What is it about?
Due to the increasing array of sales technology, salespeople must understand how each application assists them. This study examines how business-to-business salespeople use different forms of sales technology to meet their boundary-spanning roles. Our research draws from social exchange theory and task-technology fit theory to test a model that examines how salespeople use CRM and social media technologies differentially to support competitive information collection, product information communication, and buyer information sharing. Dyadic data from industrial buyers and sellers is used to analyze the technology-behavior relationships. Our study's results reveal social media use and CRM technology both positively influence buyer-seller information exchanges; however, each technology takes a distinct route to enable the information exchange between the buyer and the seller. The results also suggest that managers need to champion the use of both technology applications to their salesforce.
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Why is it important?
Social media and CRM technology aid salespeople in market sensing and customer-linking activities. Social media utilization enhance the competitive information collection abilities of the seller. CRM tech positively affects seller product information communication, which enables buyer information sharing intentions. Sellers capture value from buyers by CRM utilization. Seller experience has significant moderating and explanatory power regarding the use of sales technology.
Perspectives
Due to the increasing array of sales technology, salespeople must understand how each application assists them. This study examines how business-to-business salespeople use different forms of sales technology to meet their boundary-spanning roles. Our research draws from social exchange theory and task-technology fit theory to test a model that examines how salespeople use CRM and social media technologies differentially to support competitive information collection, product information communication, and buyer information sharing. Dyadic data from industrial buyers and sellers is used to analyze the technology-behavior relationships. Our study's results reveal social media use and CRM technology both positively influence buyer-seller information exchanges; however, each technology takes a distinct route to enable the information exchange between the buyer and the seller. The results also suggest that managers need to champion the use of both technology applications to their salesforce.
Dr Omar S. Itani
Univeristy of texas at arlington
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Social media and customer relationship management technologies: Influencing buyer-seller information exchanges, Industrial Marketing Management, October 2020, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.07.015.
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