What drives a customer's decision? This research examines the alignment between a firm's perception of order-winning criteria and its customers' views. It analyzes how this "fit" influences sales performance, focusing on small Swedish manufacturing firms. The analysis compares the perceptions of both the selling and buying actors regarding order winners and competitive strengths. It then assesses how the degree of fit between these perceptions relates to the sales growth of the firm's products. A strong fit is expected to correlate with a good economic development in sales. The results indicate that alignment between a firm and its customers leads to a stable economic development of sales, whereas different types of misalignment can lead to either a decline or an expansion of sales. This study provides insights for businesses seeking to improve their sales performance by better understanding and responding to customer needs.
Published in the International Journal of Operations & Production Management, this paper fits the journal's scope by exploring the relationship between operational capabilities and market success. Focusing on order-winning criteria, the research contributes to understanding how firms can align their strategies with customer needs to improve sales performance, a key topic in operations and production management.