There is more to sales than selling: a literature review of the roles of sales in new product development

Abstract

Due to its close relationship with customers, the sales function has been suggested to be in a good position to contribute to the new product development (NPD) process. However, extant literature on the roles of the sales function in the NPD process is fragmented. A comprehensive overview of the roles, antecedents, and outcomes related to the stages of the NPD process is lacking, especially for the earlier stages of the process. This study presents the results of a systematic literature review on the four roles of the sales function in all stages of the NPD process: (1) generating ideas, (2) contributing to market intelligence, (3) selling the new product, and (4) managing customer interactions. Building on the stage-gate model, we propose a comprehensive framework that integrates the roles, antecedents, outcomes, and contingency variables of the roles of the sales function in the consecutive stages of the NPD process. We identify research themes and offer directions for further research into these roles to advance both theory and practice.