Eight steps to building a business‐to‐business relationship

Many manufacturers of high‐involvement products who sell to other businesses know that relationship building is important to the success of the firm. However, these same companies may not know how to go about building a relationship with a client, or they may have tried and failed to build relationships with customers in the past. This paper provides an eight‐step, expanded process of business‐to‐business relationship building. The process begins inside the organization and ends outside the organization with a commitment between buyer and seller to maintain a relationship over time. The process includes such activities as determining the congruence between the vendor’s culture and strategy; activating a service‐oriented culture that emphasizes internal, external and interactive marketing; bonding socially with the customer; and adding value to the relationship. Examples from focus group interviews conducted with mainframe computer buyers are provided.