MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Three Ways to Sell Value in B2B Markets

The ability to quantify and communicate value in business-to-business (B2B) sales is more important than ever. As customers face pressure to reduce costs while maintaining profitability, and more competitors are digitally enhancing or “servitizing” their offerings, value-based selling (VBS) has become critical in B2B markets. Yet when it comes to turning the idea into action, many companies seem to stumble.

The key challenges of VBS often stem from the confusion and uncertainty about the actual value salespeople are supposed to sell, the outcomes they are supposed to price, and the risks and responsibilities the seller and buyer are supposed to share. While current literature considers VBS to be essentially a one-size-fits-all approach to sales, it leaves managers clueless about how to apply it in different situations. This is particularly acute in B2B markets, where vendors need different capabilities depending on whether they are selling high-value products, value-intensive services, or performance-based solutions.

About the Author

Joona Keränen is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Business and Law at RMIT University, Australia, and a visiting associate professor in the School of Business and Management at LUT University, Finland.

Harri Terho is a senior research fellow and adjunct professor at the University of Turku’s School of Economics, Finland.

Antti Saurama is director of the Centre for Collaborative Research at the University of Turku’s School of Economics.

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