Abstract: “This paper aims to offer a different approach to entrepreneurial orientation (EO) by examining how firms might practically consider EO. The intention is to shed new light on the dimensions of proactiveness and competitive aggressiveness by explicating the concrete micro-level behaviors that firms engage in as part of their EO. The empirical research material is analyzed according to the qualitative attitude approach. The material consists of interviews with salespeople in the business services sales department of a large Finnish enterprise. The analysis highlights four practical applications of the two dimensions in the selling context. These applications target behavior with either the case firm’s client organizations or its competitors. The findings suggest that the ability to construct practical applications of EO and to adjust these applications according to each target group and context is an essential characteristic of firms interested in benefiting from EO.”

Keywords: entrepreneurial orientation, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness, qualitative attitude approach