Business-to-business selling in the post-COVID-19 era: Developing an adaptive sales force

Deva Rangarajan; Arun Sharma; Teidorlang Lyngdoh; Bert Paesbrugghe

doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.030

Business-to-business selling in the post-COVID-19 era: Developing an adaptive sales force

Deva Rangarajan, Arun Sharma, Teidorlang Lyngdoh, Bert Paesbrugghe

Marketing

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how salespeople interact with customers and with business-to-business (B2B) organizations. Organizations must confront the shifts in how their salespeople operate. Recent research recommends firms develop an adaptive sales force to address disruptions like a pandemic and be prepared to meet such challenges in the future. Based on interviews with marketing and sales executives, we explore how firms have responded to these interconnected changes during the COVID-19 pandemic and offer insight into best practices deployed across industries.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	647-658
Number of pages	12
Journal	Business Horizons
Volume	64
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.030
State	Published - Sep 1 2021

Keywords

Adaptive sales force
B2B sales
COVID-19 pandemic
Digital transformation
Sales conversation
Sales technology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Business and International Management
Marketing

Access to Document

10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.030

Cite this

@article{f091df8bfeee4ddf97b8f6026aeb3152,

title = "Business-to-business selling in the post-COVID-19 era: Developing an adaptive sales force",

abstract = "The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how salespeople interact with customers and with business-to-business (B2B) organizations. Organizations must confront the shifts in how their salespeople operate. Recent research recommends firms develop an adaptive sales force to address disruptions like a pandemic and be prepared to meet such challenges in the future. Based on interviews with marketing and sales executives, we explore how firms have responded to these interconnected changes during the COVID-19 pandemic and offer insight into best practices deployed across industries.",

keywords = "Adaptive sales force, B2B sales, COVID-19 pandemic, Digital transformation, Sales conversation, Sales technology",

author = "Deva Rangarajan and Arun Sharma and Teidorlang Lyngdoh and Bert Paesbrugghe",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University",

year = "2021",

month = sep,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.030",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "64",

pages = "647--658",

journal = "Business Horizons",

issn = "0007-6813",

publisher = "Elsevier Limited",

number = "5",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Business-to-business selling in the post-COVID-19 era

T2 - Developing an adaptive sales force

AU - Rangarajan, Deva

AU - Sharma, Arun

AU - Lyngdoh, Teidorlang

AU - Paesbrugghe, Bert

PY - 2021/9/1

Y1 - 2021/9/1

N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how salespeople interact with customers and with business-to-business (B2B) organizations. Organizations must confront the shifts in how their salespeople operate. Recent research recommends firms develop an adaptive sales force to address disruptions like a pandemic and be prepared to meet such challenges in the future. Based on interviews with marketing and sales executives, we explore how firms have responded to these interconnected changes during the COVID-19 pandemic and offer insight into best practices deployed across industries.

AB - The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how salespeople interact with customers and with business-to-business (B2B) organizations. Organizations must confront the shifts in how their salespeople operate. Recent research recommends firms develop an adaptive sales force to address disruptions like a pandemic and be prepared to meet such challenges in the future. Based on interviews with marketing and sales executives, we explore how firms have responded to these interconnected changes during the COVID-19 pandemic and offer insight into best practices deployed across industries.

KW - Adaptive sales force

KW - B2B sales

KW - COVID-19 pandemic

KW - Digital transformation

KW - Sales conversation

KW - Sales technology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107833755&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85107833755&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.030

DO - 10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.030

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85107833755

VL - 64

SP - 647

EP - 658

JO - Business Horizons

JF - Business Horizons

SN - 0007-6813

IS - 5

ER -

Business-to-business selling in the post-COVID-19 era: Developing an adaptive sales force

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this