How Ongoing Relationships Facilitate Buyer-Seller Negotiation Processes and Outcomes

Ongoing buyer–seller relationships appear more beneficial than transactional approaches in many regards, but the influence of relationship type (i.e., ongoing vs. one-off) on a focal negotiation remains unclear. This article analyzes the effects of relationship type on prominent outcomes in business-to-business sales negotiations. The conceptual framework features dyadic, dynamic negotiation variables; a realistic, context-rich gaming simulation reveals the processes that shape specific negotiation outcomes. We find that different relationship types induce varying negotiation behavior and negotiator goals, which in turn explain higher levels of joint profit, seller profit, and buyer satisfaction in ongoing compared with one-off relationships.