B-To-B Solution Provision: An Empirical Investigation of Performance-Related Outcomes

Offering B-to-B ‘customer solutions’ has been associated with positive outcomes for suppliers. Yet, empirical evidence documenting such claims has not been established. The literature is also unclear on whether gains are superior when solutions target established as opposed to new customers. We use the ‘process-centric’ view of solutions, together with ‘relationship lifecycle’ theory to develop two competing mechanisms—‘solution as leverage’ and ‘solution as accelerator’—by which to explain the link between outcome and solution provision for established versus new customers. The analysis of longitudinal sales data from a north American solution provider: (1) empirically confirms the positive impact of solution provision on outcomes; and (2) supports the ‘solution as accelerator’ explanation suggesting that suppliers achieve equal or superior outcomes when efforts are directed at new customers.