Charting value creation strategies B2B salespeople use throughout the sales process: learning from social media influencers

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to explore how business-to-business (B2B) salespeople use social media and emulate value creation strategies used by social media influencers. Design/methodology/approach Using 28 interviews with salespeople, this paper develops six propositions and a conceptual framework that outlines when and how B2B salespeople use social media in value-creating sales. Findings This study’s findings provide a critical analysis of when social media are most effective and beneficial in supporting salespeople’s value-creating sales in various stages in the sales process (e.g. prospecting, opening relationships, qualifying prospects and serving accounts) and when they are less effective (e.g. presenting sales messages and closing sales). Research limitations/implications This research yields a substantive understanding of the evolving role that social media play in B2B sales by examining B2B salespeople’s value creation strategies through the lens of social media influencers’ practice and outlines ideas for future research on B2B salespeople’s social media strategies. Practical implications The findings of this research can be used by B2B organizations to structure the training of B2B salespeople to use social media to the fullest extent by aligning specific strategies with different parts of the sales process. Originality/value This paper contributes by summarizing the B2B sales literature on social media and integrating recent insights from the social media influencer literature; empirically identifying how B2B salespeople use social media to create value, thus validating previous findings and extending understanding by offering a set of six theoretical propositions; and delineating B2B salespeople’s social media practice into 11 value creation strategies that are critically explored for their place in the sales process.

Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary perspective and future research agenda

“…This enhances the organization's ability to share information, facilitate problem-solving, minimize duplicated efforts, and increase business agility, resulting in benefits such as greater stakeholder involvement with the senior management team and the development of competitive advantages through the acquisition of new knowledge and talents (Adhiatma et al, 2023). Furthermore, several studies have demonstrated that B2B marketers can employ strategies similar to those used in B2C contexts to generate value and boost sales (Cheng et al, 2023). Specifically, the usage of social media plat-…”

“…This can be attributed in most instances to failures in other aspects of the business that cannot be rectified by digital transformation. Therefore, no senior leaders should perceive digital, or any other significant technological innovation as the inevitable route to success (Davenport & Westerman, 2018), but part of a process of change innovation to facilitate potential growth. Researchers examining digital transformation in high‐reliability organizations including a European utility company, also identified tensions between the organizations' identity and key characteristics of digital transformation which resulted in self‐protecting behaviors by the IT workforce, that could ultimately disrupt the transformative process (Poláková‐Kersten et al, 2023).…”

“…Failure as the result of technological disruption can be attributed to the need for reorganization, synchronization, agility, and managing risk. A recent issue of the Harvard Business Review focused on digital transformation failures, entitled “Why so many high‐profile digital transformations fail” (Davenport & Westerman, 2018). As part of this review, global brands including Burberry, General Electric, Proctor and Gamble, and Lego are discussed, in relation to their specific digital transformation project failures.…”

Guest editorial: Value-creating sales and digital technologies

“…salesperson’s market knowledge and reputation) and, thereby, makes salespeople co-create higher value with customers and realize a higher cross- and up-selling performance. The article of Cheng et al (2023) adds to this by taking a social media influencer lens on value creation strategies that B2B salespeople can use throughout the social media sales process. Based on a qualitative study, the authors develop a conceptual framework outlining when and how B2B salespeople use social media in value-creating sales.…”

What drives business-to-business brands to be conscientious?

“…customers, suppliers, allies, public administrations, NGOs and the media or society in general – along with internal – workers, managers and owners – stakeholders play an essential role in a firms’ conscientious focus (Martín-de Castro, 2021). Like in a B2C context, market digitization has propelled higher levels of B2B stakeholder engagement (Cheng et al , 2022; Sivarajah et al , 2020).…”