Group members

Sadam Hussain (Group leader) Mubashir Hassan jaura (Analyst) Waseem Akram Awan (Observer) Waseem Taj (Helper)

029 058 013 045

Topic:
CRITICAL REVIEW ON
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)'s Impact on B to B Sales Professionals' Collaboration and Sales Performance
Author name: MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ and EARL D. HONEYCUTT, JR.

INTRODUCTION THIS ARTICLE EXAMINES THE IMPACT OF CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM) TECHNOLOGY ON BUSINESSTO-BUSINESS (B2B) SALES PROFESSIONALS ABILITY TO COLLABORATE WITH INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS AND ALSO ASSESSES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRM UTILIZATION AND SALES PERFORMANCE. THE STUDY MOVES FROM ASSUMING THAT CRM UTILIZATION POSITIVELY IMPACTS SALESPERSON EFFECTIVENESS AND PERFORMANCE TO ASSESSING THIS OUTCOME FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE SALESPERSON. OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study to analyse CRM utilization and collaboration across multiple industries.

METHODOLOGY

FINDINGS

A survey that was comprised of There is empirical evidence that four scales was sent to 115 B2B CRM adoption and utilization sales professionals and usable positively impacts sales surveys were received from 70 performance, sales respondents. The data were effectiveness, and collaboration. analysed using partial least As a partial mediator, squares regression to test the collaboration positively hypothesized paths. Partial least influenced CRM utilizations squares regression has been effect on sales performance. shown to work for small sample However, collaboration did not To test five hypotheses, a survey was distributed to a judgment sales sample of sizes. positively influence 115 B2B sales professionals selected from organizations in the U.S.-based process effectiveness.
pharmaceutical, technology, services, and financial industries.

Research model
Sales performance CRM utilization

H1
Performance with customers

H3 H4 Sales process effectiveness

Collaboration

H5

LIMITATIONS
This research is not environed all aspects of business and focuses only some less important variables. Variables include CRM utilization and collaboration impact on sales performance. This research could be good by including important variables such as training, education, abilities, experience, satisfied employees, good leader, innovative culture, decentralized structure and etc.

This research also used a new measurecollaborationthat was not an empirically tested measure. Even so, the reliability and validity results of the research model proved to be strong. Lastly, quantitative performance measures (i.e., number of new clients, percentage of quota achieved, increased sales revenue) may provide a more precise indication of CRMs impact on firm performance.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Future research should consider the impact CRM has on

disparate industries.
Do quantitative measures Longitudinal study tracks sales performance pre- and post-CRM

implementation
Other stakeholders can be examined such as vendors, network

partners, strategic alliances, and constituencies in CRM value chain.

Other factors should be examined such as marketing and finance.

CONCLUSION
CRM utilization plays an important role in salesperson collaboration with their colleagues. Successful CRM collaboration allows salespersons to gather buyer information through interactions across functional areas of the firm and to disseminate this customer knowledge throughout the organization. Collaboration, as shown in the model, has a significant relationship with how sales professionals understand their clients needs and can provide unique client solutions. That said, the mediated relationship between collaboration and sales process effectiveness was not supported. Perhaps sales professionals do not believe that internal collaboration helps them improve closing rates or increases client retention because sales professionals are CRMs Impact on Collaboration and Sales Performance responsible for closing deals and retaining buyers. A high level of internal collaboration may increase the time needed to close a sale.