Realizing Cross-Selling Potentialin Business-to-Business ...

Realizing Cross-Selling Potential in Business-to-Business Markets

DISSERTATION of the University of St.Gallen,

School of Management, Economics, Law, Social Sciences

and International Affairs to obtain the title of Doctor Oeconomiae

submitted by

Oliver Malms from

Germany

Approved on the application of

Prof. Dr. Christian Belz and

Prof. Dr. Sven Reinecke

Dissertation no. 3968

Publikation Digital AG, Gerlafingen 2012

The University of St.Gallen, School of Management, Economics, Law, Social Sciences and International Affairs hereby consents to the printing of the present dissertation, without hereby expressing any opinion on the views herein expressed.

St. Gallen, October 25, 2011

The President:

Prof. Dr. Thomas Bieger

Foreword

III

Foreword

This dissertation was written during my time as a doctoral student at the Institute of Marketing at the University of St. Gallen (IfM-HSG) in Switzerland. It was accepted as a dissertation by the University in October 2011. Throughout the way many different people accompanied and inspired me, making my doctoral studies a very enriching time and a great learning experience. In the name of all, some shall be mentioned.

My most profound thanks are directed at my doctoral advisor Prof. Dr. Christian Belz who always supported me and who provided many thoughtful impulses in all phases of this dissertation. His trust in my way of working gave me not only the academic but also the personal freedom to conduct this dissertation project. Moreover, my thanks go to Prof. Dr. Sven Reinecke for kindly accepting to become the co-advisor of my work. His valuable suggestions and pieces of advice, not only during doctoral seminars but also during joint visits at academic conferences, greatly enriched, and played a fundamental part in steering and accompanying my research process.

Unlike classical dissertations, this work follows a cumulative research approach consisting of four individual studies. Their successful completion was achieved in close cooperation with Prof. Dr. Christian Schmitz, whom I sincerely thank for his scientific and personal support throughout the years. Together we had worked in close proximity to many renowned organizations in the business-to-business area, being able to acquire vast amounts of data, which formed the scientific basis of this dissertation. In relation to that, a cordial thank you goes to all the practitioners who spend time and effort in participating in our research endeavors.

During my time in St. Gallen valuable friendships were formed, which I'm very grateful for. I especially thank Michael Weibel for our intellectually challenging discussions and his relentless commitment to our personal team. Also, my thanks go to Sabrina Blawath for her rigorous support, especially during the crucial time of conceptualizing the pre-study of this dissertation. Moreover, my special thanks go to Dr. Peter Matthias Fischer and Dr. Oliver Emrich, not only for their academic insights and personal support, but also for their friendship and the great times during the years. Furthermore, I thank Gabriela Seglias, Jason Wilkens, Emily Kadish, Elisabeth Caswell, and my uncle Christoph Malms for their dedicated assistance and their flexibility in resolving critical language, formatting, and

IV

Foreword

context related issues of this dissertation. All of your efforts together greatly contributed to the successful completion of my work. Thank you!

Beyond the academic and intellectual challenge, I will always appreciate the opportunity for an occasional leisurely relief with many of my colleagues and friends. Especially, I would like to mention Alexander Braun, Astrid and Thomas Addison, Christian Opitz, Jochen Binder, Johannes Bauer, Johannes Hattula, Silke Pieneck, and Teresa Raible. Guys, thanks for making my time in St. Gallen unforgettable! My thanks also go to Erika Singenberger, Claudio Burigo, and Karin Halder for their sincere and open way of communicating. I always enjoyed working with them and do not want to miss the many talks we had together.

Finally and most importantly, I thank my parents Dr. Michael Malms and Brigitte Malms, and my brother Fabian. They provided me with unconditional support and love not only during my time in St. Gallen, but also during all the years before. They encouraged me and gave me the emotional stability to carry out and complete this work - this dissertation is dedicated to them.

St. Gallen, January 2012

Oliver Malms

Table of Contents (overview)

V

Table of Contents (overview)

Foreword ............................................................................................................................III Table of Contents (overview)..............................................................................................V Table of Contents (detailed) ............................................................................................. VI List of Figures .................................................................................................................... XI List of Tables.................................................................................................................... XII List of Abbreviations......................................................................................................XIII Abstract ......................................................................................................................... XIV Zusammenfassung ............................................................................................................XV

1 Relevance of Study ........................................................................................................ 1

2 Theoretical Background and Research Approach................................................... 11

3 Study I: Cross-Selling: Realizing Sustainable Growth............................................ 29

4 Study II: A Salesperson's Cross-Functional Orientation: Antecedents and Effects on Cross-Selling Success .................................................. 39

5 Study III: Cross-Divisional Orientation: Antecedents and Effects on Cross-Selling Success .................................................. 54

6 Study IV: Determining, Quantifying, and Weighting Critical Cross-Selling Incidents: A Holistic Approach ........................................... 73

7 Concluding Observations ......................................................................................... 132

Appendix .......................................................................................................................... 147 References ........................................................................................................................ 148

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