Developing a digital maturity model for the sales processes of industrial projects

Abstract

To support adequate strategic decisions, every digital transformation begins with an analysis of the current state of the company. These analyses often include the use of digital maturity models (DMMs). There are numerous DMMs in a wide variety of industries and application areas. While most of these models primarily address the digital maturity of manufacturing companies as a whole, only a few DMMs focus on particular departments or processes. Thus, there is a research gap in this field of study. This paper contributes to the identified gap by developing a DMM for the sales process in B2B project business. Building on a literature review that identified and examined specific DMMs which have been developed in the B2B context, we conducted a case study using expert interviews at a large German industrial company to develop a DMM of the different phases of the sales process. This DMM shall contribute to the research of maturity models and guide companies of different industries in their digital transformation activities focusing on the digitalization of their sales process.

Keywords:

• digital transformation
• digital maturity model
• B2B sales
• project business
• sales process

Introduction

One of the biggest changes in today’s society is its increasing digitalization, which influences both individual companies and entire economic sectors (Mergel, Edelmann, and Haug 2019; Ritter and Pedersen 2020). Digitalization describes the use of digital technologies and their influence within companies (Ritter and Pedersen 2020). Linked to the use of digital technologies in companies, the multidimensional phenomenon of ‘digital transformation’ has been introduced. The term refers to company-wide changes to, for example, processes and business models resulting from digitalization efforts (Hess et al. 2016; Mergel, Edelmann, and Haug 2019; Verhoef et al. 2021). Based on a literature review and a subsequent survey, Gong and Ribiere (2021) define digital transformation as ‘a fundamental change process, enabled by the innovative use of digital technologies accompanied by the strategic leverage of key resources and capabilities, aiming to radically improve an entity and redefine its value proposition for its stakeholders’ (Gong and Ribiere 2021, p. 12). Digital transformation endeavors begin by analyzing the current state of the company (Ismail, Khater, and Zaki 2017). Subsequently, decisions can be made regarding the digitalization strategy and the transformation efforts, for example, of certain processes, products, or services (Lezina et al. 2019).

The use of digital maturity models (DMMs) is a well-known and widespread means of analyzing the current level of digitalization (De Bruin et al. 2005). There are many DMMs in a wide variety of sectors and areas of application (Rafael et al. 2020). For the manufacturing industry, most of these models primarily address the digital maturity of the companies in the context of Industry 4.0 (Teichert 2019). However, most DMMs do not consider the different digitalization potentials of a company’s individual departments and processes. De Carolis et al. (2017) have addressed this gap by designing the descriptive and prescriptive Digital Readiness Assessment Maturity Model (DREAMY); they argue that digital maturity is not only a characteristic of an entire company but can also be determined for company processes, such as research and development, production, quality control, maintenance, and logistics (De Carolis et al. 2017). In their research outlook, the authors emphasize the importance of also developing a measurement model for the sales processes of business-to-business (B2B) companies.

In this context, other researchers have observed that digital technologies are having an impact on professional sales, forcing a shift in sales activities throughout the sales processes of firms (Marcos Cuevas 2018, Sharma and Sheth 2010). The B2B sales process is usually divided into different phases which ought to be considered throughout a sales activity. Recent contributions often build on the seven phases of a sales process described by Dubinsky (1981), either in its original form or by deriving a similar process from it; examples include Moncrief and Marshall (2005), Sheth and Sharma (2008), Andzulis, Panagopoulos, and Rapp (2012), and Ulaga and Loveland (2014). In these contributions, the starting point of the process is usually linked to the identification of potential customers, and the process is completed with the close of a deal and a subsequent follow up. For project businesses, D’Haen and Van den Poel (2013) developed the project marketing cycle, which resembles the aforementioned sales processes but adds the implementation and completion phase to the process, supplemented by a final follow up, which is characteristic for projects in the project business.

An initial literature search on this topic showed that no DMM has specifically focused on the sales processes of manufacturing companies, although the activity of selling products, services, and solutions is a crucial part of the value creation process, and the possibility to digitalize it is being researched thoroughly (Abrahams 2021; Mattila, Yrjölä, and Hautamäki 2021; Rodríguez, Svensson, and Mehl 2020; Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein 2021). Hence, there is a research gap regarding DMM in the sales process. Fellow researchers point out that digitalization potential seems to significantly depend on a company’s business type (Vartolomei and Avasilcai 2019). Here distinctions can be made, for example, between product businesses and project businesses (Artto and Wikström 2005). Depending on the firm’s business type, sales processes differ. In addition, researchers have identified the importance of subdividing sales processes into different phases to systematically and efficiently address customer needs (Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein 2021). Seeing the lack of research on DMMs with a focus on sales processes, and considering the mentioned importance of differentiating between the phases within sales processes, we aim to design a DMM that can analyze the digital maturity of the different phases of a sales process. In doing so, we focus on the project business and, therefore, raise the following research question:

1. What are the different dimensions to assess the digital maturity of the sales processes of industrial projects?

In answering the posed researched question, we want to assist B2B companies in their digitalization efforts by focusing primarily on the sales process. This enables differentiation of the digital maturity level of different sales phases and the associated need for digitalization. More targeted strategic management decisions can be derived from this assessment to support the digital transformation of sales activities.

The remainder of this article is organized as follows. First, we provide an overview of the current state of research on B2B sales and maturity models. In particular, we consider current research approaches toward DMMs. Subsequently, we present the applied research process, which consists of a systematic literature review and a case study with expert interviews. Building on this, the results section describes and presents the main dimensions and sub-dimensions of maturity, which describe a digitalized sales process for the project business of B2B companies. Based on these findings, we have developed our DMM (Figure 8). In the following section, we discuss the developed model in the context of existing research. The paper concludes by identifying existing limitations and areas for further relevant research in this area.

Research background

B2B sales

The heterogeneity of the B2B market does not permit the formulation of a generally valid, uniform marketing strategy. To address this problem, Backhaus, Plinke, and Rese (2003) identified three business types, which are based on transaction cost economics and thus have different degrees of asset specificity in the context of a buyer and seller transaction.

1. Product business: The supplier and buyer make no or only low specific investments within the scope of a transaction. If, for example, a buyer against all expectations suddenly decides against a purchase, the seller can carry out the transaction with another buyer without major problems.

2. Project business: Companies carrying out this business type make investments that can be directly associated with a specific transaction. An example on the seller’s side is the customized construction of an extrusion line. In this case, the specificity of the project leads to a strong dependence on the customer, since a transaction with an alternative business partner is only possible with difficulty or great effort (Backhaus and Muehlfeld 2005). Due to this special nature of the investment, buyer and seller have a much closer relationship than in the product business.

3. Relationship business: In this type of business, one party makes an idiosyncratic investment that goes beyond the initial transaction and encompasses a whole chain of intended transactions within an undetermined time horizon (Backhaus and Muehlfeld 2005).

This heterogeneity in the B2B market implies that sales processes also show significant differences across business types (Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein 2021). In addition, the use of digital technologies is changing professional sales and sales management (Marcos Cuevas 2018). On the one hand, a growing systematization of sales operations and activities can be observed (Parvinen et al. 2013). On the other hand, higher-quality service expectations from customers are leading to a more customer-specific approach that adopts a co-creation perspective to generate value (Töytäri and Rajala 2015). Thus, the described shift results from the potential that lies in the use of digital technologies to intelligently design, network, and coordinate sales processes in a customer-oriented manner. Muñoz and Avila (2019) consider digital transformation to have the potential, above all, for establishing and optimizing digital sales, marketing, service, and feedback channels. Guenzi and Habel (2020) do not consider the sales process to be a separate dimension but rather postulate different characteristics of digital transformation, depending on whether the processes are internally or externally oriented. Sales in project businesses differ from other B2B sales types, particularly in their complexity and financial scope. These characteristics mean that sales and customers often have a closer relationship than in the product business. Also, project sales activities begin even before the official start of the project and include activities such as initial contact and demand assessment (Cova, Mazet, and Salle 1996; Nobelius and Trygg 2002). The sales process in the project business is usually highly complex and lengthy (Ryynänen, Jalkala, and Salminen 2013). For this reason, efficient communication and cooperation with all relevant departments, such as technical service or production, and with the customer, is essential (Momeni and Martinsuo 2019).

Against this background, we use the B2B project sales process shown in Figure 1, which we synthesized based on an initial literature review and which serves as a reference process throughout this paper.

Figure 1. B2B project sales process synthesized from the literature.

On the one hand, this process builds, analogous to Wongkitrungrueng, Dehouche, and Assarut (2020), Barney-McNamara et al. (2021), and Mora Cortez and Ghosh Dastidar (2022), on the still widely recognized work of Dubinsky (1981) and Moncrief and Marshall (2005), in particular. On the other hand, in line with Holstius (1987), D’Haen and Van den Poel (2013), and Rabetino, Ogundipe, and Kohtamäki (2018), it extends the process by including the implementation phase, which is characteristic for the project business or project sales.

In the first phase, the market is analyzed to identify potential projects. It aims to identify project opportunities and potential customers (leads) who are receptive to the provider’s offers based on their needs and desires (Eades 2003; Storbacka, Polsa, and Sääksjärvi 2011). In doing so, it is crucial to identify relevant stakeholders and to establish contact with all relevant actors and decision-makers on the customer’s side (Töllner, Blut, and Holzmüller 2011; Tuli, Kohli, and Bharadwaj 2007). As part of this phase, sales staff, in collaboration with internal partners such as colleagues with technical knowledge, try to raise the interest of previously identified customers in the company’s offers at an early stage (Moncrief and Marshall 2005; Roune, Bristow, and Terho 2011; Töytäri et al. 2011).

The presentation of the performance portfolio to the customer, and the consultation on it, is followed by the offer and negotiation phase, which starts with the individual bids of potential customers and ends with the signing of the contract. In this phase, an interdisciplinary team from the provider works with the client to develop a customized value proposition and offer (Liozu et al. 2012; Storbacka et al. 2013). The phase ends with the review of the customer order and the official handover from the sales department to the project office (Rabetino, Ogundipe, and Kohtamäki 2018).

The implementation phase focuses on the realization of the project and the achievement of the agreed-upon goals through close cooperation between client and provider. This phase begins after both parties have agreed on a contractual arrangement (Brady et al. 2005) and includes logistical aspects in addition to project-specific engineering, design, and production. This logistical part is referred to in the literature as ‘supply delivery’ and includes ‘the delivery of products and their installation in a customer’s environment’ (Tuli, Kohli, and Bharadwaj 2007, p. 7). At this point, the relevance of a regular exchange or contact between supplier and customer is emphasized, as well as the customer’s integration, not only in the production process but also particularly in the individual design of the business relationship, in the sense of the characteristic feature of the project business described above.

The last phase includes the handover of the project and knowledge management (Cova and Holstius 1993) and focuses on post-project objectives. Here, the primary goal is to identify the future needs of the client and to conduct regular client visits in order to maintain contact after project completion (Rabetino, Ogundipe, and Kohtamäki 2018). The knowledge and experience gained while executing each phase brings new ideas and approaches and can thus lead to the identification of new projects. Therefore, in line with Holstius (1987), the reference process presented here can also be described as a self-renewing cycle (Cova and Holstius 1993).

Maturity model

Since the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) was introduced by the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon to measure the maturity of software processes, it has been used in a wide variety of domains and industries (De Bruin et al. 2005; Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Insitute 2002). Other widely used examples of MMs are the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), which is based on the CMM and comprises a comprehensive combination of several process areas to enable an organization-wide evaluation and improvement of business processes (Wendler 2012; Kulpa and Johnson 2003), and the Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (SPICE), which is standardized in ISO/IEC 15504 (Barafort, Renzo, and Merlan 2002). MMs are based on the theory of multi-stage models (Gottschalk 2009). Since a higher level of maturity can only be reached when the previous stages have also been reached, an MM consequently shows the linear development path of a reference object to (complete) maturity through distinct stages (De Bruin et al. 2005; Willis and Rankin 2012).

As per De Bruin et al. (2005) MMs can be divided into the following three different types:

• Descriptive maturity models, which are typically used to determine the current state without establishing relationships for improving performance;

• Prescriptive maturity models, which enable the derivation of actions for improving the maturity level and are thus focused on the improvement of the business performance; and

• Comparative maturity models, which allow a comparison with other companies, regions, or other comparable objects or criteria.

It is worth noting that, in the continuous development of a MM, it is possible to pass through all three of the above-presented types.

Maturity models also show different characteristics, which allow their assignment to different types of categories. Especially when developing MMs, a prior definition of the design is crucial, as it forms the basis of its development and later application (De Bruin et al. 2005). Table 1 shows the different designs, according to De Bruin et al. (2005).

Table 1. Maturity model architectures (De Bruin et al. 2005).

Criteria	Characteristic
Audience	Internal		External
	Executives, Management		Auditors, Partners
Method of Application	Self-Assessment	Third-Party Assisted	Certified Practitioner
Driver of Application	Internal Requirement	External Requirement	Both
Respondents	Management	Staff	Business Partners
Application	1 entity/1 region	multiple entities/single region	multiple entities/multiple regions

Independent from their characteristic attributes, most maturity models show a similar structure with regard to their content. Table 2 shows the structural levels of maturity models and their meaning.

Table 2. Structure of maturity models (Mettler 2010).

Levels	Definition
Design levels	Design levels reflect the concept of maturity and thus define what is applied in the assessment of the items.
Design dimensions or maturity dimensions	Design dimensions summarize all requirements of a topic and serve to structure the maturity model.
Design objects or items	Items are used to enable quantitative measurement of the maturity dimensions (e.g., by means of questionnaires).
Maturity levels	A maturity level summarizes several items that must be fulfilled to advance to the next level.

In this context, Becker, Knackstedt, and Pöppelbuß (2009, p. 218) introduced a detailed process for developing maturity models. Based on Hevner et al. (2004) guidelines for design science, they developed eight requirements as the foundations of a process-based approach: (1) problem definition, (2) comparison of existing maturity models, (3) determination of development strategy, (4) iterative maturity model development, (5) conception of transfer and evaluation, (6) implementation of transfer media, (7) evaluation, and (8) rejection of the maturity model. We adopted this approach in the further course of this study to develop our DMM.

Digital maturity models

Due to the increasing digitalization of the economy, numerous DMMs have emerged in the academic literature since the beginning of the last decade (Angreani, Vijaya, and Wicaksono 2020). Two examples are the Digital Readiness Assessment Model (De Carolis et al. 2017) and the Industry 4.0 Maturity and Realization Model (Schumacher, Nemeth, and Sihn 2019). The primary task of DMMs is to continuously assess the current states of companies both prior to and during their digital transformations and, in the case of prescriptive DMMs, to provide roadmaps for the transformations (De Bruin et al. 2005; Teichert 2019).

In a systematic literature review of existing DMMs, Ochoa-Urrego and Peña (2020) found that digital maturity is a multidimensional phenomenon that cannot be characterized by only a single maturity dimension. In line with this finding, Teichert’s (2019) systematic literature review identified 15 dimensions that can be used to measure the digital maturity of companies. A similar finding was also reached by Angreani, Vijaya, and Wicaksono (2020) in their systematic literature review. Table 3 compares the results of the studies mentioned above and summarizes their maturity dimensions.

Table 3. Comparison and summary of the dimensions of DMM in the literature.

Dimensions according to		Description of the dimension (cf. Teichert 2019)
Teichert (2019)	Angreani, Vijaya, and Wicaksono (2020)
Digital Culture	Culture	Existence of a customer-centric digital business culture
Technology	Technology	Technologies relevant to digital transformation
Processes and Operations	Operations	Process digitalization and automation
Digital Strategy	Strategy	Existence of a clear, long-term strategy for digital transformation
Organization		Management structures that support cross-functional collaboration, information sharing, and digital daily operations
Digital Skills	People	Digital skills, as well as the interest and knowledge of employees regarding digital transformation
Innovation		Innovation in products, work practices, and digital business models
Customer Insight and Experience	Customers	Optimized customer understanding and customer experience through digitalization
Governance	Governance	Ensuring the implementation of a digital transformation strategy
Vision		Formulation of a clear digital vision for a company
Digital Ecosystem		Connecting the entire value chain through digitalization
Leadership	Leadership	Leaders are engaged in digital transformation and exemplify it for their employees
Compliance and Security		Existence of clear security precautions for handling internal and external data
Products and Services	Products	Digitalization of products and services (e.g., solution-oriented product service systems)
Business Model		Development of new, disruptive business models

As stated above, the presented DMMs have been developed to measure the digital maturity of organizations and do not take a focused stand on individual processes. We address this gap by conducting a systematic literature review to locate DMMs for the sales process in particular.

Research process

The research approach consisted of two separate research methods that build on each other. First, we conducted a systematic literature review, according to Levy and Ellis (2006), to gather information on the state of research on DMMs and to derive dimensions of digital maturity for sales from the literature. This was followed by an exploratory, single case study, based on Yin (2018), which aimed to specify the identified dimensions of each phase of the project sales process and to generate characteristic sub-dimensions and items for each phase. As a data collection method, we used qualitative expert interviews as part of the case study. Based on the identified maturity dimensions and maturity items, we then conceptualized a new DMM for B2B project sales.

Systematic literature review

To ensure a transparent, methodical, and replicable approach for the search of DMMs for sales, a systematic literature review was conducted following the literature analysis process of Levy and Ellis (2006). Our procedure is shown in Figure A1, in the Appendix.

The objective of this systematic literature analysis was to identify existing DMMs for sales and to subsequently extract assessment criteria or dimensions of digital maturity from these models. To locate relevant articles, the search engines and search strings were identified in advance (Vom Brocke et al. 2009). Then, we used two research engines with exclusively peer-reviewed articles: Scopus and Web of Science. The review focused on articles that describe a DMM for sales or sales-relevant topics. Thus, we selected the keywords ‘digital,’ ‘sales,’ ‘maturity/transformation,’ and ‘model/framework’ for the keyword search and connected them with Boolean operators as follows: digital AND sales AND (maturity OR transformation) AND (model OR framework).

The search in Scopus initially yielded 173 results and classified the articles into 10 subject areas. First, all subject areas in the natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences were excluded, as these have no apparent relevance to sales. Furthermore, since articles can belong to several subject areas, it is unlikely that relevant articles would be lost due to this filtering. After the first selection based on the subject areas, 64 articles remained.

The search in Web of Science resulted in 65 hits. Due to the small number of hits, no initial restriction of the results was made. The articles identified by this process were examined to determine whether the authors developed their own DMMs and whether the focus was on industry. This was done by reading the abstracts. As a result of this procedure, 5 articles were identified. Based on these articles, the next steps were a backward search followed by a forward search (Steps 3 and 4 in Figure 9). When screening the articles, the focus was again on the authors’ development of their own DMMs and an industry focus. As a result, no further relevant articles could be identified. After following the presented review procedure (Figure 9), we classified five papers as relevant to our topic. Table 4 shows the five identified articles.

Table 4. Relevant articles identified.

No.	Title	Authors	Year	Journal/Conference
1	Digital transformation in sales as an evolving process	Wengler et al.	2021	Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing
2	Mastering the Digital Transformation of Sales	Guenzi et al.	2020	California Management Review
3	A capability based framework for customer experience focused digital transformation	Sahu et al.	2018	Proceedings of the Australasian Conference on Information Systems
4	Customer experience management (CXM) – Development of a conceptual model for the digital organization	Doherty et al.	2017	Proceedings of ECISM 2017 11th European Conference on Information Systems Management
5	A Model to Assess Customer Alignment Through Customer Experience Concepts	Muñoz and Avila	2019	Business Information Systems Workshops

Based on the relevant articles, a two-part analysis of the identified literature was conducted. As part of the methodological analysis, the identified models were first analyzed with regard to their academic reputation, developmental logic, and empirical validity. The assessment criteria needed for this analysis were identified based on previous systematic literature reviews of DMMs (Rafael et al. 2020) and followed De Bruin et al. (2005) general approach for developing maturity models. The identified models were analyzed against the following eleven criteria: journal reputation, systematic model development, documentation of the development process, building on existing (D)MMs, validation via case study, scope of the model, model type, application/assessment, assessment tool, bottom measuring level, and focus on project sales. The results are presented in Table A1, in the Appendix.

In a second step, we analyzed the dimensions of digital maturity. Due to the objective of the systematic literature review, the content analysis focused primarily on the maturity dimensions used in the DMM of each paper. Based on the content analysis, we derived the following digital maturity dimensions for sales processes. These form the basis for the subsequent determination of process-phase-specific maturity dimensions.

Digital tools and methods for data analysis: Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein (2021) state that digital transformation enables the optimized generation, analysis, and processing of data, which is increasingly generated from a wide variety of external (e.g., social media) and internal sources. Adequate tools are necessary. Sahu, Deng, and Molla (2018) consider the use of digital tools, which have particular potential for the timely identification of customer trends, as well as for the ability to make decisions based on real-time data. Following Muñoz and Avila (2019), digital data and its analysis offer the advantage of intelligent customer segmentation; they also consider advantages concerning methods of automatic customer sentiment analysis and customer behavior analysis. Guenzi and Habel (2020) divide this dimension into Salesforce Enablement and Salesforce Replacement, where the former refers to the support of the sales force through digital technologies and tools, and the latter refers to the complete replacement of humans by automation.

Digital skills: Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein (2021) consider the skills of employees to be a key factor in digital transformation in sales and emphasize the importance of increased collaboration between sales employees and between sales and other departments. Doherty et al. (2017) acknowledge the opportunity to improve employees’ digital skills through training, with employees’ attitudes and motivations being key factors in addition to their technical and soft skills.

Leader responsibility: Digital transformation has a major impact on sales dynamics and is not possible without management support and efficient communication (Doherty et al. 2017). In addition, high leadership quality is another key factor in empowering employees with confidence regarding the digital transformation and easing their fears of replaceability and job loss (Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein 2021).

Digital business organization, culture, and strategy: The three elements – organization, culture, and strategy – are summarized because there is little discussion regarding individual dimensions in the identified literature. Regarding digital transformation in sales, strategic planning and implementation are essential aspects (Guenzi and Habel 2020; Sahu, Deng, and Molla 2018). Above all, it is crucial to have well-defined hierarchical structures, responsibilities, and role assignments at the macroscopic corporate level (Sahu, Deng, and Molla 2018).

Case study

According to Yin (2018, 45), a case study is ‘an empirical method that investigates a contemporary phenomenon (the ‘case’) in depth and within its real-world context.’ Therefore, case studies are considered suitable for generating insights into a phenomenon and for developing new theoretical concepts from these insights (Fredebeul-Krein 2012). The phenomenon to be analyzed can be, for example, organizations, processes, programs, or individuals (Yin 2018). Since the project sales process and its individual phases are the focus of the present work, the requirements regarding the application of this research method are met.

To more closely examine the digital maturity of a project business sales process, we chose to involve a large industrial company that produces construction and insulation materials. This globally active company has a total of over 1 billion EUR of revenue and divides its sales activities into areas, as is typical for this industry (regional distribution). The company’s sales activities can be roughly divided into warehousing and project business. In the case of the warehousing business, the company delivers its products directly to building materials traders, who then serve its customers independently. The project business is either induced by building material traders or by the company itself. In trade-induced projects, traders request a defined quantity of building materials; in this case, traders act as direct intermediaries between the company and a construction company that needs the building materials for a building project. In the case of self-initiated projects project acquisition is carried out by the company itself.

During the lead generation and qualification phase, a fundamental task is to identify potential leads. In this context, a lead can be a construction project that comes to the company’s attention or a potential customer who is planning a construction project. The identified leads are then enriched with further information and qualified. Leads that are promising or likely to succeed are then converted into projects. At the beginning of project processing, further information is obtained about the stakeholders involved in the project, such as architectural bureaus and specialist planners, and about their roles in the project, to be able to address them specifically and convince them of the company’s own products and services (contacting architects and specialist planners). Only after this, a (digital) building design is generated for the technical consultation to verify the feasibility of the building project in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders. Once the building application for the project has been approved, the required construction services are tendered to start the construction of the building. Since a general contractor who does not himself build is usually commissioned to handle the construction project, contact is made with subcontractors. By targeting the construction companies participating in the tender, the company attempts to win the decision of the building-materials brand. In the quotation phase, the official, binding offer is then prepared. One or more price negotiations with the customer follow. If the offer is accepted, the project is considered to have been won, and the company begins with the operational project execution. For this purpose, the required materials are manufactured and delivered based on the project-specific plans and 3 D models. After a project has been completed, after-sales activities are aimed at identifying future customer needs in good time and at establishing long-term customer loyalty.

Only self-initiated project acquisition enables the company to use all its knowledge in the areas of planning, structural engineering, construction site logistics, and materials handling, and no longer to act merely as a material supplier.

Data collection

After defining the case study company, we started collecting data. For the chosen qualitative research approach, many different data collection methods exist (Cropley 2008). One of these is conducting interviews to generate knowledge. When conducting interviews, a distinction can be made between different types of interviews. The expert interview was the type chosen for this work because it is frequently used in empirical social sciences research to tap into specialized bodies of knowledge (i.e., expert knowledge) through the individual views and statements of a special target group of interviewees (Gläser and Laudel 2010). The target group in this case study consisted of employees with insights into the project sales process of the selected industrial company. Due to the focus of the present work, theoretical sampling was carried out, and the potential experts were selected exclusively based on their roles in the sales processes. The number of experts was steadily expanded during the study, as some interviewees referred us to other potential experts on certain topics; this iterative expansion of participants is not only permissible but also desirable (Bogner 2002). In total, we interviewed 21 experts, taking care to achieve an adequate cross-section of all participants in the project sales process. Thus, in addition to employees from marketing and sales, we also interviewed those from technical and digital consulting as well as from customer service. We fully transcribed the interviews before starting the analysis of the database.

Data analysis

In the analysis stage, we conducted qualitative content analysis according to Kuckartz (2018). It is an evaluation method which analyzes textual material systematically and is rule-guided in seven steps. First, an initiating processing and evaluation of the interviews is carried out, in which important text passages pertaining to the posed research question are marked. In a second step, preliminary main thematic categories are defined and deductive coding is conducted. In this step, we used the results from the literature research and defined the main dimensions of digital maturity as predefined coding categories. At this point, it is worth mentioning that for coding purposes, the maturity dimension ‘digital corporate organization, culture, and strategy’ from the systematic literature review was divided into the three dimensions: ‘digital business organization’, ‘digital business culture’, and ‘digital strategy’. The main categories were then used to conduct a deductive coding of the dataset. In a fourth step, all coded text passages were summarized and linked to the different sales phases that had been identified during the literature review. Subsequently, we coded possible sub-dimensions and items of the sub-dimensions inductively; this means that we coded text passages that described the main maturity dimensions, and these represent the sub-dimension in the result. We also coded passages that describe these sub-dimensions as separate items. For example, we were able to assign the sub-dimension social ‘media skills’ to the main maturity dimension ‘digital skills’ identified from the literature. This sub-dimension is, in turn, described by the items ‘networking skills’ and ‘skills in creating relevant content.’ Figure 2 shows the hierarchical coding structure exemplified by the first phase of the sales process.

Figure 2. Hierarchical coding structure exemplified by the first phase of the sales process.

Results

Digital maturity dimensions of the individual phases of the project sales process

Following the terms of design levels, the most abstract level of the new DMM is the overall B2B project sales process. As explained in the above section on B2B sales, the process is detailed by individual process phases. During the data analysis of our expert interviews, we realized that the overarching types of designs or maturity dimensions that had resulted from our literature research did not sufficiently differentiate characteristics describing digital maturity within each phase. Thus, we decided to extend them by adding sub-dimensions as shown and described in Table 5.

Table 5. Types of maturity dimensions in the new DMM.

Dimensions of the new DMM	Description
Main maturity dimensions	These are the digital maturity dimensions identified in the systematic literature review. In addition, the dimension “activities” could be identified. Some of the main maturity dimensions are subdivided into sub-dimensions of digital maturity in specific phases of the project sales process.
Sub-dimensions	Some of the main maturity dimensions have special sub-dimensions in certain phases of the B2B project sales process. For example, in the phase “presentation of the performance portfolio and consultation,” the sub-dimension “visualizing tools” is a specific manifestation of the main maturity dimension “digital tools,” which is only applicable to this phase.

Further, we were able to identify different items for the sub-dimensions. Although most items describe a singular dimension, in some cases an item could be assigned to more than one sub-dimension. Below, the sub-dimensions and items of each phase of the project sales process resulting from the interviews are presented and described in detail. An overview of the main maturity dimensions derived from the literature, and the sub-dimensions and items identified from the interviews, is shown in Table A2, in the Appendix.

A first finding was that, in addition to the main maturity dimensions identified in the literature review, a further main maturity dimension could be derived from the interviews. Different interviewees referred to activities that can be carried out using digital tools. However, since these activities apply to the entire respective sales phase, they are not presented as an individual dimension but as a whole for the respective phase. No phase-specific sub-dimensions could be derived for the main maturity dimensions ‘leader responsibility’, ‘digital business organization’, ‘digital business culture’, and ‘digital strategy’.

Search for project opportunities and customers

The results of our analysis show that two of the identified dimensions – digital tools and digital skills – influence digital maturity in the first phase of the sales process. Also, respondents mentioned the activity of performing online marketing efforts, to generate and qualify leads when referring to a high degree of digital maturity within this phase. The following three activities could be identified.

• Conducting (digital) events: Events such as webinars and expert discussions on industry-relevant topics support the provider’s competencies and knowledge and increase the chances that a (potential) customer will contact them if interested in buying. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘So webinars are usually very brief, in terms of content, and related to a product… We will also conduct entire virtual events digitally, which is something completely new for the industry, and thus also bring new people to us.’

• Search engine marketing: The term covers both search engine optimization measures and search engine advertising. The aim is to be found more quickly and easily by (potential) customers through improved visibility on the Internet. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘Search engine marketing makes sense and has existed for years. Websites today are all optimized to be found easily in search engines and end up high up in searches. I mean, you can definitely promote that by sponsoring the whole thing and buying in.’

• Email marketing: With the help of email marketing, potential customers can be supported by relevant content during their buying process and thus be further qualified. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘I also think email marketing makes sense. But content also plays a very big role there. It always has to be relevant.’

The two dimensions identified (digital skills and digital tools) were specified in two sub-dimensions as shown in Figure 3. Regarding the use of digital tools, the interviewees named the necessity of lead-generation and qualification tools. In addition, according to the database, companies should build up digital skills and, more precisely, social media skills. In the following, different items describing the two sub-dimensions are presented.

Figure 3. Results for the phase search for project opportunities and customers.

Lead-generation and qualification tools: This sub-dimension includes the digital tools that can be used to identify and qualify potential customers and project opportunities. Within the analysis of the expert interviews, five items could be identified.

• Social media platforms: Social networks offer the potential to connect with potential customers and then show them relevant content to generate interest. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘[…] We are incredibly strong in addressing new target groups on Facebook […]. We also have a good response on LinkedIn as a platform.’

• Company website: A company website provides interested parties with a good overview of the provider’s services. The provider can regularly upload relevant content and announce events there. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘Rather, we have to take the customer with us from the very beginning. So that’s where a perfect website matters, of course, a well-explained website.’

• Chatbot: Chatbots are dialogue systems that enable automated communication with (potential) customers. They are often found on company websites. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘Otherwise, I also mention the chatbot. […] It’s also another possibility because we’ve found that these are conversations that we wouldn’t have had that way. So, with new customers as well.’

• External lead databases: Leads can also be purchased externally by gaining access to an external lead database. This can be linked to customer relationship management (CRM). An example from the expert interviews is: ‘[Project leads] are played directly through an interface from the iBau database into our CRM and assigned to the respective GBL based on the zip code of the construction project.’

• Marketing automation software: The software enables the systematic recording of all touchpoints of a prospect with the provider. Most systems also have functions for lead scoring. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘That is a lead scoring, that takes place in Evalanche, in the marketing automation solution.’

Social Media Skills: This sub-dimension addresses the necessity that marketing and sales employees need to deal with social media as a part of digitally assisting the efforts in the first sales phase. It was possible to identify two items or skills within the interviews that fit with this sub-dimension.

• Skills in creating relevant content: Employees should be able to create and share customer-relevant content on social networks to help potential customers during their buying process. An example from the expert interviews: ‘Interviewer: ‘[…] do you think that sales or marketing should have skills in creating customer-relevant and also individual content on social networks?’ Expert: ‘In any case.’’

• Networking skills: This is the ability to contact potential customers on social networks, maintain these contacts, and build relationships. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘Salespeople of the future need social media skills, […] to be networked and also to know how to make sales via social media. So, a very classic networking up to the customer approach, to posts, to follow the right areas and ultimately build up a customer base and a network there as well.’

Presentation of the performance portfolio and consultation

The sub-dimensions and items of the phase ‘presentation of the performance portfolio and consultation’ are shown in Figure 4. In this phase, we only detected one of the previously identified digital maturity dimensions. However, significant activities related to digital pre-sales services were also identified for this phase. These include digital services that a company offers before a project is officially launched. The following two digital pre-sales services were identified:

Figure 4. Results for the phase presentation of the performance portfolio and consultation.

• Digital model check: This activity includes the check of the customer’s 3D digital model in terms of technical feasibility. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘This means that we do a model check, […] by still pointing out to him [the customer] the relevant faults or problems […] and then enter into a dialogue.’

• Emission determination of the project: It is possible to give the customer an initial rough estimate of the CO2 emissions of the future project during the technical consultation. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘And then the EPD data, i.e. environment product delivery, is stored. Basically, there are many, many properties or characteristics in these objects, which of course tell us how much CO2 was consumed during production, how much CO2 was consumed during dismantling, or when the building is demolished again. And all kinds of data are then stored there.’

For presenting the product and service portfolio, as well as consulting the customer, digital tools seem to be important for working as digitally as possible.

Visualizing Tools (in Acquisition Talks): In acquisition talks, sales staff can use a variety of digital tools to explain the company’s own portfolio and to identify the customer’s problems, although these tools are primarily used for visualization purposes. In this context, the following items could be identified:

• 3D model viewers: These tools offer the potential to give the customer a vivid and detailed idea of the product. They offer a simplified interface for the sales talk compared to computer-aided design (CAD) programs. By coupling with a database, old projects can also be displayed. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘That means at cool appointments with x and y […] the sales people] have the software open, have the plan open, have comments written in, screenshots from construction books […] And you discuss in the model. On the model, wall sections are color-coded, etc. So, from my point of view, next level, because that’s live.’

• Virtual reality [VR]/mixed reality [MR] tools: VR software enables a comprehensive realistic, and attractive simulation of products (Harz et al. 2021). VR glasses are an example of VR hardware going along with the software. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘It just becomes more tangible. [The customer] feels things more and can really experience them in more detail and more consciously than if he just looks standardly at some plan, a PDF document. The whole thing just becomes a bit more real for the customer.’

• Presentation programs: Using presentation programs such as PowerPoint, generic company presentations can be given that include the key services of the provider. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘That is, first of all, a technical aid, either a beamer or an iPad or laptop, with presentation mode and the corresponding PowerPoint is completely sufficient for me at the moment.’

Technical tools (for technical consulting): This sub-dimension includes all the digital tools that technical staff in particular need for consulting customers. The following items were identified in this context.

• Industry-specific tools: This item includes technical tools that vary by industry. For example, the case study company uses soundproofing, energy, and structural programs. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘Well, there are so many [programs], so I’ll say, among other things, we work with [a] heat protection and energy program. […] Then internally we have another sound insulation program.’

• CAD programs: Relatively independent of the industry, so-called CAD software can be used to design complex products or models and also to check their technical feasibility. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘At the moment we use X-CAD for elementing and segmenting. This is an add-on that was put on top of AutoCAD’.

• File Hosting Software/Cloud: With the help of file hosting software, the customer’s plans and models can be exchanged and processed securely and without loss between the parties, even before the official start of the project. In contrast, transfer via email is not secure and is limited by the size of the files. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘[…] But that is so that we could also improve the communication […] with all those involved in the project again through our own cloud, […] in that you no longer have to make approvals of planning, for example, analog with a signature and in PDF, but everything is really online and you only have to make a checkmark to give an approval, so to speak.’

Offer preparation and negotiation

For the offer preparation and negotiation phase, only the implication of digital tools was mentioned to assist the work in this phase digitally. Rather than digitalizing this phase, other aspects like personal interaction were pointed out by the interviewees for this stage. The sub-dimension of digital tools and its identified items are shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Results for the phase offer preparation and negotiation.

Quotation Tools: This sub-dimension comprises all digital tools that help to create quotations and calculations. The tools listed below usually require an interface with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or CRM system for necessary input information, such as prices or project volumes. In this context, the following items were identified:

• Quotation calculator: With the help of quotation calculators, not only can lower price limits and contribution margins be determined for individual products but full calculations can also be carried out. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘We have expanded the CRM, which the standard does not offer, in that we have written a quotation calculator […], [which we] have now expanded again for the project business and construction services.’

• Configure price quote software: This software can significantly simplify not only the preparation of quotations but also the approval processes for the actual order. It provides the technological basis for innovative pricing and revenue models, such as value-based pricing. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘This is a so-called CPQ, configure price quote, which SAP also offers in the cloud, but which we currently have not yet implemented due to the relatively heterogeneous requirements.’

Implementation

Figure 6 summarizes the three sub-dimensions which describe the dimension digital tools for the implementation phase. As in the previous two phases, only the dimension ‘digital tools’ was identified. However, the sub-dimensions and items vary. The results are shown and discussed in more detail below.

Figure 6. Results for the phase implementation.

Visualizing tools (during the project execution): This sub-dimension is identical to the sub-dimension ‘visualizing tools (in acquisition talks),’ which is already known from the phase ‘presentation of the performance portfolio and consultation’ because also in the context of the term ‘implementation,’ which is in focus here, the provider continuously presents the project’s progress to the customer and compares it with the defined target. Here, similar, or even the same previously described visualizing tools provide support.

Technical tools (during implementation): Since technical consulting is closely related to implementation, this sub-dimension is identical to the sub-dimension ‘technical tools (for technical consulting),’ which is already known from the phase ‘presentation of the performance portfolio and consultation.’ So ideally, the same digital tools can be used in production as well.

Logistic tools: This sub-dimension includes digital tools that are used to organize and perform logistical operations. In this context, the following items were identified:

• ERP software: In the project sales process, the ERP system is primarily used for order processing and delivery. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘In SAP [ERP], the orders are processed and also the logistics issue is carried out, i.e. truck scheduling and communication with the forwarder via SAP interfaces.’

• Tracking tools: Tools of this kind enable traceability of the goods when they are delivered to the customer. Especially in the project business, there can be high contractual penalties if a delivery is not made on time. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘That’s where it would be interesting for the entrepreneur to have a tracking app like that and see, okay, the truck is on the way.’

• Complaints portal: This tool, or portal, is used for simple and automatic complaints of defective goods by customers. This item is attributed to the implementation phase in this work because complaints in the case study occur during project execution and not after project completion (after-sales). An example from the expert interviews is: ‘Complaints tool, just complaints database, where we can just collectively say: Construction site XY, damage case XY, is recorded on XY.’

After-sales and customer retention

For this phase, we were able to identify three dimensions describing digital maturity. According to the interviews, the implication of digital tools for ‘lead generation and qualification,’ two different activities, as well as skills in social media, result in a high digital maturity for the assistance of after-sales and customer retention tasks. An overview of the sub-dimensions and items is shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Results for the phase after-sales and customer retention.

In this phase, with one exception, the same sub-dimensions are applicable as in the phase ‘search for project opportunities and customers’ described above. The high similarity of the sub-dimensions is because the main task of the case study company in the after-sales phase is to identify future customer needs. This is done by systematically monitoring and qualifying the customer after the purchase with the help of marketing tools and corresponding activities. This should enable the customer to be reacquired if there is a renewed intention to buy. A difference emerges, especially in the activities in which the potential of customer satisfaction surveys was highlighted. It was possible to identify one specific aspect for the online survey.

• Determine Net Promoter Score (NPS): The NPS is a key figure for measuring customer satisfaction. A customer is asked, using software, whether they would recommend the provider to a friend or family member. Based on an eleven-point response scale, customers are divided into detractor, passive, or promoter categories. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘So the NPS is surveyed, and it then sort of said, ‘To what extent would you recommend [us]?’ Because recommendation is simply the most important building block of customer loyalty.’

Cross-phase items of the main digital maturity dimensions

In addition to the sub-dimensions and items that could be identified for each phase of the sales process, there were also items identified that could not be related to a specific phase. Consequently, these items cannot be assigned to any of the aforementioned sub-dimensions but are directly subordinated to one of the main maturity dimensions and therefore relate to all phases of the project sales process. It should be noted that the maturity dimension ‘digital strategy’ does not have cross-phase items and is, therefore, not mentioned in this chapter.

Digital business culture

Although the term ‘business culture’ is not uniformly defined, in the present context, it is understood as collective behavior norms defined by the shared values, opinions, and attitudes of all members of an organization (Burack 1991). A digital business culture consequently encompasses shared attitudes and behaviors that are necessary for digitalization. Digital business culture is thus an essential dimension regarding the digital maturity of B2B organizations (Teichert 2019). The following four cross-phase items were identified in this main maturity dimension.

• Interdepartmental collaboration and communication: Communication and collaboration within the company must be possible across departmental boundaries. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘And that’s where you also have to push a lot more […] internal collaboration, so that you really bring that collaboration between the different silos, that we still have closer together.’

• Value and customer orientation instead of cost orientation: The organizational focus should be on customer needs and value creation rather than costs and budgets. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘What does the customer expect from us? Where can we become better? Where can we set ourselves apart from the competition? But these are soft factors. So, in a company, [often] the questions are asked at the end of the day, ‘For how many Euros more can you sell the product if we provide you with this tool?’’

• Error and risk tolerance: In order to develop further, it is important to accept mistakes and tolerate risks instead of striving for perfection. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘That’s why I think […] that a company must also be willing to take risks in order to say: ‘We also accept mistakes on many levels first.”’

• Ability to change: It is not just about the ability, but above all the motivation to initiate cultural change and to perpetuate those changes in the long term. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘And that’s a bit of the thing now, […] when you adapt such processes […] it needs quite a lot of cultural change.’

Leader responsibility

A remarkable finding is the variety of items that could be identified for this main digital maturity dimension, which in the context of the digitalization of sales processes could not be found in such detail in the literature. Managers in the context of the project sales process are mostly the respective sales manager(s). The following six cross-phase items could be identified:

• Organize and conduct sales training on digital tools: Managers must provide continual support to employees during the onboarding process and also immediately retrain employees when updates are made. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘Then I have to put that on my agenda as a manager and emphasize it clearly again and again and also introduce appropriate measures such as training courses […] I just have to introduce it.’

• Define clear and realistic sales targets: Sales targets must be formulated to be able to deploy the company’s digital services. In addition, incentives (e.g., bonuses) must be created for the fulfillment of these targets. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘[…] From the top from the management level, you have to say: “Okay, if we want to grow in the digital area, then we also have to set targets there and the targets flow into the bonus.”’

• Demonstrating the added value of digitalization: Managers need to demonstrate to their employees the reasons for implementing these tools and their benefits. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘It is relatively easy to explain to someone HOW to use a system. But to explain and anchor that in such a way that it is understood […] WHY it makes sense to use this tool […]: that is much more complicated and requires much, much work.’

• Take away employees’ fear of digitalization and coach them: Against the backdrop that some employees see digital tools as a threat, managers take on a kind of trainer role by providing their employees with emotional support and guiding them on the path to digitalization. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘It is often the case that many people see digitalization as a restriction […] It is very important that this is communicated very transparently and openly in order to take away the […] negative aspects of digitalization.’

• Role model function: The benefit of a digital tool is only authentic and credible if the tool is also successfully used by the managers in everyday life. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘So my philosophy is always, I can’t demand something from my employees where I don’t stand behind it myself and don’t do it myself.’

• Represent the opinions and interests of the sales staff on site: Sales managers must represent the opinions and interests of their sales team to other managers. This prevents the sales staff from receiving digital tools that make their day-to-day work more difficult rather than easier. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘The task of managers, in general, is always to carry the needs from the regions upwards and to enforce those.’

Digital business organization

In the present context, the term ‘digital business organization’ summarizes hierarchical and management structures as well as dedicated organizational roles or functions that support the digitalization of the project sales process (Teichert 2019). Organizational aspects refer to the company as a whole and are consequently not applicable to a specific phase of the sales process in focus. The three identified cross-phase items of this main maturity dimension are described in the following:

• Existence of an inside sales department: A digital sales department serves its customers purely digitally, via social media and online meeting tools such as WebEx, reducing the workload of the sales team in the field. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘[The customer] can then also […] talk to key account management […] and in harmonization with inside sales, which takes care of the rest of the customers: small customers, small contractors […], which we have so far managed faster than the classic field GBL, because there is simply more time […] via telephone or via web or via digital topics.’

• Existence of an independent digital department: To implement digitalization projects across departmental boundaries in the company, there must be an independent department with a high level of expertise. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘And of course, it’s not just a matter of doing something like that [digitalization] with the usual team, but at [our company], the digital team was set up specifically for that purpose.’

• Flat hierarchies: The organization should be characterized by short vertical communication and decision-making paths. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘I am a fan of short decision paths; that means not too many levels should be integrated, that means short connection.’

Digital tools

Digital tools were identified that are used throughout the entire sales process and, therefore, cannot be assigned to any specific phase or, consequently, to any sub-dimension. For this reason, the following six cross-phase items are directly assigned to the main maturity dimension ‘digital tools.’

• CRM system: This digital tool was named by 20 of the 21 experts surveyed. CRM systems can be found in nearly every company and form the technical basis for all phases of the project sales process. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘We do have this XRM system. So that’s the internal CRM system.’

• Online meeting tools: As a salesperson may have a customer appointment in any of the project sales phases, this tool is not phase-specific. Tools such as Teams help to establish regular contact with the customer before, during, and after a project. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘Some digital meetings with customers may also take place via Teams or Zoom or Facetime.’

• Mobile devices for the sales: Mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones are needed to access digital tools such as the CRM system. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘The [salesperson] should have something like an iPad or like a little unit where they write in the requirements.’

• Calendar and scheduling tools: These tools support scheduling and planning with internal and external project participants. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘In the current time […] we have the possibility to also view the inviter via the […] scheduling assistant, directly also in Outlook or also different other calendar types.’

• Customer portal: A customer-reserved area helps customers to make inquiries and manage their quotations, orders, and complaints and is therefore cross-phase. The registration can also be done through a company website. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘What I think has great potential for [us], for example, would be […] a customer portal. So, a platform where customers can get a lot of information, but also already start their own processes again, without having to rely on the involvement of employees on that now.’

• Business warehouse and business intelligence tools: With the help of such tools, data can be systematically collected and analyzed along the entire project sales process to create meaningful reports. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘We have SAP C4C as a CRM tool and SAP Lumira as a reporting tool.’

Digital skills

In addition to phase-specific digital skills of the employees, several other skills were identified that also cannot be assigned to any specific phase in the sales process.

• Technical understanding of the use of digital tools: Employees must be able to use the tools that are made available to them for the entire sales process. This ability can be acquired with the help of training, for example. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘If I want to use digital tools, I have to be able to handle them. And for that, I first have to have a certain ability to deal with such tools in the first place, of course.’

• Self-initiative, interest, and self-motivation: Employees need the ability to motivate themselves to use the tools and to practice voluntarily. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘It is important […] that there is simply a willingness to deal with digital media as well.’

• Skills in data and source maintenance: Sales must be able to enter customer and project data correctly into the CRM system and update it regularly. This helps with the subsequent traceability of all data. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘We also need the ability in sales to document everything you do in your daily work in a CRM system and work with it.’

• Data protection skills: The progressive digitalization of the project sales process also entails the risks of data misuse and leaks. Employees must have the ability to handle both customer and company data responsibly. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘So we […] also have training courses, which we complete ourselves with a small examination at our company, which […] are based on the topic of data protection. Because that’s exactly what can be disregarded more on the Internet than in the analog sector.’

• Online moderation skills: Sales employees need the ability to digitally moderate and lead conversations with customers, such as price negotiations or project meetings. Since online meetings occur in all phases, this item is cross-phase. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘How do I moderate a conversation where I am not at the same table? […] So how can I moderate it so that the messages are set correctly? That the customer gets the information he wants?’

• Identify and adapt the customer’s level of digitalization: The sales staff must recognize how digitally positioned their customers are and adapt to this level of digitalization along the entire sales process. An example from the expert interviews is: ‘If I call the customer who has an affinity for the future and talk to him about digitalization, I'm on a different level than if there’s someone there who says: no, he doesn’t, still does everything by post.’

Final digital maturity model for the B2B project sales process

The process-phase-based structure of the new model is based on that of the DREAMY model by De Carolis et al. (2017) and Mettler (2010). Figure 8 shows the newly developed descriptive digital maturity model for B2B project sales. The left part shows the main maturity dimensions as well as the cross-phase items. The right part shows the previously described sub-dimensions and their items for each phase of the project sales process in overview.

Figure 8. The new digital maturity model for B2B project sales.

Measuring the digital maturity of B2B project sales phases

For measuring the digital maturity of the individual phases in the project sales process, the digital maturity model was adapted into an assessment tool (Schumacher, Nemeth, and Sihn 2019). Assuming that the identified sub-dimensions fully describe the digital maturity of the superordinate phase, the maturity level of one phase is calculated from the arithmetic mean of the maturity levels of its sub-dimensions, whose maturity is, in turn, measured by the items subordinate to it. For each sub-dimension, a company assesses the extent to which the corresponding items are implemented. Items particularly relevant to digital maturity, such as the presence of VR/MR tools for acquisition talks, are more heavily weighted. Overall, a company can score a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 5 points in each sub-dimension.

Based on the arithmetic mean of the sub-dimension scores and their subsequent rounding, the maturity level of an entire phase can then be determined. Specific descriptions were developed for the phase-specific maturity levels (see Table 6, Table 7, and Table 8). However, due to the small number of sub-dimensions and items, it was not possible to determine maturity levels for the offer preparation and negotiation phase. In addition, the sub-dimensions of the first and last phases show great similarities, which is why no separate maturity level measurement was determined for the phase ‘after-sales and customer retention.’

Table 6. Maturity level for the phase search for project opportunities and customers.

Maturity level	Description
5 (Digital oriented)	Marketing and sales have all the relevant digital tools for generating and qualifying leads. This means that all digital touchpoints with potential customers, such as on social media or on the company website, can be stored and analyzed. Leads are qualified in a targeted manner, with content tailored to them (nurturing) and evaluated using AI-based lead scoring models. Marketing and sales are in close contact with each other and process the customer along their customer journey together, so that there are no longer any silos. On the software side, this collaboration is realized through application programming interfaces (APIs) between the marketing systems and the CRM system.
4 (Advanced digitalization)	By introducing further digital tools such as marketing automation software, leads can be systematically stored, and typical nurturing activities such as e-mail marketing can be automated. The company regularly offers potential customers digital events, (e.g., in the form of webinars on relevant industry topics). With the help of digital tools such as a chatbot, potential customers can be addressed automatically. Intensive, long-term training on digital tools and employee coaching help to increase acceptance.
3 (Average digitalization)	Following the trend from outbound to inbound marketing, the company starts sharing customer-relevant content on social networks, for example. Classic customer pain points are addressed on the company’s own website. Responsibility for this lies in marketing. Sales is not yet aware of the benefits of these digital tools and is not yet adept at using online platforms such as social media.
2 (Basic digitalization)	The first digital tools for generating leads have already been established, such as external databases. However, the quality of the leads is often poor, so that they must be checked manually by employees. The distrust of sales staff toward marketing-induced leads means that leads are still primarily generated personally. As a result of the continuing low level of communication between marketing and sales, marketing has little knowledge of the market and is therefore hardly able to generate customer-relevant content.
1 (Initial)	The company does not use digital tools to generate and qualify leads. There is little communication between marketing and sales. The marketing department is primarily responsible for creating and distributing company advertising as part of classic outbound marketing. The sales staff generates its customer and project leads exclusively through personal conversations.

Table 7. Maturity level for the phase presentation of the performance portfolio and consultation.

Maturity level	Description
5 (Digital oriented)	Sales has a wide range of visualization tools at its disposal for acquisition talks. Virtual reality applications, for example, enable the customer to perceive desired products and solutions even more intensively and thus simplify the purchase decision. With the help of file-hosting software, the customer can upload their 3 D models and make them available to all relevant people, such as the technical department, securely and without loss even before the official start of the project.
4 (Advanced digitalization)	Sales can not only visualize 3 D models on site but also edit them so that customer requests can be considered immediately. The company offers a range of digital pre-sales services such as automatic calculation of the project’s CO2 footprint.
3 (Average digitalization)	The use of further visualization software, such as 3 D visualization tools in the acquisition talk, can significantly improve the customer experience. The sales department can advise customers based on a 3 D model. By means of a reference database, the sales department can access projects that have already been carried out at the customer’s site. Sales and technical staff communicate much more intensively with each other.
2 (Basic digitalization)	The sales department uses basic tools such as PowerPoint to present the service portfolio to the customer. Employees in the technical department can increase the quality of their advice by using special software such as CAD programs.
1 (Initial)	Sales staff only conduct face-to-face customer meetings and do not use digital tools. The lack of communication between sales and technical staff results in slow and inefficient customer service.

Table 8. Maturity level for the phase implementation.

Maturity level	Description
5 (Digital oriented)	The company owns and uses all relevant digital tools to handle the project flawlessly.
4 (Advanced digitalization)	The company has almost all the digital tools for efficient project management.
3 (Average digitalization)	The company has numerous digital tools in production as well as in the delivery and visualization of the current project status.
2 (Basic digitalization)	The company has basic digital tools to handle the project more efficiently.
1 (Initial)	Project processing takes place almost completely in analog. This concerns the production as well as the delivery and the visualization of the current project status.

Discussion and conclusion

The objective was to identify dimensions and items of digital maturity in each phase of the project sales process. The key insight is that the digital maturity of each phase of the project sales process is composed of different sub-dimensions. For example, the digital maturity of the phase ‘search for project opportunities and customers’ is described by ‘online marketing activities’ and the sub-dimensions ‘lead generation and qualification tools’ as well as ‘social media skills.’ A more detailed examination also reveals that of the three main maturity dimensions identified, only the dimension ‘digital tools’ has sub-dimensions in all five process phases. In contrast, other main maturity dimensions, like digital business organization or digital business culture, do not have any sub-dimensions but only cross-phase items. Exceptions in this context are the activities that were only identified during the case study within different phases but not across phases. For the main maturity dimension ‘digital strategy,’ which was already identified within the systematic literature review, neither sub-dimensions nor cross-phase items could be identified in the case study, which is why this dimension was not included in the new DMM, either. The identified (cross-phase) items of the main maturity dimension ‘digital culture’ show similarities to the work of Teichert (2019), who conducted a systematic literature review on the identification of digital culture attributes in DMMs. The results of the case study thus reinforce the findings of Teichert (2019) and underline that digital business culture is an essential prerequisite for the digital maturity of the project sales process and the organization as a whole.

In addition to these more general findings on the main maturity dimensions, we also identified trends in the sub-dimensions of some phases. For example, all the digital tools identified in the phase ‘search for project opportunities and customers’ further the goal of addressing a potential customer with relevant content as early as possible, even before they have developed a concrete intention to buy. Despite this potential of digital tools, however, the experts observed the particular importance of face-to-face visits to customers to teach them about project opportunities at an early stage. This finding confirms the finding of Rabetino, Ogundipe, and Kohtamäki (2018) that personal contact is irreplaceable for project acquisition in the project business.

Looking at the digital maturity of the phase ‘offer preparation and negotiation,’ it is noticeable that no sub-dimensions could be determined specifically for negotiation but only for offer preparation. The experts believe that the interpersonal aspect of negotiation is far more important than the use of (digital) tools supporting negotiation. These findings reveal a discrepancy between the literature (Braun et al. 2006; Kersten and Lai 2008) and the empirical results regarding the use of digital tools in the context of negotiations.

Another point of discussion concerns the underlying measurement approach of the new DMM. Currently, the digital maturity of each sub-dimension is determined solely by the number of its subordinate items. An alternative approach would be to design a Likert scale with five normative responses that reflect the digital maturity of each sub-dimension (Rafael et al. 2020). In this context, Schumacher, Nemeth, and Sihn (2019) present a very detailed approach for measuring the digital maturity of manufacturing companies. They describe four individual maturity levels for each of the total of 65 items, by summing, weighting, and averaging. With this, they propose a way of determining the maturity level of the entire organization.

The new DMM thematically follows the research of De Carolis et al. (2017), who, after developing the DREAMY model, pointed out the need to integrate sales and, particularly the process underlying it, into the model’s maturity measurement. Although the present DMM follows the model structure of De Carolis et al. (2017), the two DMMs have distinct differences: The DREAMY model does not include any phase-specific sub-dimensions of digital maturity but uses the same maturity dimensions for all five addressed company areas and process phases, and it does not differentiate between companies’ various business types. The newly developed DMM, on the other hand, shall enable precise measurement of the digital maturity of each phase of the sales process in the project business.

In addition, the new DMM was classified in the characteristic areas given by De Bruin et al. (2005; Table 1). According to the results presented above, the new DMM can be classified as follows. The target audience of the new DMM is the management or executive board of a company and thus not an external audience. The method of application was selected to be a user-friendly dashboard via Microsoft Excel, which can be applied by representatives of the company itself, thus enabling self-assessment. The driver of application can be, for example, internal requirements for measuring the level of digitalization in the project sales process. In addition to managers, the persons to be interviewed (i.e., the respondents) are also employees in the sales department. Although the model was developed based on only a single case study, it is meant to be applicable to other companies that are active in the B2B project business. In this respect, the application of the model is not limited to single entities and/or regions.

The results presented are also in line with the findings of Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein (2021), who researched the digitalization potential of the individual phases of a generic sales process, depending on business type, as part of the development of their digital transformation model. They found that in some cases, the individual phases of the sales process have very different potentials for digitalization (Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein 2021). This could be why several sub-dimensions and items for the phase ‘search for project opportunities and customers’ could be derived from the available results but hardly any sub-dimensions and items for the phase ‘offer and negotiation.’ Against this background, it can be assumed that activities still exist within the (project) sales process that cannot be digitalized or digitalized only with difficulty in the foreseeable future.

However, the new DMM expands on Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein (2021) study, in that the digital maturity of each of its phases is characterized by distinct, empirically determined sub-dimensions and items. This phase-specific view of the maturity dimensions enables a quantitative measurement of the digital maturity of each phase, whereas Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein (2021) determined the digitalization potential of the individual phases using exclusively subjective self-assessments by experts.

Regarding the practical application of the DMM, the results also emphasize that digitalization in sales should not be reduced exclusively to the use of digital technologies or tools, and that the implementation of single measures is not sufficient. Rather, digitalization in terms of a customer-oriented management approach requires the holistic alignment and adaptation of structures and processes, of information systems, and also of individual and collective ways of thinking and behaving in a sales environment that is continuously changing (e.g., with regard to customers’ behaviors and expectations or with regard to the transformation of the customer-sales relationship due to ongoing digitalization) (Fischer, Seidenstricker, and Poeppelbuss 2022, Nguyen, Jaber, and Simkin 2022).

Against this backdrop, the results, in line with the literature, once again underscore that digital business culture is an essential prerequisite for developing the digital maturity of the entire organization. In addition, the results show that the definition of the project sales process, or rather the activities associated with it, is another basic prerequisite for achieving digital maturity in order to be able to exploit the effectiveness and efficiency benefits associated with digitalization. Furthermore, it becomes obvious that especially the cross-phase items of the main digital maturity dimensions have to be considered when applying the DMM. With regard to the spectrum of possible uses of digital tools across the entire project sales process that is becoming apparent, it is also clear that personal customer contact is still irreplaceable in the context of project acquisition and that it is therefore important to train or empower employees with regard to digital skills at an early stage in order to be able to make meaningful use these tools and to avoid frustration.

Striving for digitalization in sales therefore requires a comprehensive further development in which a large number of measures must be embedded in the sales process and implemented integrally because digitalization in sales is achieved primarily through (1) a demand-driven or task-oriented technology selection, (2) the workings of an agile organization, and (3) employees who strive for customer satisfaction and innovation in their daily work (Binckebanck 2016).

Limitations and future research

Conducting case studies entails limitations and restrictions. These primarily include the classic criticisms of case studies, such as concerns about the seriousness and/or generalizability of the methodology (Yin 1989). In particular, the criticism of a lack of seriousness is frequently voiced due to the relatively high number of case studies in popular science. According to Yin (2018), a distinction must be made between statistical and analytical generalization. The former describes the generalization of results through the highest possible sample numbers, or even full surveys, to most accurately reflect the overall population. However, this type of generalization is neither possible nor desirable in scientific case studies, especially single-case studies (Yin 2018). Analytic generalization, on the other hand, involves generalizing the results of the case study by comparing them to results and hypotheses of other researchers and either disproving or confirming existing hypotheses or even generating new hypotheses for future research. In this paper, an analytical generalization was made by applying the results of the case study to the general phases of the B2B project sales process and then developing a new DMM for B2B project sales. The design of the new model was also guided by the recommendations of Becker, Knackstedt, and Pöppelbuß (2009) for developing new maturity models. The new DMM was contextualized within the existing research context during the discussion. Although we tried to provide a generalization, we invite fellow researchers to apply and validate the DMM in other companies and industries. This can potentially lead to development of the DMM.

Besides the limitations of the chosen research method, the research field of maturity models itself should also be critically examined. A typical criticism addresses in particular the method’s simplification of reality and the lack of empirical foundation of maturity or stage models (De Bruin et al. 2005; King and Kraemer 1984). However, the criticism regarding a lack of empirical foundation does not apply to the newly developed DMM, as the maturity dimensions were developed based on an empirical case study.

According to De Bruin et al. (2005, 5) the (sub-)dimensions of maturity models must be ‘mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive.’ In contrast, in the context of the present work, not only digital tools but also activities that can be carried out or supported by digital tools were identified for some phases, which means that connections between the respective dimensions cannot be fully ruled out.

Future work should identify further sub-dimensions and items for each process phase using qualitative methods or cross-industry expert interviews to detail the model. In addition, a review of the identified sub-dimensions and items of digital maturity is useful and recommended. In this context, the presumed correlation between the main maturity dimensions ‘digital tools’ and ‘activities’ should also be examined and, if appropriate, corresponding adjustments should be made to distinctly separate these maturity dimensions.

There is also potential for further research regarding the expansion of the new DMM to include aspects of data protection law, which were mentioned in the expert interviews (e.g., regarding opt-in procedures in marketing or approval workflows in production). However, it was not possible to integrate these and similar aspects into the model within the scope of this paper, although a connection between the digital maturity of the project sales process and data privacy and data security in companies can be presumed. Future work should, therefore, deal with these aspects more intensively.

Further research is also needed regarding the further development of maturity measurement, which has already been addressed in the discussion. In this context, it was suggested to determine separate maturity levels for each sub-dimension based on the CMMI level principle by assigning the subordinate items of a sub-dimension to the five maturity levels analogous to the CMMI. Thus, to reach a certain maturity level in a sub-dimension, all items of that level and the levels below would have to be fulfilled cumulatively. However, in the context of the present work, the maturity measurement was performed exclusively for phase-specific sub-dimensions. Therefore, in addition to changing the logic of maturity measurement, future work should also integrate the items of the main cross-phase maturity dimensions.

In addition, the solely descriptive nature of the new DMM should also be discussed. Following De Bruin et al. (2005), a descriptive maturity model can be developed into a prescriptive, or predictive, model. For such an evolution of the currently descriptive DMM, the model or the underlying measurement logic must be extended such that a digital roadmap can be developed based on the maturity dimensions or items assessed. For this reason, the newly developed DMM is not suitable for prescriptive applications because the subordinate items were not assigned to chronological categories. Hence, we call for a categorization of the identified items for each phase, based on a chronological digital transformation process following Schumacher, Nemeth, and Sihn (2019).

Despite its limitations and identified potential for improvement, the new digital maturity model makes a valuable contribution, both to science and to practice. It fulfills the requirement of De Carolis et al. (2017) for a maturity model for sales, even though this paper did not extend the DREAMY model itself but only adopted the structure of the model to the new DMM. The model also takes up the point made by Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein (2021) that the potential for digitalization, and consequently also the definition of digital maturity, should differ depending on the type of business and process phase. Although the model was developed based on only a single case study, it aims to be applicable to other companies active in the B2B project business. In this respect, the application of the model is not limited to single entities and/or regions. Overall, the new digital maturity model not only closes an existing research gap but also promises practical benefits: By measuring the digital maturity of each phase of the B2B project sales process, companies can identify which process phase requires action and initiate appropriate development measures in a targeted manner.

Declaration of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This contribution is part of the project ‘Predictive Analytics Systems in Sales’ (PASS) and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (promotional code: 02L20C040).

Appendix

Figure A1. Procedure within the systematic literature analysis (cf. Levy and Ellis 2006).

Table A1. Results of the methodological analysis.

Article	1	2	3	4	5
K1: Journal reputation	C	B	no journal	no journal	no journal
K2: Systematic model development	other systematic development	other systematic development	other systematic development	other systematic development	development according to De Bruin et al. (2005), Becker, Knackstedt, and Pöppelbuß (2009)
K3: Documentation of the development process	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
K4: Building on existing (D)MM	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
K5: Validation via case study	No	Yes	No	No	Yes
K6: Scope of the model	practice	practice	practice	practice	practice
K7: Model type	not classified	prescriptive, comparative	not classified	not classified	descriptive
K8: Application/assessment	not mentioned	self-assessment	not mentioned	not mentioned	self-assessment
K9: Assessment tool	other	other	other	other	questionnaire, meetings
K10: Bottom measuring level	sales department	sales process	organization	organization	organization
K11: Focus Project Sales	No	No	No	No	No

Table A2. Overview of dimensions from the literature and interviews.

Main maturity dimension (identified from the literature review)	Sub-dimension (identified from the interviews)	Items (identified from the interviews)	Sales process phase
Digital skills	Social media skills	Networking skills	Search for project opportunities and customers after sales and customer retention
		Skills in creating relevant content
		Technical expertise in using digital tools	Apply to the entire sales process
		Own initiative, interest in digitalization and self-motivation
		Data and source maintenance skills
		Online moderation skills
		Identification and adaptation of the customer´s level of digitalization
Digital tools	Lead-generation and qualification tools	Social media platforms	Search for project opportunities and customers after sales and customer retention
		Company website
		Chatbot
		External lead database
		Marketing automation software
	Visualizing tools	3D model viewers	Presentation of the performance portfolio and consultation
		Virtual/mixed reality
		Presentation programs
	Technical tools	Industry-specific tools	Presentation of the performance portfolio and consultation
		CAD programs
		File hosting software/cloud
	Quotation tools	Quotation calculator	Offer preparation and negotiation
		Configure price quote software
	Logistic tools	ERP software	Implementation
		Tracking tools
		Complaints portal
		Customer relationship management system	Apply to the entire sales process
		Online meeting tools
		Calendar and scheduling tools
		Business warehouse and business intelligence tools
		Customer portal
		Mobile devices for the sales
Leader responsibility		Organize and conduct sales training on digital tools	Apply to the entire sales process
		Define clear and realistic sales targets
		Demonstrate the added value of digitalization
		Take away employees´ fear of digitalization and coach them
		Role model function
		Represent the opinions and interests of the sales staff on site
Digital business organization		Existence of an inside sales department	Apply to the entire sales process
		Existence of an independent digital department
		Flat hierarchies
Digital business culture		Interdepartmental collaboration and communication	Apply to the entire sales process
		Value and customer orientation instead of cost orientation
		Error and risk tolerance
		Ability to change
Activities (identified from the interviews)	Online marketing activities	Email marketing	Search for project opportunities and customers, after sales and customer retention
		Search engine marketing
		Conduct (digital) events
	Digital pre-sales services	Digital model check	Presentation of the performance portfolio and consultation
		Emission determination of the project
	Online surveys	Determine Net Promoter Score	After sales and customer retention