manipulation pharmacies in the city of Piracicaba, with the participation of 21 of them, male and female. , aged 20 to 50 years. Following the guidance of the theory about NLP, three questionnaires were used for data collection: the first, by Goleman (1995), which aimed to identify which salespeople would have characteristics of self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy and social skills. The second questionnaire, by Dalbosco and Trevisol (2019), was used to identify which percentage of salespeople had behavior in the visual, auditory and kinesthetic category.

Retail Florists Use Novel Sales Approaches during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Retail florists in the United States were surveyed from Oct. to Nov. 2020 to document business practices and innovative approaches to marketing, designing, and delivering flowers during Mar. to Sept. 2020 of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Slightly less than half of the responding florists (45.0%) closed operations for an average of 31 to 60 days (15.6%). City or county COVID-19 restrictions caused 34% to close their storefronts to customers. Nearly all offered no-contact delivery service. Approximately one-third of these florists used social media marketing consisting of still images and video posts, and a similar number offered no-contact shopping options. Two-thirds of the florists made no changes to the way they designed flowers (60.6%). Event-oriented stores reorganized their business models and sought daily work to replace postponed or canceled wedding orders. Three-fourths of the florists who terminated employees because of shutdowns hired or planned to rehire all terminated employees.

ESTIMATING THE ADDITIONAL FUNDS NEEDED (AFN) FOR CORPORATE GROWTH: A CONTINGENCY PLANNING APPROACH

ABSTRACT Planning for growth is, perhaps, the most important responsibility of all Corporate Chief Executives. The growth of any company is closely tied to the growth in its sales revenue. Obviously, the higher the planned growth rate in sales, the larger is the amount of investment needed in the fixed and current assets of the company. To achieve the target growth rate in sales, the company executives need to undertake the task of estimating the additional funds needed and devising a strategy for meeting those funding needs. Most commonly, the equation used in the estimation of the additional or external funds needed is based on the “percentage of sales approach.” Under this approach, the main assumption is that the increases in the relevant balance sheet items will be in direct proportion to the planned growth rate in sales. While the additional investment in the buildings and equipment or inventories is under the control of the company management, it is not necessarily so with regard to the “spontaneous” increases in accounts receivable or accounts payable. In fact, their final values might be significantly different from the values forecasted from the simple equation based on the percentage of sales approach. In this paper we describe a contingency planning approach and develop different estimates for current assets such as accounts receivable, and for current liabilities such as accounts payable, using probability distributions under different scenarios. We use these estimates in the calculation of the external funds needed. This approach will provide the company management with different options and help them plan for the contingencies that may arise in achieving the growth targets of the company. Keywords Sales Growth, Percentage of Sales Approach, Additional Funds Needed (AFN)

A Sales Approach to Key Account Management (KAM): Toward a Unified View of KAM Deployment and Operationalization

The key account management (KAM) literature is multidirectional in certain respects. Within the KAM literature, it is challenging to find consensus on the definition or conceptualization and operationalization of KAM. We propose a decision-based conceptual framework to help managers and academics better understand the conditions that are most appropriate and how to best implement a KAM system. This article also discusses different organizational solutions for handling demanding customers, while implementing a cost-effective and efficient customer interface strategy (CIS).