Utilization of Social Media in Business-to-Business Sales Processes

The objective of this study was to discover how social media is used in different stages of the B2B sales process. I wanted to discover how sales literature and social media research link to each other and if the present models offer a proper model to excel in sales. The goal was to create a model for salespeople to understand the forces, possibilities and requirements of social media. The study identifies how different platforms are used in different stages of the B2B sales process and how the social media environment creates new techniques to conduct sales. In the first chapter, B2B sales process study and social media research are reviewed. The second chapter introduces the research over the topic and the framework for this study. The third chapter discusses methods and data for the research. The fourth chapter analyses the interviews and results. The last chapter summarizes the study, suggests future research and explains the contribution of the study for both academics and practitioners. The research was interpretive and qualitative in nature. The data was collected from six semi structured interviews. The interviewees were professionals within their industries and recognized by their excellence in social media sales. The findings of this study create a model for social media’s effects in B2B sales. The findings identify different actions that need to be taken in consideration when conducting sales with the help of social media. Analysis section implies different tactics that help salespeople to increase their efficiency. The dynamic ecosystem of social media has fascinating outcomes for the B2B sales process