DEFINING PRODUCT SELLING AND SOLUTION SELLING: A MULTI-METHOD QUALITATIVE STUDY

Sales in its basic form is quite simple, but in a constantly changing business environment, it has become multifaceted. New types of specialized sales categories are emerging, such as product selling and solution selling, with various consumer involvement decisions, such as low-, medium-, and high-involvement decision-making. Specialized sales categories are defined from different perspectives, which creates confusion. This study aims to define product selling and solution selling in a business-to-consumer environment from the perspectives of salespeople and academics. This study used an innovative multi-phased qualitative plan by utilizing several sequential methods to gather and analyze data. The study used a two-rounded Delphi technique to gather information and inductive content analysis and the 5Ws and 1H method for analysis. The main findings indicate that salespeople over various categories (low, medium, and high) have different opinions about the job, which can provide better congruence between salespeople and managers. This study contributes on three levels: academically, it closes the literature gap by providing a salesperson perspective on product selling and solution selling; practically, it provides managers with an understanding of how salespeople see their job; and methodologically, it provides an innovative way to gather and analyze data.