MRK 3502 B2B Marketing, Sales and Negotiations
MRK 3502 B2B Marketing, Sales and Negotiations
Most firms are involved in some form of coordination or cooperation with other firms, and most firms are also involved in larger networks with other firms, customers, suppliers, employees or other stakeholders. Estimates suggest that more than half of all transactions in developed economies take place between firms.
Business-to-business (B2B) marketing distinguishes itself from consumer marketing in several ways, among others that decisions are more strategic, that the culture is more technically oriented, that values are often created in close collaboration between with customers, that transactions are large and complex, and that customer relations tend to be long-term and governed by long-term contracts. In addition, personal sales, relationship development, and negotiations are particularly important when the customers are other firms. In this course these different topics—B2B marketing, sales, and negotiations—are therefore integrated and seen as closely connected. As part of the sales concept, interpersonal communication is seen as important for influencing current and future customers.
I. Characteristics of B2B marketing:
Students will acquire knowledge about the characteristics of B2B marketing and organizations as customers.
II. Problems and decisions:
Students will acquire knowledge about central problems and decisions in B2B marketing, sales and negotiations, and importance of these decisions for sales, value creation and profitability.
III. Concepts, theories and models:
Students will acquire knowledge of central concepts, models, and theories that can be used to analyze and understand how value creation and value capture happens in buyer-seller relationships and through central activities such as negotiations and sales processes.
IV. Techniques, methods, and tools:
The students will acquire knowledge about central methods, digital tools (e.g., CRM systems like Salesforce and Hubspot) and analytical techniques that are used in B2B marketing, sales, and negotiations and organization of the sales function.
V. Strategy and business processes:
Students will acquire knowledge about central challenges concerning the firm’s business processes and cooperation between the marketing function, the sales function and other functions in the firm.
I. Analysis:
- Students will be able analyze a B2B relationship with the aim of identifying value creation potential.
- Students will be able to identify sources of cooperation problems (governance problems) in the sales function and in B2B relationships and different ways of managing these problems through better organization of, respectively, the sales function and B2B relationships.
II. Planning and executing:
- Students will be able to formulate value propositions and find ways of communicating value to customers through a sales process, both digitally and without digital tools.
- Students will be able to conduct negotiations and problem solving processes with customers with the aim of increasing sales, value creation, and profitability.
- Students will be able to develop a B2B marketing strategy that includes decisions concerning segments/customers, products, prices, communication, organization of the sales and marketing processes internally in the firms, as well as organization and governance of B2B relationships.
- Students will recognize the importance of B2B marketing and sales, and what role sales plays and the responsibilities of a salesperson.
- Students will recognize the importance of creating values in B2B relationships through problem solving and negotiations, and they will understand how they should handle different governance problems to achieve this.
- Students will develop understanding of how different decisions within B2B marketing may have externalities and influence factors such as health, environment, safety, workplaces, and society overall.
The course is divided into four main modules, each with different sub-themes.
I. Introduction
a. What is business-to-business (B2B) marketing?
b. What is the role of B2B marketers and salespersons in generating income for their firm?
II. Strategy analysis for B2B marketing
a. Organizational buyer behavior: What characterizes organizations as customers?
b. Analyzing B2B transactions: how to identify potential cooperation problems and transaction costs?
c. The external environment: (1) Factors affecting B2B firms and (2) identifying market opportunities
d. Segmentation and positioning: How to segment B2B markets?
III. B2B marketing strategies and strategy implementation
a. General principles for B2B marketing and modern sales: What roles do value, value creation and value capture play for strategy development, buyer-supplier relationships, and the sales process?
b. Defining the customers’ value capture: (1) Product strategies, (2) customer solutions and problem solving, and (3) pricing strategies
c. Governing the value exchange in buyer-supplier relationships: (1) Governance forms, (2) relational contracting and trust, and (3) formal contracting
d. Communicating value to customers, with and without the help of digital tools.
e. Organizing to deliver value to the customers: (1) managing the sales function and using CRM-systems, and (2) organizing distribution channels
IV. Negotiations
a. Distributive negotiations: Succeeding in negotiations where values are to be shared
b. Integrative negotiations: Succeeding in negotiations with potential for value creation
The course will be conducted as a mix of lectures, exercises, and case-discussions.
E-Learning
Where the course is delivered as an online course, the lecturer will, in collaboration with the study administration, arrange an appropriate combination of digital learning resources and activities. These activities will correspond to the stated number of teaching hours delivered on campus. Online students are also offered a study guide that will provide an overview of the course and contribute to course progression. The total time students are expected to spend completing the course also applies to online studies.
Higher Education Entrance Qualification
Disclaimer
Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.
No particular prerequisites.
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 40 Grouping: Group (1 - 4) Duration: 3 Month(s) Comment: Project paper. All exams must be passed to obtain a final grade in the course. Exam code: MRK 35021 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination every semester |
Exam category: School Exam Form of assessment: Written School Exam - digital Exam/hand-in semester: First Semester Weight: 60 Grouping: Individual Support materials:
Duration: 3 Hour(s) Comment: Written exam. All exams must be passed to obtain a final grade in the course. Exam code: MRK 35022 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination every semester |
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 30 Hour(s) | |
Digital resources
| 10 Hour(s) | |
Prepare for teaching | 60 Hour(s) | |
Group work / Assignments | 50 Hour(s) | |
Student's own work with learning resources | 48 Hour(s) | |
Seminar groups | 2 Hour(s) |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 7,5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 200 hours.