B2B customer referencing through boundary spanners and boundary objects in the health technology sector

Abstract

Customer referencing has become an increasingly important tool for B2B sellers seeking to bridge knowledge boundaries with expert customers by highlighting previous successful deliveries. This paper explores the phenomenon of customer referencing from the seller's perspective in a knowledge-intensive customer context. The study employs a constructivist grounded theory approach, with data collected from twenty-two interviews and one focus group with health technology supplier managers to conceptualize customer referencing in a knowledge-intensive B2B context. By integrating insights from the boundary spanning literature, the findings identify six boundary spanning roles of customer referencing: Certification, Anchor, and Bridge (boundary objects), and Ambassador, Integrator, and Broker (boundary spanners) . We present a grounded theory framework that offers a nuanced understanding of how the different customer referencing roles carry both functional and dysfunctional attributes in boundary spanning. In doing so, it advances the conceptualization of customer referencing as a boundary spanning phenomenon, particularly in knowledge-intensive B2B markets.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Industrial Marketing Management, 2026 · DOI ↗