The Adoption of Sales Innovations in Swedish B2B Companies

Abstract: Sales is an essential department for organizations, it connects the products and services with the customers. The literature highlights that sales has faced a number of changes in the past years, especially with the introduction of new technologies that aim to contribute in the sales process, making it more precise and efficient. However, the previous studies have not yet explored how the companies are innovating in their sales process to adopt the new technologies that have been developed. In this research, we are studying how these elements are connected in real life, bringing a perspective of how Swedish B2B companies are adopting technology to innovate in their sales process. As the theme of this research is relatively new to the literature, we adopted an inductive approach, conducting qualitative research. To collect the data we used semi-structured interviews, which allowed our interviewees to speak freely about the research topics. Our aim was to capture new insights and avoid preconceptions based on sales studies executed in another context, such as the USA market. To analyze the data we used thematic analysis, which is based on generating codes and connecting them according to their relationship. The analysis also connected concepts of the Theoretical Framework with the empirical data. Thereby, we identified the connection between sales process innovation and technology adoption in the context of the participants.  The results of our research showed that sales process innovation is, most of the time, not a priority for the companies. The participants were using technologies in different ways, according to the particularities of their sales process. The innovation in the sales process is very incremental in the adoption of CRM and Sales Automation Technologies. The companies have not had significant innovations in the way they sell to adopt new technologies. Thus, they are satisfied with the current structure of their sales process and the outcome of it. Our findings contribute to the literature by casting light over sales innovation and technology adoption in a context outside the USA. We also contribute academically by connecting the process innovation and technology adoption models and performing an empirical research on the subject. In the managerial contribution, we presented a variety of insights about the reasons that lead to technology adoption. With our constructionist approach, we also expect to have a contribution to the development of the sales departments in the participant by promoting the reflection and debate around sales process.