How can B2B companies optimize their marketing and sales efforts in the customer journey with digital means? : A case study with a Swedish manufacturing company.

Abstract: Rapid digital transformation, accelerated by covid-19 and a younger, more digital workforce, has changed the B2B sales environment affecting customer behavior, business practices and technologies. To adapt to this change B2B companies need to create new endeavors that connect marketing and sales activities, and identify how these can be efficiently enhanced by technology and digital tools. There is a need to identify effective tactics in different phases of the marketing and sales process. Consequently, more academic research is needed to investigate critical issues that technology may have in the B2B buying process. This paper thereby aims to establish a framework for B2B companies on how to optimize the customer journey by supporting the sales process with digital inbound marketing. This is examined by looking at how B2B companies can optimize the sales process by targeting customers’ needs with relevant actions throughout the customer journey with the help of technology and digital means. The results of this exploratory single case study demonstrates that the customer journey is complex with several touchpoints, and to create optimized processes, the customer journey must be adapted to each specific customer segment. Further, the study also contributes to the literature by demonstrating the importance of the marketing and sales departments being integrated and working together to create efficient processes. The presented framework for a customer journey can be used by managers to visualize the sales process, and identify at what stages the process can be made more efficient by digital means.