IOSR Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM) e-ISSN: 2278-487X, p-ISSN: 2319-7668. Volume 23, Issue 7. Ser. III (July 2021), PP 55-62 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/487X-2307035562 www.iosrjournals.org 55 | Page Customer Technical Competence as a Moderator on the Impact of Sales Strategy on Successful Selling of PLM Solutions in the Automotive Tier 1 Supplier Market Anand S Halgatti 1 , Dr. B S Patil 2 , Dr. M S Rangaraju 3 1 (PhD Student, PES Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, India) 2 (PES Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, India) 3 (JSS Academy of Technical Education, Bengaluru, India) Abstract: As a result of constant technological and economic upheavals, the automotive sector, particularly in Tier-1 Automotive Suppliers, is undergoing substantial changes, and as a result, competition has intensified dramatically. The competitiveness has been heightened by the participation of a significant number of new and old participants, making it critical for each firm to deliver or perish. Tier-2 players are always on the hunt for efficient tools that will allow them to automate, oversee, and improve their entire manufacturing process in such situations. The Product Life-cycle Management (PLM) solution is one such tool. Selling a PLM solution to Automotive Suppliers is a complex process that requires the creation and implementation of a solid sales management framework that takes both vendor and customer variables into consideration. This study investigates selling strategies adopted by vendors and their impact on successful sales. The mediating role of technical competences of the customer is also investigated. Methodology: This research was carried out from Bengaluru across India region. The sample was collected through Questionnaire and Focussed discussions from information acquired by the investigator India from PLM software developers and suppliers, the channel partners & sales agents for PLM software, as well as Tier 1 Automotive Suppliers.A basic random convenience sampling strategy was followed that allows the researcher to offer all participants an equal chance. Furthermore, random sampling ensures a non-biased sample group. A set of 380 questionnaires were finally evaluated for the study and SPSS Software was used for statistical analysis. Results: The demography of the participants was 89% male with the age group of 25-35 years with 54% post- graduates and they were aware of the Sales strategies and related sales experience. Reliability was tested by Cronbach alpha had values of more than 0.6 indicating high consistency and Goodness of model fit indices were fairly near threshold of 0.9. Structural Equation Model Analysis was built to ascertain relationship among variables along with structural model testing. Conclusions: It was observed that sales strategies adopted by vendors were not significant in selling PLM solutions, and the competence of the customer mediates the relationship between strategies of PLM software selling and successful selling of the PLM software product. Keywords: PLM Software Sales, Adoption of PLM in Tier 1 Automotive Supplier -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 02-07-2021 Date of Acceptance: 17-07-2021 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction Sales management, the tactical handling of human, marketing and financial resources aimed at attaining a pre-determined sales objective, is among the key components needed to ensure that the given business venture is successful (Albers & Mantrala, 2008). If an effective sales management structure is not deployed, even the most effective product and selling method may struggle to generate revenues. Whilst sales management has historically been associated with the upkeep of sales records and the supervision of sales representatives, its scope has expanded significantly, and it now encompasses the manufacturing and sales operations (Dixon and Tanner, 2012). Because the ultimate goal of any firm is to maximize sales, it is critical to give priority to sales management (Adamson et al., 2012). Creating the proper offering, fixing the correct rates, and providing the correct marketing strategies are all part of the sales managing process, which is central to the business of any enterprise (Avila and Inks, 2017).The product, manpower, and the processes are three key features of an ideal sales management policy, which essentially concern the offering of the business. At one level, it requires supervising and managing the