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PurposeIncreasing pressure to reduce costs and skepticism of promised value‐added are forcing suppliers to produce tangible proof of the monetary value they create for customers. The academic literature on the practical activities related to value‐based selling remains sparse. This paper aims to bridge the gap between the abundant theoretical customer value frameworks and implementation practices to create a practical foundation for value‐based sales activities in firms that aim to become value creators.Design/methodology/approachBased on two case studies, the authors map the best practices in customer value quantification from the point of view of industrial customers, and study value‐based sales processes to uncover the value‐based sales activities for implementing and profiting from customer value.FindingsThe results suggest a customer‐focused sales process that centers on creating value, quantifying the value created, and creating a situation where customer and supplier maximize their utility through value sharing.Research limitations/implicationsThe generalizability of the findings is limited to the industrial and service selling context.Practical implicationsSuccessful industrial and service requires tangible proof and evidence of the value and utility of the suppliers' business impact on the customer's operation. The paper aims to contribute to the value quantification knowledge and practices.Originality/valueThe academic literature on the practical activities related to value‐based selling remains sparse, while the importance of the value quantification knowledge and value selling process is growing rapidly.

Creating superior customer value is central to a company's success in competitive markets. In their quest to increase customer-perceived value, many industrial companies are moving toward customer value-focused sales management. Research-based knowledge of how to manage customer value-based sales operations remains sparse, however, with most of the customer value literature focusing on concepts of value, not their application. By exploring the emerging practices of value-based selling and linking the findings to the body of knowledge on value creation and capture, this study investigates organizational capabilities that contribute longitudinally and relationally to increased customer-perceived value in sales management practice. Our empirical investigation employs nine globally operating industrial companies in an exploratory multiple case study setting. The data collection methods consist of interviews, practice benchmarking workshops, focus groups, and reviews of value assessment tools. The findings of our abductive research process improve the theoretical understanding of organizational capabilities required to improve customer perceived value in business-to-business (B2B) exchange, based on a wider conceptualization of the operational, strategic, symbolic, and social dimensions of customer value. For managers, our study identifies the essential capabilities required for value-based selling, illustrates managerial practices to implement those capabilities, and provides guidance on value proposition design, value quantification, and value communication.

This paper explores the synchronized change of mindset and capability within a business network that is driven by the adoption and provision of smart services. The research is implemented as an empirical multi‐case study, and the primary data include interviews and observations in seven globally operating firms. The findings identify two categories of barriers and three categories of alignment needs to successful adoption of smart services. The study combines the institutional theory and dynamic capability perspectives to make three main contributions to the research of service innovation for an improved understanding of the determinants of successful field‐level adoption of smart services. The results show that firms need to align the change of logic and capabilities within the organization and the business network to succeed in the adoption of smart services.