Toward a contextualized understanding of inside sales: the role of sales development in effective lead funnel management

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a contextualized understanding of how business-to-business (B2B) firms use the sales development function for efficient and effective lead funnel management. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopted a qualitative field-study approach and interviewed 13 people from eight firms. While software as a service (SaaS) firms are the most prevalent application context for the sales development function, the authors also included respondents from non-SaaS firms to develop an in-depth understanding of the contextualized nature of the sales development process. Findings Sales development processes can be applied in outbound prospect-focused, outbound account-based, inbound prospect-focused and inbound account-based lead management contexts. The sales development processes of lead research, engagement and handover vary depending on the nature of the lead management context. These processes are supported by the appropriate design of organizational, technological and people platforms. Practical implications The authors explain how sales development as a form of inside sales can support effective lead funnel management in B2B firms through technology-enabled lead research and nurture processes designed to prepare customers for meaningful conversations with field sales. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to focus purely on the sales development function as a form of inside sales. They explain how the sales development processes relating to lead research, engagement and handover are conducted in four distinct application contexts to qualify leads for the outside salesforce.

Buying centers and emerging developments: the SME perspective

“…Another research area considers the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT) to affect buying centers’ behavior, decision-making and negotiation dynamics, as its application may cause a shift toward more machine-to-machine communication; thus, buying centers may become smaller, less hierarchical, but more coordinated, with less conflict (Osmonbekov and Johnston, 2018). It has already been noted in sales literature that inside or hybrid sales paradigms (Sleep et al , 2020; Micallef et al , 2022; Terho et al , 2023), which make extensive use of digital communication tools, have stimulated sellers to pay more attention to both the customer’s buying center, in particular its digital activities, and the selling firm’s internal sales processes. Moreover, the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the digitalization of communications and interfaces for B2B organizations has also attracted attention.…”

Enhancing Conversions and Lead Scoring in Online Professional Education

“…MQL during the process is determined by predetermined engagement and behavioural focus criteria, usually represented by a predefined score threshold, and then handover to the sales department (Terho et al, 2022;Nygård & Mezei, 2020).…”

A Mobile-Based Fiction and Non-Fiction Book Vertical Marketing System

“…Over the past ten years, there has been a tremendous shift in marketing tactics (He, H., & Harris, L., 2020;Kadekova, Z., & Holienčinova, M., 2018). Instead of functioning in separate funnels, sales, IoT, and marketing departments have become more aligned (Terho, H et al, 2022;Corsaro, D., & Maggioni, I., 2021). The way we gather information about customers has changed, enabling businesses and brands to speak to a more sophisticated audience of prospective customers in a more personal way (Shah, N et al, 2020;Wang, 2021;Perez-Vega el al., 2021).…”