The use of sales technology by sales people as an information source and stimulant for intrapreneurship
Main Article Content
Abstract
Digitization has changed the role of salespeople and, consequently, the dynamics of their operations at the interface between the supplier and the customer. Currently, a salesperson is often called upon to solve customer queries, which implies taking on the role of intrapreneur to internally create a solution. This study contributes to the literature by filling a gap regarding intrapreneurial salespeople and their uses of sales technology. This research focuses on the intrapreneurship of salespeople and explicitly investigates its antecedents. The structural equation modelling technique has been chosen as it is considered to be the most appropriate one for the analysis. Research data from 565 Portuguese salespeople reveals that their use of sales technology influences their intrapreneurship behaviour thanks to information systems. Last of all, this study adds invaluable knowledge to the literature, gives valuable insight to sales managers and proposes future lines of research.
Keywords:
Article Details
Funding data
-
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Grant numbers UIDB/05422/2020
References
Agrawal, S.R. (2021). Adoption of WhatsApp for Strengthening Internal CRM through Social Network Analysis. Journal of Relationship Marketing. 20(4), 261-281. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332667.2020.1802643
Amyx, D., Bhuian, S.N. & Shows, G.D. (2016). Customer-salespeople relationship: Influence of salespeople entrepreneurial behaviours. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 34(5), 586-604. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-09-2015-0170
Armstrong, J.S. & Overton T.S. (1977). Estimating nonresponse bias in mail surveys. Journal of Marketing Research. 14(3), 396-402. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224377701400320
Atari, S. & Prause, G. (2019). Lean Intrapreneurship for Networked Manufacturing Enterprises. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies. 5(1), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/2393957518815288
Azis, P. & Amir, M. T. (2020). Examining the Intrapreneurship Drivers and Strategy: Case Study of Property Services in Indonesia. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business. 7(12), 169–179. https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.no12.169
Benitez‐Amado, J., Llorens‐Montes, F.J. & Perez‐Arostegui, M.N. (2010). Information technology‐enabled intrapreneurship culture and firm performance. Industrial Management & Data Systems. 110(4), 550-566. https://doi.org/10.1108/02635571011039025
Boell, S.k.& Cecez-Kecmanovic, D. (2015). What is an Information System?. 48th Hawaiian International Conference on System Sciences 2015, (pp. 4959-4968) IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2015.587.
Böhm, E., Eggert, A., Terho, H., Ulaga, W. & Haas, A. (2020). Drivers and outcomes of salespersons’ value opportunity recognition competence in solution selling. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. 40(3), 180-197. https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2020.1778484
Bongers, F.M., Schumann, J.H. & Schmitz, C. (2021). How the introduction of digital sales channels affects salespeople in business-to-business contexts: a qualitative inquiry. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. 41(2), 150-166. https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2021.1906260
Byrne, B. M. (2016). Structural Equation Modelling with AMOS: Basic Concepts, Applications, and Programming. (3rd Edition). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315757421
Castro-González, S. & Bande, B. (2019). Influence of ethical leadership and CSR perception on sales force performance. Revista Galega de Economía. 28(3), 55-72. https://doi.org/10.15304/rge.28.3.5844
Chaker, N.N., Nowlin, E.L. Pivonka, M.T., Itani, O.S. &Agnihotri, R. (2022). Inside sales social media use and its strategic implications for salesperson-customer digital engagement and performance. Industrial Marketing Management. 100, 127-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2021.10.006.
Collier, J. (2020). Applied Structural Equation Modeling using AMOS Basic to Advanced Techniques. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003018414
European commission (2022). SME definition. http://data.europa.eu/eli/reco/2003/361/oj
Feng, X., Li, Y., Lin, X. & Ning, Y. (2020). Mobile targeting in industrial marketing: Connecting with the right businesses. Industrial Marketing Management. 86, 65-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.06.007.
Gawke, J.C., Gorgievski, M.J.& Bakker, A.B. (2019). Measuring intrapreneurship at the individual level: Development and validation of the Employee Intrapreneurship Scale (EIS). European Management Journal. 37(6), 806-817, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2019.03.001.
Giovannetti, M., Cardinali, S. & Sharma, P. (2021). Sales technology and salespeople’s ambidexterity: an ecosystem approach. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing. 36(4), 615-629. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-01-2020-0034
Gobble, M. M. (2018). Digitalization, digitization, and innovation. Research-Technology Management. 61(4), 56–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2018.1471280
Guenzi, P. & Nijssen, E.J. (2021). The impact of digital transformation on salespeople: an empirical investigation using the JD-R model. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. 41(2), 130-149. https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2021.1918005
Høgevold, N., Rodriguez, R., Svensson, G. & Otero-Neira C. (2021). B to B Sellers’ Skill Level in Sales Performance – Frameworks and Findings. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing. 28(3), 265-281.https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2021.1974169
Hsieh, Y-J. & Wu, Y.J. (2019). Entrepreneurship through the platform strategy in the digital era: Insights and research opportunities. Computers in Human Behaviour. 95, 315-323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.03.033.
Huang, L-Y., Yang Lin S-M. & Hsieh, Y-J., (2021). Cultivation of Intrapreneurship: A Framework and Challenges. Frontiers in Psychology. 12(1), 731990. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.731990
Huarng, K.H., Botella-Carrubi, D. & Yu, T. H-K. (2021). The effect of technology, information, and marketing on an interconnected world. Journal of Business Research. 129, 314-318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.03.004.
Kumar, B., Sharma, A., Vatavwala, S. & Kumar, P. (2020). Digital mediation in business-to-business marketing: A bibliometric analysis. Industrial Marketing Management. 85, 126–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.10.002.
Lages, M., Marques, C.S., Ferreira, J.J.M. & Ferreira, F.A.F. (2017). Intrapreneurship and firm entrepreneurial orientation: insights from the health care service industry. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal. 13, 837–854 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-016-0428-1
Lan-Ying, H., Shu-Min, Y.L. & Ying-Jiun, H. (2021). Cultivation of Intrapreneurship: A Framework and Challenges. Frontiers in Psychology. 12, 731990. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.731990
Liu, S.S. & Comer, L.B. (2007). Salespeople as information gatherers: Associated success factors. Industrial Marketing Management. 36(5), 565-574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2006.02.006.
Mahlamäki, T., Storbacka, K., Pylkkönen, S. & Ojala, M., (2020). Adoption of digital sales force automation tools in supply chain: Customers' acceptance of sales configurators. Industrial Marketing Management. 91, 162-173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.08.024.
Mero, J., Tarkiainen, A. & Tobon, J. (2020). Effectual and causal reasoning in the adoption of marketing automation. Industrial Marketing Management. 86, 212–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.12.008
Neessen, P.C.M., Caniëls, M.C.J., Vos, B. & Jong, J.P. (2019). The intrapreneurial employee: toward an integrated model of intrapreneurship and research agenda. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal. 15, 545–571. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-018-0552-1
Panagopoulos, N. G., Rapp, A. A. & Ogilvie, J. L. (2017). Salesperson Solution Involvement and Sales Performance: The Contingent Role of Supplier Firm and Customer–Supplier Relationship Characteristics. Journal of Marketing. 81(4), 144–164. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0342
Parker, S.C. (2011). Intrapreneurship or entrepreneurship? Journal of Business Venturing. 26(1), 19-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2009.07.003.
Rodriguez, M. & Boyer, S. (2020). The impact of mobile customer relationship management (mCRM) on sales collaboration and sales performance. Journal of Marketing Analytics. 8, 137–148. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-020-00087-3
Saura, J.R., Palos-Sanchez, P. & Blanco-González, A. (2020). The importance of information service offerings of collaborative CRMs on decision-making in B2B marketing. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing. 35(3), 470–482. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-12-2018-0412
Sengupta, S., Krapfel, R.E. & Pusateri, M.A. (2000). An empirical investigation of key account salesperson effectiveness. The Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. 20(4), 253-261. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40471822
Sharma, A., Rangarajan, D. & Paesbrugghe, B. (2020). Increasing resilience by creating an adaptive salesforce. Industrial Marketing Management. 88, 238-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.05.023.
Shi, S., Wang, Y., Chen, X. & Zhang, Q. (2020). Conceptualization of omnichannel customer experience and its impact on shopping intention: A mixed-method approach. International Journal of Information Management. 50, 325-336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.09.001.
Silva, P.M., Vale, V.T. & Moutinho, V.F. (2021). Trade fairs as an intelligence process: the perspective of companies/exhibitors. Journal of Convention & Event Tourism.22(3), 242-270. https://doi.org/10.1080/15470148.2020.1866139
Soltani, Z., Zareie, B., Milani, F.S. & Navimipour, N.J. (2018). The impact of the customer relationship management on the organization performance. The Journal of High Technology Management Research. 29(2), 237-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hitech.2018.10.001.
Vargas-Halabí, T., Mora-Esquivel, R. & Siles, B. (2017). Intrapreneurial competencies: development and validation of a measurement scale. European Journal of Management and Business Economics. 26(1), 86-111. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMBE-07-2017-006
Verhoef, P.C., Broekhuizen, T., Bart, Y., Bhattacharya, A., Dong, J.Q., Fabian, N. & Haenlein, M. (2021). Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda. Journal of Business Research. 122, 889-901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.022.
Watkins, M.W. (2021). A Step-by-Step Guide to Exploratory Factor Analysis with SPSS. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003149347
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Pedro Mendonça Silva, Victor Ferreira Moutinho, Arminda Paço, Examining the relationships between Entrepreneurship, Intrapreneurship, and e-Commerce. Evidence from Iberian and Scandinavian Countries , Revista Galega de Economía: Vol 32 No 2 (2023): Special Issue. Entrepreneurship in the age of the digital economy