Principles of Marketing
by Jeff Tanner and Mary Anne Raymond
Chapter 4
Business Buying Behavior
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Learning Objectives
1. Identify the ways in which business-to-business (B2B)
markets differ from business-to-consumer (B2C)
markets.
2. Explain why business buying is acutely affected
by the behavior of consumers.
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Business Customers
• Business-to-business (B2B) markets differ
from business-to-consumer (B2C) markets.
Number
S______
•The number sold to business markets is much
greater than consumer markets.
•The size of each transaction for business customers
is also much greater.
C_________
•Business products can be far more complex.
•Custom building and retrofitting is common.
P_________
________
•Because the transactions are large, personal selling
is justified.
•The agility of interactive personal selling allows
changes to be made to meet conditions.
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Demand for B2B Products
• B2B sellers watch general economic conditions to anticipate
consumer buying patterns that can affect demand.
• _______ demand—demand that is derived from a source
other than the primary buyer of a product.
• ___________ demand—a small change in demand by
consumers can have a big ________ throughout the chain of
businesses that supply all the goods and services that
produce it.
• _______ demand—occurs when demand for one product
_____________ the demand for another.
• Companies try to influence their B2B sales by directly
influencing ______________.
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Key Takeaway
• B2B markets differ from B2C markets:
-- more transactions in B2B markets
-- larger transaction size in B2B
-- there are fewer B2B customers
• Derived demand is demand that comes
from a secondary source.
• Fluctuating demand is another
characteristic of B2B markets.
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Types of B2B Buyers
Learning Objectives
1.Describe the major categories of business
buyers.
2.Explain why finding decision makers in
business markets is challenging for sellers.
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B2B Buyers
• Business buyers can be either _________ or
_____-profit businesses.
P_______
• _______ basic categories:
B2B
buyers
I________
R______
G__________
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Producers
• Producers are companies that purchase
goods and services that they ________ into
other products.
• These businesses have to buy certain
_________ to produce the goods and
services they create.
• Producers generally buy in ________
quantities.
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Resellers
• Resellers are companies that sell goods
and services produced by other firms
without materially changing them.
• Large wholesalers, brokers, and retailers
are typical resellers.
• Large resellers wield considerable power
on producers as they provide customers
and influence prices.
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Governments
• Business-to-government (B2G) markets
--State/local governments buy huge amounts of products.
--U.S. government is the world’s largest buyer of goods and
services.
--Each agency will have its own procurement policies.
--Would-be sellers are often asked to submit sealed bids.
--Contrary to popular belief, it’s not always the lowest bid
that’s accepted.
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Institutions
Institutional Markets
Include nonprofit organizations
Charitable organizations,
private colleges, civic clubs
Buy Products and Services in Large Quantities
Holding costs down
is especially important
The lower the cost,
the more people they can serve
Products and Services Bought
The same as used by consumers
The quantity bought is much greater
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Purchasing Decisions in Business Markets
_______ makes the decision to buy?
• Not always clear when dealing with business customers.
Finding the _________ maker is key.
• Where to start in B2B sales can be a little bit like a scavenger hunt.
There may be _________ involved.
• There are tiers of B2B and B2C customers.
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Key Takeaway
• Business buyers can be either nonprofit or for-profit
businesses.
• Four basic categories of business buyers:
-- producers
-- resellers
-- governments
-- institutions
• Institutional markets include nonprofit organizations.
• Figuring out who exactly in B2B markets is responsible
for what gets purchased and when often requires some
detective work by marketing professionals and the
salespeople they work with.
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Buying Centers
Learning Objectives
1. Explain what a buying center is.
2. Explain who the members of buying centers are
and describe their roles.
3. Describe the duties of professional buyers.
4. Describe the personal and interpersonal
dynamics that affect the decisions buying
centers make.
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Buying Centers
• Buying centers are groups of people
within organizations who make
purchasing decisions.
• Buyers—may have different titles
-- agents
-- purchasing managers
-- procurement officers
-- merchandisers (retailers)
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Buyers’ Responsibilities
The Duties of Professional Buyers
• Considering the availability of products, the reliability of the products’
vendors, and the technical support they can provide
• Studying a company’s sales records and inventory levels suppliers and
obtaining bids from them
• Negotiating prices, delivery dates, and payment terms for goods and
services
• Keeping abreast of changes in the supply and demand for goods and
services their firms need
• Staying informed of the latest trends so as to anticipate consumer buying
patterns
• Determining the media (TV, the Internet, newspapers, and so forth) in
which advertisements will be placed
• Tracking advertisements in newspapers and other media to check
competitors’ sales activities
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Other Buying Center Players
Users
Influencers
Buyer
Buying Centers
Deciders
Gatekeepers
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Interpersonal and Personal Dynamics
of B2B Marketing
• The dynamics that surround B2B marketing don’t
always lead to the best purchasing decisions.
• Interpersonal factors among the people making the
buying decisions often have an impact on the products
chosen.
• B2B marketers are aware of these dynamics and try to
influence the outcome.
• B2B marketing is very strategic. Selling firms gather
information about their customers and use that
information to their advantage.
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Key Takeaway
• Buying centers are groups of people within organizations who make
purchasing decisions.
• The buying centers of large organizations employ professional
buyers.
• Other people who provide input are
-- users
-- influencers
-- gatekeepers
-- deciders
• Interpersonal dynamics between the people in a buying center may
affect the choices the center makes.
• Personal factors, such as how likeable is the seller, may also
contribute.
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Stages in the B2B Buying Process
Learning Objectives
1. Outline the stages in the B2B buying process.
2. Explain the scorecard evaluation of proposals.
3. Describe the different types of B2B buying
situations and how they affect sellers.
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Stages in the B2B Buying Process
Need recognition
Need described and quantified
Search for potential vendors
Qualified suppliers asked for RFP
Proposals evaluated and supplier
selected
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Stages in the B2B Buying Process, cont’d
Order routine is established
Postpurchase evaluation
is conducted
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Types of B2B Buying Situations
Straight
rebuy
• Buys the same product
in the same quantities
from the same vendor
Modified
rebuy
• The same type of
product as in the past
only modified or a
new vendor used
New buy
• Firm purchases a
product for the first
time
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Key Takeaway
• Stages in the B2B buying process
-- need recognition
-- need is described and quantified
-- search for qualified suppliers
-- supplier sent a request for proposal
-- submitted proposals are evaluated
-- supplier(s) selected and ordered routines
-- postpurchase evaluation is conducted
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International B2B Markets and E-Commerce
Learning Objectives
1. Describe the reasons why firms in the same
industries are often located in the same geographic
areas.
2. Explain the effect e-commerce is having on the
firms, the companies they do business with, where
they are located, and the prices they charge.
3. Outline the different types of e-commerce sites and
what each type of site is used for.
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B2B Markets
• B2B markets in the same industry tend to
cluster in the same geographic areas.
• Clustering occurs as the resources that these
firms need are located in some areas but not
others.
• Clusters also occur as sellers want to be close
to their buyers.
• These clusters occur both domestically and
internationally.
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B2B and E-Commerce
• E-commerce, such as over the Internet, has
made locating near buyers less important.
• B2B e-commerce has been slower to take
hold than B2C e-commerce.
• Companies have developed e-commerce
systems that allow their customers to do
many things for themselves.
• B2B over intranets and extranets enables
JIT.
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B2B Web Sites
• B2B exchanges—e-commerce sites where
buyers and sellers find and do business
with one another.
• B2B auctions—Web-based auctions that
occur between businesses.
• Reverse auctions—occur when buyer and
seller roles are reversed.
• Some companies conduct their own
auctions on their Web sites.
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Pricing in E-Commerce Markets
• E-commerce empowers both consumers
and businesses to shop for price.
• As a result many products have reached
commodity status.
• Some companies refuse to sell their
products directly online or list their prices
on the Web site to avoid price wars.
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Key Takeaway
• Firms in the same industry tend to cluster in the same
geographic areas.
• Clustering occurs because sellers want to be close to their
buyers.
• E-commerce has made locating near buyers less important.
• E-commerce has also led to more competition and made it
difficult to raise their prices.
• B2B e-commerce was slower to take hold than B2C e-commerce.
• Companies have since developed sophisticated e-commerce
systems, including sell-side and buy-side Web sites, exchanges,
and B2B auctions.
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