PurposeThis study seeks to examine how Chinese culture affects business‐to‐business marketing strategies and service revenue in manufacturing companies.Design/methodology/approachThe paper used a combination of qualitative research approaches, namely interviews, longitudinal study and bi‐polar case studies. The sequence of the qualitative research approaches was chosen to maximize internal and external validity.FindingsThe findings expose the impact of the characteristics of Chinese culture on a firm's potential to generate high service revenues in business marketing.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has possible location‐ and industry‐specific limitations.Originality/valueThe implicit logic for increasing service revenue starts with overcoming typical and, in some respects, limiting cultural characteristics. These characteristics limit business‐to‐business marketing for increasing service revenue. Monitoring the effects of Chinese culture and gaining an understanding of how they have to be managed provides some guidance for managers to generate high service revenues.