Research group
Sales and B2B Business
The three focus areas of our research group are sales and negotiation competencies, business development, and digital sales and purchasing experience. Our goal is to increase the profitability of B2B companies.
Modern sales are about finding a solution and producing value. Digitalization has changed and will continue to change sales and business. Currently, significant themes affecting sales include artificial intelligence and big data. However, digitalization and online sales do not eliminate the need for face-to-face sales expertise. Both are needed in the future.
In the sales and B2B business research group, we develop interaction and negotiation skills in sales and purchasing processes, the profitability of B2B companies, and business innovations in both close and remote interaction situations. In addition, we support the integration of RDI activities, teaching and business.
With the help of digitalisation and biometrics, we gain new competitive advantages for business:
With the digitalization of sales, we utilize customer profiles, personal offerings and dynamic pricing, enhance bid-order processes and business processes, such as providing information and disseminating product information in business.
Utilizing biometrics offers a new kind of quantitative research perspective for examining interaction and negotiation skills. Biometric research equipment can be used to collect quantitative data on, among other things, gaze targeting and the emotional effects of a negotiation situation when measuring facial expressions and skin conductivity.
Sales interaction and negotiation skills are developed in annual sales coaching and competitions. We organize three sales competitions each year.
Sales is an interaction where “trade-offs” are discussed and value is created together.
Timo Holopainen, Principal Lecturer, Research Group Leader
Our experts
The research group includes experts in sales and negotiation skills, business, entrepreneurship, communication and pedagogy.
Publications
We publish around 15 articles every year in Finnish and English.
See our latest work published in English.
Fischer, H., Seidenstricker, S., Berger, T., Holopainen, T. (2022). Artificial intelligence in B2B sales: Impact on the sales process. In: Tareq Ahram, Jay Kalra and Waldemar Karwowski (eds) Artificial Intelligence and Social Computing. AHFE (2022) International Conference. AHFE Open Access, vol 28. AHFE International, USA. http://doi.org/10.54941/ahfe1001456
Khresna Bayu Sangka and Harri Lappalainen 2023: Developing sales competences in Indonesia via Sales Program. Talk, Turku University of Applied Sciences. https://talk.turkuamk.fi/myynti/developing-sales-competences-in-indonesia-via-sales-program/
Education
Our research group works in close cooperation with degree programmes. We teach, produce content and strengthen students’ working life connections. We support the integration of research and development activities into teaching.
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Bachelor's Degree
Business Administration, Bachelor of Business Administration
Full-time StudiesTurku -
Bachelor's Degree
Business Administration, Bachelor of Business Administration
Part-time StudiesSalo, Turku
A pioneer in Sales Competitions
Sales competitions are a pedagogical method that Turku University of Applied Sciences launched more than ten years ago in the European education market with the EU project.
The learning method, which originated in the USA, is based on realistic B2B sales situation, which will evolve as the competition progresses.
Turku UAS is the most active organiser of sales competitions in Europe. We organize several sales competitions every year in Finnish and in English at local, national and international level.
Customer Behaviour Lab
The Customer Behaviour Lab improves business processes and enables competitive advantage by leveraging biometrics.
We offer companies, partners, students and other stakeholders a wide range of opportunities to explore and develop sales, marketing, product development and related processes, and to improve their competitive advantage.
Other learning environments
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Sales Academy
We provide support for your business to develop sales and marketing.
Network and partners
The Academic Association of Sales Engineering (AASE) is a European network of experts promoting the education, research and visibility of sales engineers.
The European Sales Competition Association (ESCA) is the European network of universities that enables the organisation and continuation of European sales competition.
The Best Seller Competition is a sales competition open to all Finnish universities, with the aim of raising the profile of professional sales work and developing it.
Sales Education Foundation (SEF) is an international organisation that promotes the benefits of university-level sales education.
The Global Sales Science Institute (GSSI) is an international organisation that brings together research, teaching and implementation of sales and sales management.
Strong project skills
The Turku University of Applied Sciences Project Office offers support and guidance throughout the life cycle of an RDI project. Our project experts have years of experience and strong expertise in national and international funding programmes. We have more than 200 projects running every year, and our RDI activities have received more than €10 million in external funding.