International entrepreneurial selling as construction of international opportunities

In early internationalization, the founder–entrepreneur is often the first salesperson of a growth-seeking small firm. It is well known that founder–entrepreneurs encounter difficulties in generating their first foreign sales, but academic research provides little insights into entrepreneurs’ viewpoints on selling. This paper analyzes how entrepreneurs perceive international entrepreneurial selling. By cross-fertilizing sales and international entrepreneurship research, this study provides an initial theoretical definition of the concept of international entrepreneurial selling from a moderate constructionist viewpoint. The study approaches the phenomenon empirically through the narratives of five entrepreneurs who are involved in business-to-business sales negotiations in the context of early internationalization. The findings reveal how early direct buyer–seller interaction is necessary for gaining customer and contextual understanding, development and validation of the offering, and building long-term relationships. Personal networks and sales agents often play a central role but entrepreneurs cannot fully outsource selling when the business opportunity is not replicable. Entrepreneurs’ international selling is characterized by their personal commitment, passion, and expertise, but also by liabilities, which combined make interactional international opportunity construction processes very personal. The study suggests that sales as a process of joint international entrepreneurial opportunity construction is a phenomenon requiring further attention by international entrepreneurship researchers. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015