Selling and buying behavior in business to business markets has rapidly changed over the past decades as markets become more competitive, technology evolves fast and customer expectations have changed. Thus, the focus changed from the buyer or seller to being the sole individual responsible for handling business relationships. Nowadays, everybody in a company who can provide an input to the process is actively involved as the boundaries of different horizontal and vertical levels are fading which used to determine the scope of responsibility in the past. Therefore, the general terms of ‘Buying Center’ and ‘Selling Center’ have become important as they define the people being involved in a purchase.
The aim of this dissertation is to provide an overview of the significant determinants of a buying and a selling center, the roles the individuals play in a purchase and the influences on buying and selling behavior on different levels. Additionally, the buying and selling process and the collaboration of the respective centers in the process are being considered. The first chapter focuses on the major changes of selling and buying in the past decades. Chapter three provides the general definitions of B2B markets, the goods being purchased and the terms of buying and selling centers. In addition, the major characteristics that determine a buying situation are being described. In the subsequent chapters, buying and selling behavior is being analyzed separately. Hence, chapter four outlines the roles in a buying center and analyzes who is likely to occupy these roles. After that, a model of the buying decision process is established to illustrate who is involved at which stage. With the purpose of surveying the preliminarily established assumptions of buying behavior, an interview with a buyer is conducted. At the end of the fourth chapter, the findings are summarized and implications for further research are provided. The fifth chapter elaborates the selling side of a purchase. Implications from the fourth chapter are included as the roles of the selling center and the seller’s decision process are depicted. Subsequently, analogue to the previous chapter, theory is revised on the base of an interview with a selling agent. In the sixth chapter the two sides of a purchase and their members are considered jointly. Concluding, the key findings are outlined, implications for the management are evolved and recommendations for potential future research are made.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Change of Buying and Selling Behavior
3 Basic Terms of Buying and Selling in B2B Markets
3.1 Buying and Selling Centers
3.2 The Nature of Buying Situations
4 Buying Behavior
4.1 The Members of the Buying Center
4.2 The Buying Decision Process
4.3 Determinants of Buying Behavior
4.3.1 External Influences on Buying Behavior
4.3.2 Internal Influences on Buying Behavior
4.3.2.1 The Organizational Environment
4.3.2.2 Interpersonal Influences on Buying Behavior
4.3.2.3 The Individual’s Influence on the Buying Center
4.4 Practical Example: Interview with a Purchasing Agent
4.4.1 The Members of the Buying Center
4.4.2 The Buying Decision Process
4.4.3 Internal and External Influences on Buying Behavior
4.5 Critical Reflection and Implication for Research
5 Selling Behavior
5.1 The Members of the Selling Center
5.1.1 The Special Role of the Salesman and his Performance
5.2 The Selling Decision Process
5.3 Practical Example: Interview with a Selling Agent
5.3.1 The Members of the Selling Center
5.3.2 The Selling Decision Process
5.3.3 Internal and External Influences on Selling Behavior
5.4 Critical Reflection and Implication for Research
6 The Buyer-Seller-Interface
7 Conclusion
Research Objectives & Topics
This thesis examines the dynamics of buying and selling behavior in B2B markets, focusing on the roles, influences, and collaborative processes within Buying and Selling Centers. The primary research goal is to understand how organizational structures, personal motivations, and situational factors shape the interaction between buyers and sellers, ultimately providing insights into how companies can effectively coordinate these complex processes.
- The structure and composition of Buying and Selling Centers.
- The stages of the B2B buying and selling decision processes.
- Internal and external determinants influencing B2B purchasing and sales behaviors.
- The role of the buyer-seller interface in building long-term business relationships.
- Comparative analysis through practical interviews with purchasing and selling agents.
Excerpt from the Thesis
4.4.1 The Members of the Buying Center
The first set of questions applied to the people involved in a purchase. It is possible to identify the introduced buying center roles from chapter 4.1. In the cosmetics company depending on the buying task the buyer, engineers, the headquarter, the legal department, the project manager and the management board are involved in a purchase.
Generally, how a purchasing situation is created and who occupies the role of the initiator in the cosmetics company depends on the type of purchase. There are three kinds of buying needs that lead to a purchase: Replacement, modification and new investment. These can be compared to the three buy classes of new task buy, modified rebuy and straight rebuy illustrated in chapter 3.2. Depending on the type of purchase, the role of the initiator is occupied by different people within the cosmetics company. First of all, the need for the replacement of a machine is identified by the production center. In that case, the engineers in the production center would be the initiators. The replacement could be initiated due to abrasion or low performance of the present machine. Secondly, if there is the need for modification, the purchase is initiated by the head quarter. This is for example the case when the marketing department intends to change the design of a shampoo and therefore the shape of the bottle changes. Hence, the present filling machines need to be modified to be able to pick up the new bottle and fill in the liquid. Thirdly, in a new buy situation the initiator is either the production center or the head quarter. The production center would be the initiator if the new machine is bought due to automation. This is the case if human work is not profitable anymore and hence it is replaced by a machine. Additionally, if for example a certain product is in great demand, the head quarter might decide that further machines are needed to achieve an addition to capacity.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Introduces the shift towards complex Buying and Selling Centers in B2B markets and outlines the research objective.
2 Change of Buying and Selling Behavior: Analyzes how globalization, technology, and shifting customer expectations have transformed organizational buying and selling dynamics.
3 Basic Terms of Buying and Selling in B2B Markets: Defines fundamental concepts including direct/indirect goods and the informal nature of buying/selling centers.
4 Buying Behavior: Examines the roles, decision stages, and multi-level influences (external/internal) that characterize B2B buying behavior.
5 Selling Behavior: Explores the selling center, the unique role of the salesperson, and the selling process as a strategic counterpart to buying behavior.
6 The Buyer-Seller-Interface: Synthesizes the two sides of the purchase, emphasizing the role of the buyer and seller as relationship coordinators.
7 Conclusion: Summarizes the key findings regarding the impact of product complexity on the power dynamics within buying and selling centers.
Keywords
B2B markets, Buying Center, Selling Center, Buying Decision Process, Selling Decision Process, Industrial Marketing, Relationship Management, Purchasing Agent, Salesman, Organizational Behavior, External Influences, Internal Influences, Technical Complexity, Adaptive Selling, Strategic Exchange.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
This thesis examines buying and selling behavior within Business-to-Business (B2B) markets, specifically focusing on the composition, dynamics, and decision-making processes of Buying and Selling Centers.
What are the core thematic areas?
The study centers on the roles within buying and selling teams, the specific decision-making stages involved in B2B transactions, and the external/internal factors that influence these behaviors.
What is the central research objective?
The objective is to provide an overview of the determinants of Buying and Selling Centers, clarify the roles individuals play, and analyze how these two sides collaborate in a purchase process.
Which scientific methods were applied?
The research combines an extensive literature review with qualitative analysis based on interviews with a professional purchasing agent and a sales agent to validate theoretical models.
What is addressed in the main body?
The main body details the evolution of B2B markets, defines the roles within buying/selling centers, maps out the stages of decision processes, and analyzes the organizational, interpersonal, and individual influences on these processes.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Keywords include B2B markets, Buying/Selling Center, decision processes, relationship management, and organizational influence.
How does technical complexity affect the power of the buyer?
The research identifies a linearity where the buyer's power is constrained by technical experts as the product's technical complexity increases; for simple products, the buyer holds more decision-making authority.
What role does the salesperson play in the selling center?
The salesperson acts as a boundary-spanning coordinator who manages the relationship, gathers client requirements, and aligns internal company resources to offer a tailored solution.
- Quote paper
- Louise Voigt (Author), 2012, Business to Business - Buying Behavior, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/198952
