AUTHOR
von Schmidt-Laußitz, Nicolas; Wikberg, Anders

DATE
2003-09-18

DEPARTMENT
Business Administration and Social Sciences / Industrial Marketing

SUMMARY
The purpose of this thesis was to examine how the build-up of customer relations can be characterized at the end of the industrial selling process and how companies engage their cross-functional selling teams into this relationship building effort. Through a case study of Omega, a multinational company engaged in the selling of products of an industrial character, it was revealed that the build-up and maintaining of the customer relationship is of acute importance, as it presents the company with a window of opportunities. Through its relationship with the customer the company can be able to sell other products, which are related to the original purchase made by the customer. For the company’s competitors the established relationship might also serve as a barrier when attempting to enter the market or increase market share. The build-up of the relationship, however, was found not to be a clearly defined process, but more of a continuous process throughout and beyond the industrial selling process, where the members of the company’s cross functional teams participate. We found the industrial selling process to be a long-term process, where the relationship is the core, in which transactions occur continuously. We also found that the cross- functional teams participate in the build-up of the relationship continuously throughout the process. Our study also indicates that companies can form either temporary or permanent cross-functional teams, depending on the complexity of the customer’s needs.

ISSN 1404-5508 / ISRN LTU-SHU-EX--03/201--SE / NR 2003:201