Entrepreneurial Marketing and SME Performance in Tanzania's Agro- Processing Industry: The Roles of Customer Intensity, Value Creation, and Proactiveness

Abstract

This study investigates how entrepreneurial marketing dimensions affect the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Tanzania's agroprocessing industry. By integrating insights from the Resource-Based Theory ) and Entrepreneurial Marketing Theory , the analysis focuses on three critical dimensions: customer intensity, value creation, and proactiveness. Data were collected from 255 SMEs in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (Partial Least Squares SEM) with the SEMinR package. The results demonstrate that both customer intensity and proactiveness significantly enhance SME performance, suggesting that prioritizing customerfocused activities and adopting a proactive approach can lead to improved outcomes. Interestingly, the study finds that value creation does not directly correlate with SME performance, indicating a need for a more nuanced approach in the agro-processing sector. These findings offer practical implications for agro-processing SMEs seeking sustained growth and competitiveness while advancing the theoretical understanding of both Resource-Based Theory and Entrepreneurial Marketing Theory.

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Marketing, Performance, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Customer Intensity, Proactiveness, Value Creation