Buyer–seller relationships and selling effectiveness: the moderating influence of buyer expertise and product competitive position

Abstract A field experiment using computer-interactive interviews tested the effects of buyer–seller relationships on selling effectiveness in the context of an individual purchase decision. Within interviews, organizational buyers responded to simulated sales calls from copier salespeople. Results show that when these buyers are in a relational exchange with a seller (as opposed to a discrete exchange), they evaluate that seller's product more highly and are more likely to consider and choose the seller's product for purchase. The relationship's positive effects on product evaluation and consideration are stronger for novice buyers than for expert buyers. While expert buyers seem less likely than novices to alter their product judgments and decisions because of a relationship, salespeople may still experience a relational advantage with experts as long as these sellers recommend products with strong competitive positions. Results support the importance of the buyer–seller relationship to selling effectiveness and reveal that some of the positive effects of a relationship are contingent on both the buyer's expertise and the product that is represented.

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