Paper info

An examination of sales interactions with prospects with various knowledge levels

Mark P. Leach and Rhett T. Epler

The paper was published at the 34th IMP-conference in Sri Lanka in 2018.

Increases in the digitization and electronic delivery of product and sales information has allowed industrial buyers to conduct extensive research without the aid of face-to-face interactions with salespeople. As such, Salespeople often enter sales interactions when their prospects have significantly more information than ever before. This paper examines some key differences in how salespeople interact with customers in situations where they are trying to add value and/or gain agreement when customers have high levels of information compared to when they do not. A qualitative and exploratory Critical Incident Technique (CIT) methodology is utilized. Findings suggest that while salespeople interact with customers with varying degrees and accuracy of supplier knowledge, many salespeople may be ill equipped to adapt and alter their sales strategies accordingly