Skip to main content

How Many Fish Does Your “Net” Catch? The Implications of Social Media in Sales Strategy

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Creating Marketing Magic and Innovative Future Marketing Trends

Abstract

The objective of this article is to discuss the performance of B2B sales strategy in the context of social media. Four components of sales strategy, customer segmentation, customer prioritization and targeting, relationship objectives and selling models, and uses of multiple sales channels are examined to assess their impacts on sales performance. In addition, three dimensions of social media usage, competitive intelligence, engagement, and word of mouth are explored as moderating factors that impact the relationships between sales strategy components and sales performance outcomes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agnihotri, R., Kothandaraman, P., Kashyap, R., & Singh, R. (2012). Bringing “social” into sales: the impact of salespeople’s social media uses on service behavior and value creation. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 32(3), 333–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahearne, M., Srinivasan, N., & Weinstein, L. (2010). Effect of technology on sales performance: progressing from technology acceptance to technology usage and consequence. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 24(4), 297–310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahearne, M., Jelinek, R., & Rapp, A. (2005). Moving beyond the direct effect of SFA adoption on salesperson performance: Training and support as key moderating factors. Industrial Marketing Management, 34(4), 379–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahearne, M., Jones, E., Rapp, A., & Mathieu, J. (2008). High touch through high tech: The impact of salesperson technology usage on sales performance via mediating mechanism. Management Science, 54(4), 671–685.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andzulis, J., Panagopoulos, N. G., & Rapp, A. (2012). A review of social media and implications for the sales process. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 32(3), 305–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bristor, J. M. (1992). Influence strategies in organizational buying: the importance of connections to the right people in the right places. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 1(1), 63–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodie, R. J., Hollebeek, L. D., Juric, B., & Ilic, A. (2011). Customer engagement: conceptual domain, fundamental propositions, and implications for research. Journal of Service Research, 14(3), 252–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chevalier, J. A., & Mayzlin, D. (2006). The effect of word of mouth on sales: online book reviews. Journal of Marketing Research, 43(3), 345–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chu, S. C., & Kim, Y. (2011). Determinants of consumer engagement in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in social networking sites. International Journal of Advertising, 30(1), 47–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, D. (2013, July 24). AllFacebook. Retrieved from http://allfacebook.com/2q-2013_b122375

  • Coombs, W. T., & Holladay, S. J. (2007). The negative communication dynamic: Exploring the impact of stakeholder affect on behavioral intentions. Journal of Communication Management, 11(4), 300–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Culnan, M. J., McHugh, P. J., & Zubillaga, J. I. (2010). How large U.S. companies can use twitter and other social media to gain business value. MIS Quarterly Executive, 9(4), 243–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erffmeyer, R. C., & Johnson, D. A. (2001). An exploratory study of sales force automation practices: expectation and realities. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 21(2), 167–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fournier, S., & Avery, J. (2011). The uninvited brand. Business Horizons, 54(3), 193–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inks, S. A., Schetzsle, S., & Avila, R. A. (2012). Exploring the use of business social networking tools in sales: current perception and future expectations. Marketing Management Journal, 22(1), 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lane, N. (2009). Searching for strategy in sales. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 17(3–4), 191–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, K. & Watson, R. (2011). The value of social media: toward measuring social media strategies. ICIS 2011 Proceedings. Paper 10. Retrieved from http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2011/proceedings/onlinecommunity/10.

  • Liang, T. P., & Turban, E. (2011). Introduction to the special issue social commerce: a research framework for social commerce. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 16(2), 5–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mangold, W. G., & Faulds, D. J. (2009). Social media: the new hybrid element of the promotion mix. Business Horizons, 52(4), 357–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, R. B., & Heiman, S. E., & Tuleja, T. (2005). The New Strategic Selling. Kogan Page.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miniwatts Marketing Group. (2012, June 30). Internet World Stats. Retrieved from http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

  • Moore, J. N., Hopkins, C. D., & Raymond, M. A. (2013). Utilization of relationship-oriented social media in the selling process: a comparison of consumer (B2C) and industrial (B2B) salespeople. Journal of Internet Commerce, 12(1), 48–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moriarty, R. T., Jr., & Spekman, R. E. (1984). An empirical investigation of the information sources used during the industrial buying process. Journal of Marketing Research, 21(2), 137–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Panagopoulos, N. G., & Avlonitis, G. J. (2010). Performance implications of sales strategy: the moderating effects of leadership and environment. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 27(1), 46–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pentina, I., & Koh, A. C. (2012). Exploring social media marketing strategies in SMEs. International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 7(4), 292–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pentina, I., Koh, A. C., & Le, T. T. (2012). Adoption of social networks marketing by SMEs: exploring the role of social influences and experience in technology acceptance. International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 7(1), 65–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piercy, N. F. (2006). The strategic sales organization. The Marketing Review, 6(1), 3–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitt, L., van der Merwe, R., Berthon, P., Salehi-Sangari, E., & Caruana, A. (2006). Global alliance networks: a comparison of biotech SMEs in Sweden and Australia. Industrial Marketing Management, 35(5), 600–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prins, R., & Verhoef, P. C. (2007). Marketing communication drivers of adoption timing of a new e-service among existing customers. Journal of Marketing, 71(2), 169–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rapp, A., Agnihotri, R., & Forbes, L. P. (2008). The sales force technology performance chain: the role of adaptive selling and effort. The Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 28(4), 355–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rapp, A., Agnihotri, R., & Baker, T. L. (2011). Conceptualizing salesperson competitive intelligence: an individual-level perspective. The Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 31(2), 141–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rapp, A., & Panagopoulos, N. G. (2012). Perspectives on personal selling and social media: introduction to the special issue. The Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 32(3), 301–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reinartz, W. J., Thomas, J. S., & Kumar, R. V. (2005). Balancing acquisition and retention resources to maximize customer profitability. Journal of Marketing, 69(1), 63–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez, M., Peterson, R. M., & Krishnan, V. (2012). Social media’s influence on business-to-business sales performance. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 32(3), 365–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schultz, R., Schwebker, C. H., & Good, D. J. (2012). An exploratory study of social media in business-to-business selling : salesperson characteristics, activities and performance. Marketing Management Journal, 22(2), 76–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simula, H., & Vuori, M. (2012). Benefits and barriers of crowdsourcing in B2B firms: generating ideas with internal and external crowds. International Journal of Innovation Management, 16(6), 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephen, A. T., & Galak, J. (2012). The effects of traditional and social earned media on sales: a study of a microlending marketplace. Journal of Marketing Research, 49(5), 624–639.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tanner, J. F., Jr., Ahearne, M., Leigh, T. W., Mason, C. H., & Moncrief, W. C. (2005). CRM in sales-intensive organizations: a review and future direction. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 25(2), 169–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trusov, M., Bucklin, R. E., & Pauwels, K. (2009). Effects of word-of-mouth versus traditional marketing: findings from an internet social networking site. Journal of Marketing, 73(5), 90–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Doorn, J., Lemon, K. N., Mittal, V., Nass, S., Pick, D., Pirner, P., & Verhoef, P. C. (2010). Customer engagement behavior: theoretical foundations and research directions. Journal of Service Research, 13(3), 253–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villanueva, J., Yoo, S., & Hanssens, D. M. (2008). The impact of marketing-induced versus word-of-mouth customer acquisition on customer equity growth. Journal of Marketing Research, 45(1), 48–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wangenheim, F. V., & Bayón, T. (2007). The chain from customer satisfaction via word-of-mouth referrals to new customer acquisition. Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 35(2), 233–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webster, F. E., Jr., & Wind, Y. (1972). A general model for understanding organizational buying behavior. Journal of Marketing, 36, 12–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weitz, B. A., Sujan, H., & Sujan, M. (1986). Knowledge, motivation, and adaptive-behavior: a framework for improving selling effectiveness. Journal of Marketing, 50, 174–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Phuoc Pham .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Academy of Marketing Science

About this paper

Cite this paper

Pham, P., Johnson, C. (2017). How Many Fish Does Your “Net” Catch? The Implications of Social Media in Sales Strategy. In: Stieler, M. (eds) Creating Marketing Magic and Innovative Future Marketing Trends. Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45596-9_82

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics