Selling Centers and Buying Centers: Formulating Strategic Exchange Patterns

While significant attention has been given to group decision-making processes in a buying context, only limited discussion has centered on group selling processes. Consistent with the rising interest in marketing strategy implementation, the concept of the organizational selling center is offered as an organizing framework for designing and coordinating responsive industrial selling strategies. The selling center concept provides a vehicle for classifying alternative selling situations and clarifying the roles assumed by various functional areas in the selling process. Key sales management implications are Highlighted.