Implementing new business-to-business selling methods

Telemarketing (TM), National Account Management (NAM), and other new selling techniques are increasingly being adopted by industrial marketers to replace or augment face-to-face sales forces. Adoption of any of these techniques requires the firm to adjust its selling mix, which is the combination of personal selling techniques used by the firm to reach its customers. Adoption of new selling mixes offers substantial payoffs, but involves risks and problems. This article proposes an analytical framework, based on the experiences of 40 business-to-business marketers, to guide managers in successfully adopting a new selling mix. The utility of this framework is demonstrated by applying it to two firms. From this analysis, management guidelines are developed for adopting new selling mixes.