Numerous studies have explored the constructs proposed in this study, but the relationships between the constructs have not been explored before from a seller’s perspective in a B2B context. For example, Varela et al. (2019) focused on economic and non-economic satisfaction through trust and commitment as mediators in a B2B context. Moreover, Vatavwala et al. (2022) explored satisfaction as a unidimensional construct and its linkage to future relational continuation in a B2B context, while Kamali et al. (2017) explored trust, commitment and satisfaction as precursors to cooperation, coordination and continuity. Furthermore, Padin et al. (2017) measured satisfaction from the perspective of a unidimensional and not a two-dimensional construct, positioning satisfaction as an antecedent to continuity, coordination and cooperation. Similarly, Mysen and Svensson (2010) positioned satisfaction as a unidimensional construct in exploring relationship quality in a B2B context. Finally, Payan et al. (2019) did not include continuity in their measurement of B2B relationships, proposing satisfaction as an antecedent to coordination. Therefore, a gap exists in literature in terms of the relationship satisfaction, as a two-dimensional construct, with continuity, coordination and cooperation in a B2B context from a seller’s perspective.

It is imperative to understand that the afore-mentioned studies were conducted from a business customer’s perspective, and not from a seller’s perspective, in the context of B2B relationship building. According to Vlachos and Polichronidou (2024), the development of long-term business relationships cannot be found in only a single-partner perspective. This implies that it becomes challenging to apply the findings of studies on business customer (buyer) perspectives to long-term relationship building, where the seller is also an important partner to the relationship. Consequently, this study addresses this research gap by testing a research model that reflects the nomological relationship between satisfaction as a two-dimensional construct and continuity, coordination and cooperation in B2B sales relationships.

Considering the aforesaid discussion, this study makes multiple contributions to the B2B research field. Academically, the study adds value to literature on industrial marketing, relationship marketing, B2B marketing and sales marketing. It provides relevant knowledge on B2B relationships throughout the industrial value chain that is based on the seller’s perspective. This is an important contribution, as majority of existing B2B studies explore industrial relationships from a buyer’s perspective (Jiang et al., 2016; Lancastre & Lages, 2006; Zhou et al., 2022). Moreover, the research provides detailed knowledge of the structural relationships between economic satisfaction, continuity, coordination, cooperation and non-economic satisfaction as critical factors in the building of long-term relationships between business partners. Despite numerous research studies having explored the constructs proposed in this study, their interactive relationships from a seller’s perspective in a B2B context have not been explored before. Finally, the study adds value to theory through a rounded assessment of the different constructs explored, considering the measurement of B2B seller satisfaction from a multidimensional construct perspective (i.e. economic and non-economic satisfaction) in a single proposed model. This is vital, considering that in previous studies (Sigindi, 2017; Uvet, 2020), satisfaction has been predominantly explored as a unidimensional construct from a buyer’s perspective only, while this study investigates satisfaction as a multidimensional construct from a B2B seller’s perspective. Concerning the study’s industry contribution, the research provides B2B customers with increased knowledge on how B2B sellers view the constructs explored (i.e. economic satisfaction, continuity, coordination, cooperation and non-economic satisfaction) in terms of building long-term relationships with business buyers.

An extensive literature review has revealed that satisfaction encompasses an overall emotional assessment of the difference between an expected outcome and a performed outcome. Therefore, satisfaction is based on a normative standard – an expectation – that results in the customers’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction, when considering the expectation-disconfirmation paradigm (Vieira et al., 2024). In the context of B2B relationship building, satisfaction encompasses the overall assessment of the relationship through an enhanced understanding of partners’ opinions of the economic and social benefits of the relationship (Arthur et al., 2023). As a result, Glavee-Geo (2019) argued that satisfaction should be explored from a two-dimensional perspective in B2B relationship building, namely economic and non-economic satisfaction. Geyskens and Steenkamp (2000) agreed, stating that the future success of B2B relationships depends on an improved understanding of business partner satisfaction requirements. Such an understanding can strengthen an awareness of economic and non-economic satisfaction as two critical elements in securing future relational success. This is especially important when considering that, more than a decade ago, Del Bosque Rodríguez et al. (2006) stipulated the need to explore satisfaction more critically from the perspective of its two-dimensional nature. To address this call, scholars such as Rodríguez et al. (2022) have explored satisfaction as a two-dimensional construct in B2B markets and this study also investigates satisfaction from its dual perspective as being economic or non-economic in a B2B context. In this study, economic satisfaction implies the assessment by one partner (e.g. a seller) of the economic benefits obtained from remaining in a relationship with another partner (e.g. a business customer or buyer) (Sales-Vivó et al., 2021a). As such, the decision by the parties to a relationship to continue with the relationship in the future is influenced by the economic gains secured in the past from remaining in the B2B relationship. Contrarily, non-economic satisfaction encompasses psychological elements that relate to the management of B2B relationships, such as professional engagement, which are built on open communication between partners (Rodríguez et al., 2022; Zietsman et al., 2023).

In B2B literature, continuation, cooperation and coordination have been widely validated as critical to building long-term relationships between business partners (Crick & Crick, 2020; Lussier & Hall, 2018). Continuity has been broadly described by multiple authors in a B2B context (He & Sun, 2020; Sun et al., 2014) but, in this study, it refers to the duration of a business relationship between two or more business partners (Høgevold et al., 2022). Payan et al. (2019) confirmed that in a B2B relationship-building context, partners’ future intent to continue with a relationship is guided by their level of economic and non-economic satisfaction secured from the relationship.

Furthermore, for the purpose of this study, cooperation refers to sellers’ synchronised and supportive actions towards B2B customers to obtain mutually beneficial outcomes (Lussier & Hall, 2018). Cooperation is foundational to building of long-term relationships between business partners, as it strengthens B2B sellers’ and customers’ ability to secure economic gains from the relationships (Dasanayaka et al., 2020). Guan et al. (2022) confirmed that in a B2B context, the building of long-term relationships between B2B partners is increasingly dependent on non-economic satisfaction elements, such as relational contentment, professionalism in engagement and overall joy, in securing business partners’ future relational intent. Conclusively, scholars (e.g. Wuyts & Van den Bulte, 2022) have confirmed the importance of cooperation in driving future relational intent in a B2B context. Considering this study, coordination encompasses the enactment of activities by business partners who are involved in a B2B relationship (Høgevold et al., 2022). Therefore, the stronger the level of coordination between B2B partners, the greater the potential for economic gains for both parties to a relationship (Wuyts & Van den Bulte, 2022). Furthermore, when the parties to a business relationship have an engaging and supportive partnership that enhances the coordination of activities, there is a greater willingness to remain in the relationship in the future (Hughes et al., 2018).

The study positions economic satisfaction as a precursor to non-economic satisfaction, economic satisfaction as an antecedent to continuity and coordination, and continuity and coordination as precursors to cooperation. Finally, it proposes that cooperation influences non-economic satisfaction. Figure 1 illustrates the proposed conceptual framework applied to the study to validate the relationships between economic satisfaction, continuity, cooperation and non-economic satisfaction. The key variables in the study have been widely validated as critical elements in the building of sustainable B2B relationships (Ferro-Soto et al., 2022; Glavee-Geo, 2019; Svensson et al., 2023). These variables are important in the development of successful B2B partnerships that will secure future commitment. As such, a focus on these variables by both the seller and the business customer can ensure that both parties illustrate a willingness to remain in a relationship for long term (Varela et al., 2019). The model applied to the study purports that economic satisfaction influences continuity and coordination and that these variables influence cooperation. The model further proposes that cooperation influences non-economic satisfaction, and that economic satisfaction directly influences non-economic satisfaction.

The study draws on relationship marketing theory and social exchange theory (SET). Relationship marketing is founded on the development of long-term relationships between parties to a B2B relationship. These long-term relationships are built on value-adding experiences, ultimately strengthening the future cooperation of B2B partners and their continuation of a relationship (Sharma, 2022). Guan et al. (2023) argue that relationship building should be guided by the professional coordination of activities between B2B partners, thereby strengthening a future willingness to continue with the relationship in the long term. Therefore, through an engaged relational approach that is guided by relationship marketing principles, business partners are better enabled to understand the needs and expectations of the other party (Van Tonder & Nel, 2018). This will strengthen parties’ relational intent to continue with a relationship as the potential for relational failure is lowered (Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2019). Consequently, relationship marketing focuses on strengthening business partners’ intent to continue with a relationship in the long term (Kofi Amoako et al., 2020). Chang et al. (2021) concurred, asserting that relationship marketing centres on the management of business partner relationships that will stimulate the continuation of parties to the relationship in the future. In addition, scholars such as Jyh-Liang et al. (2022) confirm that B2B relationships founded on non-economic principles, such as joy, contentment and happiness, stimulate B2B willingness to remain in a relationship with a partner, thereby strengthening future relational intent. Moreover, Høgevold et al. (2020) stated that working relationships between B2B partners characterised by non-economic satisfaction factors strengthen future relational intent. Through such an approach, B2B partners’ needs are more successfully addressed, resulting in an increased willingness to cooperate in the future (Zietsman et al., 2023).

Lambe et al. (2001) argued that SET is built on the principle of value exchange between business partners. It encompasses the mutual exchange of value that drives future relational intention. Hein et al. (2019) and Sales-Vivó et al. (2021b) agreed, stating that economic value creation must benefit all parties concerned, thus strengthening a willingness to remain in the relationship in the future. Social exchange theory proposes that business partners’ intent to remain in a relationship is guided by a benefit-cost analysis and an assessment of available options. This implies that the future relational intent of parties is guided by the value still to be accumulated from the relationship (Høgevold et al., 2022). This value can encompass the economic value to be derived from the relationship in the future (Chai et al., 2020; Sierra & McQuitty, 2005). As a result, business partner satisfaction is influenced by the economic benefits received from a relationship versus the cost of remaining in the relationship, ultimately guiding business partners’ economic decision-making to continue with the relationship in future (Padgett et al., 2020). Against this background, it becomes evident that economic satisfaction is an important element to consider in the B2B relationship-building process, as promulgated by SET (Cassia et al., 2021; Jyh-Liang et al., 2022).

In a competitive B2B environment, business relationships’ future sustainability is largely defined by business partners’ ability to secure the successful coordination of business activities (Zhu et al., 2022). Coordination is grounded in the interdependence between parties to ensure the achievement of mutual goals and outcomes (McNeill & Nienaber, 2019). This requires business partners to embrace a collaborative approach towards engagement that is built on purposeful behaviour characterised by reciprocal actions (Kauffman & Pointer, 2022). As such, the continuity of a B2B relationship requires all parties to experience professionalism, positive engagement and contentment when engaging with each other through coordinated actions. Consequently, partners need to guarantee a customer-centric orientation towards the integrated coordination of activities, which could positively impact the future intention to continue with the relationship (Brennan et al., 2020; Seebacher, 2021). Furthermore, scholars have widely argued that the future continuation of the relationship between a seller and a business customer is guided by positive exchanges that are well coordinated (Høgevold et al., 2020; Lussier & Hall, 2018). Therefore, it is hypothesised that:

Multiple scholars in the B2B domain have validated the importance of continuity and cooperation in the business relationship-building process (Lussier & Hall, 2018; Mukherjee et al., 2023). Samudro et al. (2018) stated that cooperation reflects the desire of all parties to the relationship to work together, with the intention to create mutual benefits and value. Geyskens et al. (1999) confirmed that, in a B2B context, relationship continuation is guided by psychosocial issues that positively stimulate gratification among business partners. Through such enhanced gratification, business partners illustrate a greater intent to cooperate in the future to secure mutually beneficial gains. Kumar and Ganguly (2021) concurred, stating that if business partners are clear on expectations to coordinate relationships, there is a greater willingness to continue with these relationships. Considering this, cooperation is driven by social bonding between business partners, resulting in the commitment of parties to the relationship and their intention to secure future continuation with the relationship (Holm et al., 1996). Thus, the following hypothesis is proposed:

Høgevold et al. (2020) and McNeill and Nienaber (2020) have validated the importance of coordination in driving future cooperation between parties. Coordination refers to the process of mutual engagement between parties that focuses on the structure or processes of the relationship (Grönroos & Helle, 2012; Zhu et al., 2022). Contrastingly, cooperation reflects an interest by all parties to collaborate with the intention to secure mutual value (Kumar & Ganguly, 2021). Consequently, coordination and cooperation cannot be perceived as similar concepts, as they are different in their conceptualisation and application (Naudé & Buttle, 2000). Nevertheless, they share a close relationship, as cooperative behaviour encompasses coordinated functions that parties undertake together or individually. Through coordination, improved cooperation is secured if the B2B relationship is grounded in professionalism as well as open and engaging in interaction that stimulates contentment between parties. Hence, psychological factors, such as joy and contentment, also play a vital role in securing the future success of a B2B partnership through coordinated actions that drive future cooperation (Chatterjee et al., 2023; Padin et al., 2017). This argument is supported by Payan et al. (2019), who validated the relationship between coordination and cooperation. As a result, it is hypothesised that:

Cooperation enables business partners to enhance their performance and become more successful in achieving their goals (Lussier & Hall, 2018). It is perceived as an important factor that positively influences non-economic satisfaction, thereby strengthening all parties’ future relational intent (Han & Lee, 2021). Through the satisfaction of reciprocal expectations in the relationship between business partners, parties can increase the need for cooperation (Ferro-Soto et al., 2022). As such, business partners’ ability to cooperate for mutual gains is increasingly guided by their willingness to do so without focusing on economic benefits alone. Partners are more often guided by psychological factors that impact their decision to remain in a relationship in the future (Prior, 2023). Aspects including relational contentment, joy experienced through engagement, and aligned ethical practices and beliefs are becoming crucial stimulants of economic satisfaction that guide future relational intent (Guan et al., 2022; Jyh-Liang et al., 2022). Han and Lee (2021) agreed, validating the relationship between cooperation and non-economic satisfaction. Considering the aforesaid, the following hypothesis is proposed:

Satisfaction consists of multiple constructs, namely economic and non-economic satisfaction (Ferro-Soto et al., 2023; Geyskens & Steenkamp, 2000). On the one hand, economic satisfaction is an encouraging and intense reaction by a business partner to the economic rewards that accrue from a relationship and that contribute to shared value between partners (Kotze & Hofmeyr, 2022; Sales-Vivó et al., 2021a). These rewards can include discounts, sales numbers, profit ratios and market growth opportunities (Guan et al., 2022). On the other hand, non-economic satisfaction is built on an assessment of the interrelationship between parties who are guided by psychological factors, such as honesty and integrity (Jaiyeoba et al., 2020). These factors influence the overall contentment of parties to the relationship and can guide B2B partners’ decision to continue with the relationship in the future (Varela et al., 2019). The initial phase of a business relationship centres on economic benefits. However, once positive economic satisfaction is secured, parties to the relationship will desire non-economic satisfaction, such as positive relationship quality, the establishment of trust between partners, and open and engaging two-way communication (Glavee-Geo, 2019; Mpinganjira et al., 2017). Zietsman et al. (2020a) affirmed the positive relationship between economic and non-economic satisfaction. Therefore, it is hypothesised that:

The study was quantitative and exploratory in nature. The study sample comprised small- and medium-sized companies across industries in Spain, obtained from LinkedIn with specific search characteristics to target appropriate key informants. With the aim of analysing business relationships from a sales management perspective, the study’s key informants met the criteria of being sales or marketing managers or directors in a Spanish small- and medium-sized company. The study identified 2576 potential informants, who were asked to participate in the study, yielding 1240 (48.1%) positive responses. Upon obtaining their approval to participate in this study, key informants were sent an email with a Qualtrics link to complete the questionnaire online. The targeted sample yielded 312 questionnaire responses (25.16%), although 70 were excluded because of non-response bias, resulting in 242 satisfactorily completed questionnaires.

The Qualtrics link to the questionnaire sent to key informants included a brief letter of instruction and a statement of strict confidentiality with respect to data treatment. The instructions requested each key informant to think of one current B2B customer with whom the company had interacted over the last 12 months and to keep this customer in mind when answering the questionnaire. Furthermore, to avoid potential common method bias during the data collection process, informants were asked to provide honest responses and the anonymity of their answers was ensured. For this reason, key informants were not requested to reveal any details about the customer, so as to ensure strict confidentiality. The informants were also asked to respond diligently to each item in the questionnaire to ensure high-quality data.

The questionnaire included two control questions to ensure participants had the appropriate knowledge and were sufficiently experienced to answer the survey. Respondents were asked to rank their replies to two statements on a five-point Likert scale, where (5) was ‘strongly agree’ and (1) was ‘strongly disagree’ – namely ‘I have a lot of knowledge about this customer’; and ‘I have a lot of experience with this customer’. Most respondents expressed having substantial knowledge of the customer (97.1%) and plenty of associated experience (96.2%). As certain respondents revealed that they did not have much knowledge or experience with the reference customer, five responses had to be removed to avoid potential response bias. The final number of useable questionnaires for the data analysis was 237 responses.

Table 1 summarises the sales managers who partook in the study, considering their type of business, full-time employee equivalent and annual firm turnover. Considering this information, it is clear that the study comprised a wide spectrum of companies across industries with diverse annual turnovers.

The construct items were based on different sources: economic satisfaction (Sanzo et al., 2003), non-economic satisfaction (Geyskens et al., 1999), coordination (Guiltinan et al., 1980; Heide & John, 1988), continuity (Lusch & Brown, 1996) and cooperation (Skinner et al., 1992) (refer to Table 2). However, the construct items used in the questionnaire to test the sales manager research model in a B2B business setting originated from Høgevold et al. (2020).

Each item used in the questionnaire is displayed in Table 3. All items were measured with five-point Likert scales, where (5) represented ‘strongly agree’ and (1) represented ‘strongly disagree’.

The collected data from respondents were formatted to fit into IBM SPSS 27. The multivariate analysis of measurement and structural models was based on IBM SPSS Amos 27. Before the analysis of the structural model, assumptions underlying covariance-based structural equation modelling (applying Amos 27.0) related to linearity and multicollinearity were addressed (Gaskin, 2013). This study’s statistical approach was applied to measure the formulated research hypotheses.

The assessment based on the structural model showed that the goodness-of-fit structural statistics complied with the recommended indices (Hair et al., 2006): χ² = 203.261 (df = 83). The structural fit statistics also complied with recommended indices: χ² statistically significant (p = 0.00); X²/df = 2.449; NFI = 0.911; IFI = 0.945; TLI = 0.919; CFI = 0.944; RMSEA = 0.078 (confidence interval 90%: 0.065–0.092).

In conclusion, the goodness-of-fit measurement and structural statistics complied with the recommended indices. In addition, the outcomes of the hypothesised relationships (displayed in Figure 1 and Figure 2) were all significant at p = 0.000–006, with standardised regression weights of 0.205–0.583, as shown in Table 5. As such, all hypotheses proposed in the original model were accepted (refer to Table 5).

Different statistics were applied to assess the construct validity and reliability in the research model, as presented in Table 6.

As per Table 6, the variance extracted per construct is above 50%, ranging from 53.7% to 77.7%, complying with the requirements of convergent validity (Hair et al., 2006). Moreover, Table 6 shows that the variance extracted per construct is larger than the corresponding squared inter-construct correlations across constructs, complying with discriminant validity. Nomological validity (i.e. hypothesised relationships) was confirmed by the empirical findings and supported the findings of previous research. Table 6 illustrates that the reliability statistics are satisfactory (ranging from 0.83 to 0.92) by being larger than 0.7 per construct (Hair et al., 2006). Thus, the reported indices were valid and reliable under this study population.

A rival model was assessed in relation to the research model to verify the relationships between economic satisfaction and cooperation, coordination and non-economic satisfaction, and continuity and non-economic satisfaction. Consequently, the rival model was assessed to verify the nomological validity of structural properties between constructs in the developed and tested research model. The rival model provided additional nomological support and relevance of the hypothesised relationships (i.e. cause and effect) between the constructs tested in the research model. Table 7 compares the goodness-of-fit statistics between the research model of this study (see Figure 1) and a rival model.

The rival model consists of three additional hypothesised relationships as theoretically Validation of hypothesis for the rival mode: (1) a relationship between economic satisfaction and cooperation, which is non-significant (p = 0.181; regression coefficient: 0.098); (2) a relationship between coordination and non-economic satisfaction that is non-significant (p = 0.097; regression coefficient: 0.114) and (3) a relationship between continuity and non-economic satisfaction, which is weakly significant (p = 0.030; low regression coefficient: 0.136). In conclusion, two of the three aggregated hypotheses in the rival model were not supported, and the third was only weakly supported. As per Table 7, the statistics of parsimony-adjusted fit uncover that the research model’s fit is higher than the rival model.