A Customer-oriented Manager for B2B Services

5Understanding the Purchase

5.1. Buying center concept

The buying center is the term that designates all the people who are involved in the process and decision to purchase a product or service in a B2B context. Not all companies have a purchasing or procurement department, but every B2B purchasing process involves a buying center. This buying center can be limited to one person in the simplest situations or for the purchase of specific services, or it can include many people for more complex purchasing situations.

5.1.1. Composition of the buying center

5.1.1.1. Roles

The buying center is made up of people with specific roles in the buying process and often different expectations towards the provider and its offering. The following main roles are usually distinguished:

• – The initiator: triggers the need and is thus at the origin of the purchase. The more important the strategic and financial dimension of the service is for the client, the more the initiator tends to have a high hierarchical position. A president or CEO is usually the initiator of ambitious projects and investments. The human resources department takes the initiative to call on a recruiting firm. A maintenance manager of an industrial site initiates the consultation of construction companies. A product manager expresses the need for a graphic designer to help him/her in the implementation of his/her communication plan. The initiator can be confused with the user or the buyer in certain purchasing situations ...