Revolution in Sales: The Impact of Social Media and Related Technology on the Selling Environment

TLDR

Technology’s influence on sales has been studied, yet the rise of social media and related technologies has largely been ignored in the literature. This article aims to highlight social media as the dominant new selling tool reshaping the sales environment. The authors used focus groups with sales managers and salespeople to examine current technology usage. Analysis revealed six themes—connectivity, relationships, selling tools, generational, global, and sales/marketing interface—demonstrating a revolution in buyer–seller dynamics with unexpected implications for performance and future research.

Abstract

Over the years several articles have tracked the impact of technology on various aspects of the sales domain. However, the advent of social media and technologies related to social media has gone largely unnoticed in the literature. This article first provides brief attention to changing aspects of technology within the sales environment, leading to the identification of social media as a dominant new selling tool. A qualitative approach (focus groups) is employed to explore the breadth of current technology usage by sales managers and salespeople. Analysis of the data, collected in the United States and the United Kingdom, reveals six major themes: connectivity, relationships, selling tools, generational, global, and sales/ marketing interface. Results provide evidence of a revolution in the buyer–seller relationship that includes some unanticipated consequences both for sales organization performance and needed future research contributions.