Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2026-02-18DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.009
Stefan Wengler , Michael Kleinaltenkamp , Nima Heirati , Katharina Prohl-Schwenke
Although there has been increasing research attention to value-based selling, customer success management, and key account management over the last decade, these concepts have largely been explored in independent streams of literature. As a result, the boundaries and relationships between these customer management approaches remain blurred, and their implementation in business practice often leads to unclear responsibilities and conflicts across organizational units, which may adversely affect customer satisfaction and loyalty. Drawing on recent conceptualizations of customer-perceived value in business markets that build an overarching goal shared by value-based selling, customer success management, and key account management, this article unravels the existing conceptual understandings of these approaches at the specific activity level. We develop an integrated conceptual model that not only articulates the three approaches' conceptual distinctions but also illuminates their interrelationships and complementarities. This study contributes theoretical insights, offers actionable management implications, and identifies promising avenues for future research.
{"title":"Untangling value-based customer management approaches in business markets: Value-based selling, customer success management, key account management","authors":"Stefan Wengler , Michael Kleinaltenkamp , Nima Heirati , Katharina Prohl-Schwenke","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although there has been increasing research attention to value-based selling, customer success management, and key account management over the last decade, these concepts have largely been explored in independent streams of literature. As a result, the boundaries and relationships between these customer management approaches remain blurred, and their implementation in business practice often leads to unclear responsibilities and conflicts across organizational units, which may adversely affect customer satisfaction and loyalty. Drawing on recent conceptualizations of customer-perceived value in business markets that build an overarching goal shared by value-based selling, customer success management, and key account management, this article unravels the existing conceptual understandings of these approaches at the specific activity level. We develop an integrated conceptual model that not only articulates the three approaches' conceptual distinctions but also illuminates their interrelationships and complementarities. This study contributes theoretical insights, offers actionable management implications, and identifies promising avenues for future research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"133 ","pages":"Pages 162-174"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2026-01-21DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.002
Svetlana Bogomolova , Laura Lesar , Nicole Baum , Bryony Jardine , Larry Lockshin , Adam Loch , Jonathan Buckley
Power asymmetry in food supply systems can restrict local producers' access to mainstream distribution impacting their growth and that of local economies. While prior research acknowledges this challenge, it overlooks how the intensity of power asymmetry varies across system levels. This study applies a systems theory perspective, and in particular complex adaptive system (CAS) lens to explore: (1) how power asymmetry intensity varies across food supply system levels, and (2) what strategies might mitigate power asymmetry for local producers within and across systems. Through 50 in-depth expert interviews with Australian producers, retailers, and policymakers, findings indicate that power asymmetry intensifies on a continuum from micro (e.g., farm-gate sales, farmers markets), through meso (e.g., national) to macro levels (e.g., global). Cross-system opportunities, in hospitality and tourism systems, can diversify distribution channels for local producers, reducing reliance on dominant retailers. The study challenges uniform views of power asymmetry and identifies solution-focused mitigation strategies that could be utilized within and beyond a food supply system. It extends systems theory, in particular CAS, and power asymmetry frameworks in B2B marketing, mapping intensity variations and cross-system leverage. Practically, the findings suggest actionable strategies for local food producers, retailers and policymakers to develop more equitable and resilient local food systems.
{"title":"Exploring the intensity of power asymmetry in food supply systems: an application of systems thinking","authors":"Svetlana Bogomolova , Laura Lesar , Nicole Baum , Bryony Jardine , Larry Lockshin , Adam Loch , Jonathan Buckley","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Power asymmetry in food supply systems can restrict local producers' access to mainstream distribution impacting their growth and that of local economies. While prior research acknowledges this challenge, it overlooks how the <em>intensity</em> of power asymmetry varies across system levels. This study applies a systems theory perspective, and in particular complex adaptive system (CAS) lens to explore: (1) how power asymmetry intensity varies across food supply system levels, and (2) what strategies might mitigate power asymmetry for local producers within and across systems. Through 50 in-depth expert interviews with Australian producers, retailers, and policymakers, findings indicate that power asymmetry intensifies on a continuum from micro (e.g., farm-gate sales, farmers markets), through meso (e.g., national) to macro levels (e.g., global). Cross-system opportunities, in hospitality and tourism systems, can diversify distribution channels for local producers, reducing reliance on dominant retailers. The study challenges uniform views of power asymmetry and identifies solution-focused mitigation strategies that could be utilized within and beyond a food supply system. It extends systems theory, in particular CAS, and power asymmetry frameworks in B2B marketing, mapping intensity variations and cross-system leverage. Practically, the findings suggest actionable strategies for local food producers, retailers and policymakers to develop more equitable and resilient local food systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"133 ","pages":"Pages 53-66"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2026-02-11DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.007
Eveliina Lakka , Joona Keränen , Joel Mero , Matti Leppäniemi
Delivering outcome-based offerings has gained traction in many industries, but firms often struggle to scale them into a repeatable and profitable business. While prior research has explored the transition from selling products and services to selling customer outcomes, it does not unpack the key requirements and challenges for scaling at different stages of outcome-based business models (OBMs). To address this gap, we apply an abductive multiple case study approach and draw insights from 29 interviews with senior managers from nine industrial firms at different stages of scaling their OBMs. Our analysis identifies three maturity levels (early, intermediate, and advanced) that reflect progressively more structured approaches to OBMs, showing how four scaling logics (economies of scale, scope, learning, and structure) manifest differently across each level. The findings of this study contribute to the extant literature by illustrating how scaling challenges and opportunities vary across OBM maturity stages. For managers, it provides guidance on aligning scaling strategies with their firm's maturity level.
{"title":"Scaling outcome-based business models: A maturity framework","authors":"Eveliina Lakka , Joona Keränen , Joel Mero , Matti Leppäniemi","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Delivering outcome-based offerings has gained traction in many industries, but firms often struggle to scale them into a repeatable and profitable business. While prior research has explored the transition from selling products and services to selling customer outcomes, it does not unpack the key requirements and challenges for scaling at different stages of outcome-based business models (OBMs). To address this gap, we apply an abductive multiple case study approach and draw insights from 29 interviews with senior managers from nine industrial firms at different stages of scaling their OBMs. Our analysis identifies three maturity levels (early, intermediate, and advanced) that reflect progressively more structured approaches to OBMs, showing how four scaling logics (economies of scale, scope, learning, and structure) manifest differently across each level. The findings of this study contribute to the extant literature by illustrating how scaling challenges and opportunities vary across OBM maturity stages. For managers, it provides guidance on aligning scaling strategies with their firm's maturity level.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"133 ","pages":"Pages 120-130"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2026-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.003
Cagla Dayangan , Bilge Aykol
This study systematically reviews how specific categories of dynamic capabilities (DCs) relate to performance in exporting research. Our sample comprises 53 studies from 50 articles published until the end of 2024, where DCs were examined as predictors of a performance construct in an exporting context. We classify DCs into an established taxonomy based on hierarchical nature (higher, intermediate, lower) and organizational unit of analysis (individual, group, organizational, inter-organizational). Additionally, we synthesize how these DC categories connect to performance in terms of direction, significance, content of financial metrics, measurement level, and directness. The results indicate that exporting firms' performance is mostly hypothesized to be driven by higher-order DCs at the organizational level, with a clear pattern of positive effects of DCs on performance, as measured using both financial and non-financial indicators. Our results further reveal that export-task-specific DCs at the lower-order remain unexplored, while intermediate-order DCs focus heavily on marketing and DCs at individual and group levels are neglected. Moreover, the DC-performance link has mostly been tested directly, with limited involvement of mediators or moderators. We conclude by outlining future research directions that address the gaps and problematic issues identified in the review.
{"title":"Dynamic capabilities behind performance of exporting firms: Taxonomy, critique, future research directions","authors":"Cagla Dayangan , Bilge Aykol","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study systematically reviews how specific categories of dynamic capabilities (DCs) relate to performance in exporting research. Our sample comprises 53 studies from 50 articles published until the end of 2024, where DCs were examined as predictors of a performance construct in an exporting context. We classify DCs into an established taxonomy based on hierarchical nature (higher, intermediate, lower) and organizational unit of analysis (individual, group, organizational, inter-organizational). Additionally, we synthesize how these DC categories connect to performance in terms of direction, significance, content of financial metrics, measurement level, and directness. The results indicate that exporting firms' performance is mostly hypothesized to be driven by higher-order DCs at the organizational level, with a clear pattern of positive effects of DCs on performance, as measured using both financial and non-financial indicators. Our results further reveal that export-task-specific DCs at the lower-order remain unexplored, while intermediate-order DCs focus heavily on marketing and DCs at individual and group levels are neglected. Moreover, the DC-performance link has mostly been tested directly, with limited involvement of mediators or moderators. We conclude by outlining future research directions that address the gaps and problematic issues identified in the review.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"133 ","pages":"Pages 20-43"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145928787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2026-01-16DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.001
Mikael Hilmersson , Andrea Runfola , Matilde Milanesi , Simone Guercini
The growing literature on internationalization as a networking process has emphasized that the primary challenge for internationalizing firms is to reduce their liability of network outsidership and to establish an insidership position in relevant networks. However, recent empirical observations indicate that the international business landscape is changing rapidly.
In an evolving geopolitical context, circumstances may arise in which insidership in specific networks can be a burden for international companies rather than an asset. While previous studies have predominantly viewed insidership as a critical asset, this study offers a more nuanced perspective on the benefits and drawbacks of insidership. By drawing on earlier research by international business and industrial marketing scholars, we develop the argument that geopolitical changes can alter the nature and favorability of insidership, potentially leading to a situation where network insidership becomes a liability rather than an asset.
{"title":"Network insidership: A liability in times of geopolitical tensions?","authors":"Mikael Hilmersson , Andrea Runfola , Matilde Milanesi , Simone Guercini","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The growing literature on internationalization as a networking process has emphasized that the primary challenge for internationalizing firms is to reduce their liability of network outsidership and to establish an insidership position in relevant networks. However, recent empirical observations indicate that the international business landscape is changing rapidly.</div><div>In an evolving geopolitical context, circumstances may arise in which insidership in specific networks can be a burden for international companies rather than an asset. While previous studies have predominantly viewed insidership as a critical asset, this study offers a more nuanced perspective on the benefits and drawbacks of insidership. By drawing on earlier research by international business and industrial marketing scholars, we develop the argument that geopolitical changes can alter the nature and favorability of insidership, potentially leading to a situation where network insidership becomes a liability rather than an asset.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"133 ","pages":"Pages 44-52"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145980676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.004
Omar S. Itani , Colin B. Gabler , Ashish Kalra , Samer Elhajjar , Manal Yunis
Fueled by big data, the information age offers firms opportunities to enhance marketing efficiency and drive innovation. For that, based on conceptualizing big data capability as a three-factor construct integrating business, human, and technology resources and employing a resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities theory (DCT), we build a model showing how market orientation leads to the advancement of marketing and innovation capabilities through the effective use of big data, thereby, positioning big data capability as a mediating factor. We then highlight how the competitive intensity of a firm's industry, as a moderator, strengthens the capacity for big data to translate to capabilities. This model highlights the operational impact of big data capability and extends the RBV and DCT by integrating the moderating effects of competitive intensity on these capabilities. This investigation introduces an advanced understanding of the link between market orientation and big data capability. It offers theoretical contributions and practical recommendations for professionals in competitive markets.
{"title":"Employing big data capability in the face of fierce competition: Exploring the synergy between market orientation, marketing strategies, and innovation capabilities","authors":"Omar S. Itani , Colin B. Gabler , Ashish Kalra , Samer Elhajjar , Manal Yunis","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fueled by big data, the information age offers firms opportunities to enhance marketing efficiency and drive innovation. For that, based on conceptualizing big data capability as a three-factor construct integrating business, human, and technology resources and employing a resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities theory (DCT), we build a model showing how market orientation leads to the advancement of marketing and innovation capabilities through the effective use of big data, thereby, positioning big data capability as a mediating factor. We then highlight how the competitive intensity of a firm's industry, as a moderator, strengthens the capacity for big data to translate to capabilities. This model highlights the operational impact of big data capability and extends the RBV and DCT by integrating the moderating effects of competitive intensity on these capabilities. This investigation introduces an advanced understanding of the link between market orientation and big data capability. It offers theoretical contributions and practical recommendations for professionals in competitive markets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"133 ","pages":"Pages 1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145908676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.005
Helen McGrath , Thomas O'Toole , Conor Drummond
While studies of power in business networks are well-established, research on how digitalisation influences power asymmetry in entrepreneurial firm contexts remains limited. This study focuses on understanding how social media (SM) can reshape power asymmetries in entrepreneurial relationship and network development. Using the craft food and drink industry as an empirical base, our study employs an abductive qualitative approach with 33 entrepreneurial firms (includes data from personal interviews in each firm, and 4000 SM posts) to develop a classification scheme for SM power asymmetries, and 12 SM power typologies for strategically responding to power imbalances. Our findings suggest entrepreneurial craft firms employ SM to challenge power imbalances. However, rather than altering their position in existing relationships, entrepreneurs develop new relationship types using SM. We contribute a SM power asymmetry classification scheme that demonstrates how short-term relationships function as strategic power countervailing mechanisms and provide a novel typology of relationship types that entrepreneurs use to address power asymmetries through SM.
{"title":"Swipe, like, connect: A typology for strategic short-term entrepreneurial relationships using social media to countervail power","authors":"Helen McGrath , Thomas O'Toole , Conor Drummond","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.01.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While studies of power in business networks are well-established, research on how digitalisation influences power asymmetry in entrepreneurial firm contexts remains limited. This study focuses on understanding how social media (SM) can reshape power asymmetries in entrepreneurial relationship and network development. Using the craft food and drink industry as an empirical base, our study employs an abductive qualitative approach with 33 entrepreneurial firms (includes data from personal interviews in each firm, and 4000 SM posts) to develop a classification scheme for SM power asymmetries, and 12 SM power typologies for strategically responding to power imbalances. Our findings suggest entrepreneurial craft firms employ SM to challenge power imbalances. However, rather than altering their position in existing relationships, entrepreneurs develop new relationship types using SM. We contribute a SM power asymmetry classification scheme that demonstrates how short-term relationships function as strategic power countervailing mechanisms and provide a novel typology of relationship types that entrepreneurs use to address power asymmetries through SM.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"133 ","pages":"Pages 67-83"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2026-02-17DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.02.006
Simone Severini , Harri Terho , Joel Mero , Silvio Cardinali
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is gaining momentum in business-to-business (B2B) markets, but academic research on the topic remains embryonic. Most existing knowledge on ABM originates from practitioner sources, which often lack theoretical grounding and fail to clearly distinguish ABM from other marketing approaches. Consequently, ambiguity persists regarding the defining characteristics of ABM, the specific activities it entails across the sales process, and the outcomes it is expected to deliver. To address these gaps, this study aims to conceptualize ABM processes by leveraging existing literature and a qualitative Theories-in-Use (TIU) approach across diverse B2B industries. The empirical findings offer three novel contributions: (1) a clear conceptualization of the ABM process and its core activities, (2) structured insights into how these activities vary across different stages of the sales cycle, and (3) ABM framework that explains how ABM can create value for KAM sales process and improve organizational performance. These insights also provide actionable guidance for practitioners seeking to develop and improve ABM within their organizations.
{"title":"Unpacking account-based marketing: Conceptualization, key activities, and performance outcomes","authors":"Simone Severini , Harri Terho , Joel Mero , Silvio Cardinali","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.02.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.02.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is gaining momentum in business-to-business (B2B) markets, but academic research on the topic remains embryonic. Most existing knowledge on ABM originates from practitioner sources, which often lack theoretical grounding and fail to clearly distinguish ABM from other marketing approaches. Consequently, ambiguity persists regarding the defining characteristics of ABM, the specific activities it entails across the sales process, and the outcomes it is expected to deliver. To address these gaps, this study aims to conceptualize ABM processes by leveraging existing literature and a qualitative Theories-in-Use (TIU) approach across diverse B2B industries. The empirical findings offer three novel contributions: (1) a clear conceptualization of the ABM process and its core activities, (2) structured insights into how these activities vary across different stages of the sales cycle, and (3) ABM framework that explains how ABM can create value for KAM sales process and improve organizational performance. These insights also provide actionable guidance for practitioners seeking to develop and improve ABM within their organizations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"133 ","pages":"Pages 148-161"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adaptive Selling Behavior (ASB) research has evolved over the past four decades, making substantial contributions to the sales literature. However, considering that emergent technologies such as AI, ML, and GenAI are becoming essential sales enablers with a transformative impact on the sales function and its output, further investigation is necessary to expand knowledge. Managers are pushing for organization-wide adaptations to mitigate environmental shocks and the impact of digital and analytical technologies.
Accordingly, this study synthesizes the extant ASB and sales enablement literature to reconceptualize ASB typology at four levels: Macro (organization), Meso (intra-organization), Micro (salesperson), and Nano (sales activities/interactions sub-level), which helps in extricating the hierarchical nuances of the phenomenon and facilitates better implementation and measurement for sales productivity. Additionally, we situate ASB within sales enablement theory, which orchestrates the capability to align data, tools, content, and coaching, enabling ASB across all four levels in technology-mediated contexts. This study provides organizational leadership and sales managers with a definitive pathway to systematically evaluate the opportunities and downsides at all four ASB levels, determining when these emergent technologies will be suitable for their organization to implement. Finally, based on the systems of emergent technology impact at all four levels, we propose a future research agenda on emergent sales technologies, organized with pertinent research questions at each of the four levels of our reconceptualized ASB typology.
{"title":"Do emergent technologies turbocharge adaptive selling behavior? A review and futuristic outlook","authors":"Janakiraman Moorthy , Renuka Kamath , R.V. ShabbirHusain , Raj Agnihotri","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.02.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2026.02.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Adaptive Selling Behavior (ASB) research has evolved over the past four decades, making substantial contributions to the sales literature. However, considering that emergent technologies such as AI, ML, and GenAI are becoming essential sales enablers with a transformative impact on the sales function and its output, further investigation is necessary to expand knowledge. Managers are pushing for organization-wide adaptations to mitigate environmental shocks and the impact of digital and analytical technologies.</div><div>Accordingly, this study synthesizes the extant ASB and sales enablement literature to reconceptualize ASB typology at four levels: Macro (organization), Meso (intra-organization), Micro (salesperson), and Nano (sales activities/interactions sub-level), which helps in extricating the hierarchical nuances of the phenomenon and facilitates better implementation and measurement for sales productivity. Additionally, we situate ASB within sales enablement theory, which orchestrates the capability to align data, tools, content, and coaching, enabling ASB across all four levels in technology-mediated contexts. This study provides organizational leadership and sales managers with a definitive pathway to systematically evaluate the opportunities and downsides at all four ASB levels, determining when these emergent technologies will be suitable for their organization to implement. Finally, based on the systems of emergent technology impact at all four levels, we propose a future research agenda on emergent sales technologies, organized with pertinent research questions at each of the four levels of our reconceptualized ASB typology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"133 ","pages":"Pages 131-147"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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