International project marketing: an introduction to the INPM approach

摘要

Projects are often sold and procured. Therefore this paper reviews recent contributions of the International Network for Project Marketing and Systems Selling (INPM), emphasising the connection between the business relationships of individual projects and the wider environment in which project marketing takes place. First, we discuss various definitions of projects and project marketing. Second, we consider the implications of three specific features of project business―discontinuity, uniqueness, and complexity―over multiple projects. Third, we assess three overlapping types of postures that project-selling firms can adopt in relation to their marketing activities. Finally, we make some suggestions for practitioners responsible for marketing projects and discuss avenues for future academic work in project marketing.