Studying the influence of social media use on sales performance: the role of relational mediators
(A2021-94717)

AUTHORS

Romain Franck, Université Lyon, UJM-Saint-Etienne, COACTIS, EA 4161, F-42023, Saint-Etienne, France; Dampérat Maud, Université Lyon, UJM Saint-Etienne

ABSTRACT

Based on a relationship marketing approach, this paper studies the impact of social media use on sales performance and its underlying mechanisms. A conceptual model is proposed and empirically tested from the perspective of salespeople in B2B settings. The proposed model includes both the direct influence of social media use on sales performance and its indirect influence through relational mediators (i.e., adaptive selling behavior and relationship quality). The moderation role of emotions management on the relation between social media use and relationship quality is also studied. To test the proposed model, we use structural equation modeling with a sample of 199 French B2B salespeople. The proposed model is validated, allowing us to confirm the direct and indirect role of social media use on sales performance and to better understand the underlying mechanisms associated with relational mediators.