Evaluating online business-to-business demand generation through LinkedIn

The Business-to-Business (B2B) sales environment is facing unprecedented changes due to an increasing trend of digitisation and of late the changed buying behaviours during COVID 19. This revolution in B2B sales has reconceptualised all aspects of sales ranging from internal control to customer engagement. In such times, LinkedIn serves as an important platform for professional usage to maintain pace with the dynamic technology, increased data reliance, and online networking. Practitioners and academics alike have emphasised on LinkedIn as a noble tool for B2B sales. Since the research in this particular area is disintegrated and lacks common constructs, this study has focused on evaluating online B2B sales through LinkedIn. The three wide concepts researched are the efficacy of LinkedIn in B2B sales, the main application of LinkedIn in the sales process, and the effective performance evaluation metrics. The study further discusses the efficacy of LinkedIn as a B2B sales tool and identifies the factors affecting its performance through a factor analysis technique. We opted for a systematic literature review followed by a questionnaire-based survey among B2B salespeople and executives. Significant theoretical and managerial contributions were made through critical analysis of the extant literature and statistics found by the survey. The findings indicate that there are four major factors that affect the efficacy of LinkedIn in B2B sales. Furthermore, the findings have advanced the current understanding of the role of LinkedIn in achieving sales objectives. This research conceptualises the use of LinkedIn in building networks and enhancing B2B sales performance. The study concludes on recommending future directions and practical implications that can be adopted by researchers and practitioners.