Jasmin Baumann

Making value co-creation a reality – exploring the co-creative value processes in customer–salesperson interaction

Abstract We examine how value co-creation is engendered in transactional and relational interaction in a professional business-to-consumer (B2C) service industry through exploratory interviews with six organisations’ sales personnel and their customers. A dyadic model and propositions conceptualise the process of value co-creation at the interpersonal level. It was found that the customer and salesperson take on very distinct roles in the co-creative interaction, which is driven by characteristics previously unidentified in the context of value co-creation, such as a commitment to achieving common goals, establishing equitable dialogue and sharing interests. Examination of the value dimensions co-created found that reciprocal value realisation is not limited to business-to-business (B2B) contexts, as the involved parties create mutual episode value in discrete transactions, and mutual episode and relationship value in relational exchanges.

A Study to Consider how Salespeople believe They can Build a Long Term Service Relationship with their Customers

Organisations have to invest in the relationship with their customers before transactions can take place that generate revenue. This is particularly true in service relationships and presents a challenge for salespeople – how to create the right sort of trusting connection that can lead to a benecial exchange relationship. Art specialists can be considered to be the sales personnel of ne arts auction houses (Thornton, 2008). Their roles include providing expert information, oering advice, acting as a seller and intermediary, relationship cultivation and being the main point of contact for customers. This study will consider how to build and maintain long-term service relationships from the salesperson’s perspective. Six ne arts auction houses have participated in the study (from 6 countries including the US). They are leading businesses in their own markets, have an international customer base and maintain oices in dierent cities within their territory. Exploratory semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 specialists from these auction houses (i.e. three per organisation). The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Forgiveness in Buyer-Seller Relationships Gone Bad

Getting out of a buyer–seller relationship gone bad can be even worse than an ugly divorce, with a multitude of examples for transgressions in business‐to‐business (B2B) relationships making headlines every year. But what happens to the relationship after a transgression has occurred? For example, Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) threatened to terminate its collaboration with Siemens after accusing the latter of causing substantial losses to the power utility and sabotaging the SAP software used in managerial operations. In the end, however, the two firms decided to put the past behind them and KESC agreed to withdraw all court claims and instead continue the cooperation, thereby reestablishing an atmosphere of understanding and trust between the partners (Dawn 2007; Tribune 2013). Here, the customer decided to forgive the supplier after the transgression and to restore the relationship to its original state. Transgressions are violations of the relationship between at least two partners, e.g., customers and manufacturers or service providers (Tsarenko and Tojib 2011; Beverland et al. 2009), which can lead to dissatisfaction on both sides, and reactions such as negative word of mouth and relationship termination (Bendapudi and Berry 1997). While past research has especially focused on service failure and recovery (e.g., Maxham and Netemeyer 2002) and reinvigorations after transgressions in customer–brand relationships (e.g., Aaker et al. 2004), the impact of forgiveness as a complex social behavioral pattern in interorganizational buyer–seller relationships has not yet been empirically examined. We address this gap by investigating how forgiveness affects the performance and management of a buyer–seller relationship after a transgression.