As businesses increasingly shift from selling products to offering integrated services and solutions—a transformation known as servitization—the question of how to adapt sales strategies accordingly has become ever more pressing. A new study co-authored by Dr. Victoria Kramer and Sertan Eravci from the Chair of Marketing Management at the Marketing Center Münster, together with Prof. Christian Kowalkowski (Linköping University, Sweden), Prof. Anna Salonen (University of Jyväskylä, Finnland), and Prof. Wolfgang Ulaga (INSEAD Middle East Campus, Abu Dhabi, UAE), sheds light on this fundamental topic.

Published in the Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, the paper systematically reviews the existing literature on selling and sales management within the context of servitization. Analyzing 66 peer-reviewed articles across 21 journals, the authors identify three central themes that define effective sales practices in servitized environments:

• Customer Engagement throughout the entire purchase journey
• The skills and capabilities required of sales professionals
• The role of sales management support in enabling transformation

The study introduces an integrative framework that emphasizes the need for a collaborative, cross-functional approach to customer engagement—particularly as firms aim to build lasting relationships through recurring service cycles and loyalty loops. The paper also outlines a forward-looking research agenda to address key gaps in current understanding.

From a managerial perspective, the findings make it clear: successful servitization demands fundamental changes not only in what companies offer but also in how they sell. These insights are vital for firms navigating this complex but rewarding transition.

Read the full article here:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08853134.2025.2502168