Harnessing customer demands for service innovation in business-to-business sales: Evidence from the Turkish HVAC industry

Abstract

Firms seek effective strategies to enhance service innovation, with salespeople playing a crucial role as intermediaries between firms and customers. Their awareness of workplace challenges and customer needs drives engagement in service innovative behavior (SIB). However, research on the mechanisms shaping innovation in sales roles remains limited. Drawing on Job Demands-Resources Theory and employing an explanatory sequential approach, we examined how customer demandingness fosters service innovation through salesperson resilience and agility. Using PLS-SEM analysis, we assessed direct and indirect effects in a sample of 224 business-to-business (B2B) salespeople in Türkiye's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) industry. A subsequent qualitative case study contextualized these findings and provided further insights into the underlying mechanisms of the tested relationships. The results indicate that customer demandingness positively affects SIB only when mediated by resilience and agility, highlighting the importance of these capabilities. Qualitative insights further suggest that demanding customers can facilitate innovation if salespeople develop these adaptive competencies effectively. Our findings contribute to understanding how challenges in sales environments can drive innovative behaviors. We conclude by discussing managerial implications, limitations, and future research opportunities.