우리나라의 산업 생태계는 기존 거래기업을 대상으로 하는 B2B 방식으로 영세한 중소기업 비중이 높다. 중소기업의 대부분은 제조업으로 국내 최종재 생산업체에 중간재를 공급하는 2차 이하의 협력사로 거래업체에 대한 종속성이 심하다. 이는 B2B 환경에 대한 이해와 판매자의 입장에서 구매자는 바꿀 수 없는 시장 환경의 상황으로 환경을 통제하고 조정할 수 있는 영향전략을 통해 성과를 창출해야 한다는 것이다. 즉, B2B는 구매자와 영업사원 관계에서 영업사원의 판매영향전략을 환경-전략-성과의 관점에서 상황적합이론(contingency theory)의 접근이 필요하다. 본 연구는 B2B에서 구매자의 커뮤니케이션 스타일이 중소기업 영업사원의 판매영향전략 및 기업성과에 미치는 영향을 규명하고, 판매영향전략과 기업성과와의 관계에 있어 거래의존성에 따른 조절효과를 확인한 결과, 첫째, 구매자의 커뮤니케이션 스타일(과업 지향적, 상호작용 지향적, 자기 지향적)과 판매영향전략의 비강압적 영향전략(합리적 설득, 조언, 협업)과의 관계에서 과업 지향적과 상호작용 지향적 스타일이 중요한 영향을 미치는 변수임을 확인하였다. 둘째, 구매자의 커뮤니케이션 스타일(과업 지향적, 상호작용 지향적, 자기 지향적)과 유연한 강압적 판매영향전략(영감을 주는 호소, 권고, 환심) 간의 관계에서도 과업 지향적 스타일, 상호작용 지향적 스타일이 긍정적인 영향이 있음을 확인하였다. 셋째, 구매자의 커뮤니케이션 스타일(과업 지향적, 상호작용 지향적, 자기 지향적)과 강한 강압적 판매영향전략(합법적 조치, 압력) 간의 관계에서는 자기 지향적 스타일만이 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것을 확인하였다. 마지막으로 판매영향전략(비강압적 영향전략, 유연한 강압적 판매영향전략, 강한 강압적 판매영향전략)과 기업성과(재무성과, 고객성과) 간의 관계는 모두 지지되었으며, 판매영향전략과 기업성과 간의 관계에 있어 조절효과에 대해 분석한 결과 강한 강압적 전략과 기업성과와의 관계에서만 거래의존성의 조절적인 역할을 가지는 것으로 나타났다.
Purpose: In Republic of Korea, the ratio of manufacturing-based SMEs is the highest, and more than 60% of them are B2B methods that target existing business partners. In B2B where interaction with buyers, the role of the salesperson is important, and the relationship between the buyer and the salesperson is not a short-term perspective, but a two-way relationship that occurs in a long-term transaction. However, since the seller’s performance depends on the choice of a purchasing company with purchasing power, the perception dependence on the buyer is high. In B2B, the relationship between the buyer’s communication style and the influence strategy that can persuade the buyer is important in the buyer-seller interaction process. From the salesperson’s point of view, buyer must create corporate performance through an impact strategy that can control and adjust the environment to the circumstances of the market environment that cannot be changed. Therefore, B2B requires an approach of contingency theory from the perspective of environment-strategy-performance of sales influence strategies of salespeople in the relationship between buyers and salespeople. Based on this research background, in this study, the effect of buyer’s communication style on the sales influence strategy (SIT) and corporate performance of SME salespersons in B2B was investigated, and the moderating effect of transaction dependence on the relationship between sales influence strategy and corporate performance was confirmed. In addition, the causal relationship between the variables by company type was confirmed by classifying female’s companies and male’s companies, and the difference between the relationships between the detailed factors of each variable was analyzed. Many companies pursue advance selling as part of marketing. Advance selling refers to a strategy in which a company receives preorder from consumers before releasing a new product. It offers a variety of advantages to companies and consumers, but has the disadvantage of increasing uncertainty or perceived risk because consumers have to make a order before the product is released. Research on advance selling has mainly focused on the advantages of advance selling, but recently, it has been revealed when this strategy can be applied more effectively. This study also intends to suggest new variables that moderate the effectiveness of advance selling. To this end, two experiments were conducted.
Results: First, as a result of confirming the relationship between buyer’s communication styles (e.g., task-oriented, interaction-oriented, self-oriented) and non-coercive strategy (e.g., rational persuasion, consultation, and collaboration) of sales influence strategies, task-oriented and interaction-oriented styles had an important effect was confirmed to be a variable that affects. Second, task-oriented and interaction-oriented styles have a positive effect on the relationship between buyer’s communication styles (e.g., task-oriented, interaction-oriented, self-oriented) and soft-coercive strategy (e.g., inspirational appeals, apprising, and ingratiation). Third, in the relationship between buyer’s communication style (e.g., task-oriented, interaction-oriented, self-oriented) and hard-coercive strategy (e.g., legitimation, pressure), it was confirmed that only the self-oriented style had a positive (+) effect. Fourth, the relationship between sales influence strategy (e.g., non-coercive strategy, soft-coercive strategy, hard-coercive strategy) and corporate performance (e.g., financial performance, customer performance) was all supported. As a result of analyzing the moderating effect of transaction dependence, it was found that only the relationship between hard-coercive strategy and corporate performance had a moderating role of transaction dependence. In addition, additional analysis was conducted to confirm the differences in communication style, sales influence strategy, and corporate performance, and the results are as follows.
As a result of examining the differences between communication style, 8 factors of sales influence strategy, and corporate performance, task-oriented style was found to be effective in relation to all 8 factors. On the other hand, in the interaction-oriented style, the relationship with consultation, collaboration, apprising, pressure, and legitimation was not effective, and the self-oriented style was derived in the opposite direction to the other factors except for legitimation and pressure. Lastly, the recommendations were not effective in common in the relationship between the 8 factors of sales influence strategy and financial and customer performance.
Conclusions: The implications of this study are as follows. First, the concept of communication style and sales influence strategy, which was not well dealt with in the domestic B2B field, was approached and demonstrated from the perspective of contingency theory. Second, the effect analysis of sales influence strategy of salesperson according to communication style of buyer is that sales influence strategy that can be used appropriately according to communication style was derived. Third, it revealed the role of buyer dependence, which had not been clearly measured in the past, by confirming the moderating effect of transaction dependence in the relationship between sales influence strategy and corporate performance. Finally, this research expands sales influence strategy from the B2C perspective to B2B setting, thereby further expendy researches will be anticipated in B2B industry.