Marketing and Sales Processes
AbstractNot different from many other, larger companies, marketing and sales processes at SMEs have undergone constant changes. The chapter details how SMEs dealt with the tension between marketing and sales, how they differentiated in B2B vs. B2C environments. For B2C companies, global brand building becomes important. All firms, regardless of industry environment, had constantly professionalized the marketing process. Choosing a product or company name can be crucial in a global environment. In the B2B environment, marketing and selling differ from the consumer markets and are focused more on application-driven sales, key account systems, and reliance on lead customers. Examples from adopting key account systems and enlisting lead customers are provided.