Analyzing and Expending the Concept of Systems Selling in Theory and Practice : A Case Study of Swedish Wate Solution Technology Trading in China

Nowadays, system selling is used as a key industrial marketing strategy and adopted by many sellers as a marketing tool in bidding to construct large-scale industrial project. By implementing this way of thinking a firm could achieve the highest possible level of value-added activities and increase the cost of switching suppliers for the customer. For many business buyers, this is one way of reaching for a total solution to a problem from one seller, where products and services are blended together for performing a complete system. In spite of that, marketing theory has little to say on these challenges and until today there are still not more than a few articles in scientific journals and a few paragraphs in marketing literature dealing with this topic. “To study the concept of system selling both in theory and practice in order to develop a framework and recommendations for improve the application of it” have been therefore assigned as the research purpose for this master’s thesis. In order to study this topic a theoretical description of the research area have been perform where the existing theories of systems selling, organizational buying behaviour, product characteristics & classifications and business environment will help provide a frame of reference. Two case studies are performed with different natures where the data presentation helped to answer our three research questions regarding the description of integrated solution, phases and organizational buying behaviour of systems selling. The finding gives us a more profound description of systems selling and suggested that the concept could be improved through customer perceived value (CPV) where the company could find ways of increasing the attraction and appropriation of it. The conclusion also provided us with four general phases of systems selling where it obtains a focus of long-term relationship building and modified re-buy nature. The report ends with a proposal for a further study where it suggested to interview more companies and analyses more cases for example the similarities and differences for a more substantial conclusion.Validerat; 20140226 (global_studentproject_submitter