CHAPTER 8

The
Buying Process
and
Buyer Behaviour
 Learning Objectives

 Discuss the meaning of a customer

strategy
 Explain the difference between
consumer and organizational buyers
 List and describe the steps in the
typical buying process

8-2
 Learning Objectives (continued)

 Discuss the buying process of the

transactional, consultative, and relationship
buyer
 Understand the importance of alignment
between the selling process and the
customer’s buying process
 Discuss the social and psychological
influences that shape customer buying
decisions
8-3
 Developing a Customer Strategy

 Customer Strategy – is a carefully

conceived plan that will result in
maximum customer responsiveness
 Treatdifferent customers differently
 Need an understanding of the
customer’s buying needs and motives

8-4
 Developing a Customer Strategy
(continued)

 Inorder to develop a customer strategy,

as part of the strategic/ consultative
selling model, one needs to:
 Understand the buying process
 Understand customer behaviour

 Develop prospect base

8-5
 Consumer Buyer Behaviour
 Consumer Buyer Behaviour – refers
to the buying behaviour of individuals
and households who buy goods and
services for personal consumption

8-6
 Business Buyer Behaviour
 Business Buyer Behaviour – refers
to the buying behaviour of
organizations that buy goods and
services for use in the production of
other products and services or for the
purpose of reselling or renting them
to others at a profit

8-7
Consumer Versus
Business Buyers

8-8
 Types of Business Buying
 New-Task Buy – a first-time
purchase of a product or service
 Straight Rebuy – a routine purchase
of previously purchased goods or
services
 Modified Rebuy – purchasing when
the buyer wants to reconsider
previous choices
8-9
 Systems Selling

 Systems Selling – is a type of selling

that appeals to buyers who prefer a
packaged solution from a single
seller, thereby avoiding the series of
separate decisions sometimes
involved in a complex buying
situation

8-10
 Types of Consumer
Buying Situations
 Habitual Buying Decision – a
consumer decision that requires very
little involvement and where brand
differences are usually insignificant
 Variety-Seeking Buying Decision –
consumer decision motivated by the
desire for variety rather than product
dissatisfaction
8-11
 Types of Consumer
Buying Situations (continued)
 Complex Buying Decision – an often
lengthy consumer buying decision
characterized by a high degree of
involvement

8-12
Typical Buying-Decision Process

8-13
 Transactional Buying-Decision

 Buyers are well aware of their needs

 Become frustrated with salespeople
who attempt to do a needs assessment
 Value can be added during the
“purchase” and “implementation”
steps of the process

8-14
 Consultative Buying-Decision

 Buyers may not be clear on or even

aware of their needs
 Situations can be complex and/or
expensive
 Value can be added during the “need
awareness” step of the process

8-15
 Relationship Buying-Decision

 Both the buyer and the seller must

carefully study each other
 Many players may be involved from
each side
 Both must be prepared to explain how
they will add value and commit
resources to establish and maintain
the relationship
8-16
Buyer Resolution Theory
A
selling theory that a purchase will be
made only after the following is answered:
 Why should I buy? (need)
 What should I buy? (product)

 Where should I buy? (source)

 What is a fair price? (price)

 When should I buy? (time)

8-17
 Developing a Customer
Strategy Model

 Many factors influence a buying decision

8-18
 Basic Needs

 Maslow’s
hierarch is
based on a
pattern of
individual
basic need
fulfillment
8-19
 Group Influences

People
around
customers
also
influence
decisions

8-20
 Formulation of
Customer Perceptions
 Perception – is a process through
which sensations received through
sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell
are interpreted, using our knowledge
and experience
 Selective perception and selectivity play
a part

8-21
 Formulation of Buying Motives

ABuying Motive – is an aroused

need, drive, or desire that stimulates
purchasing behaviour intended to
satisfy that need, drive or desire
 Dominant Buying Motive – is the
motive that has the greatest influence on
a customer’s buying decision

8-22
 Types of Buying Motives
 Emotional Buying Motives – prompt the
prospect to act as a result of an appeal to
some sentiment or passion
 Rational Buying Motives – prompt the
prospect to act because of an appeal to the
prospect’s reason or better judgment such
as price, quality, and availability of
technical assistance

8-23
 Types of Buying Motives
(continued)

 Patronage Buying Motives – cause

the prospect to buy a product from one
particular company rather than another
 Product Buying Motives – are
reasons that cause the prospect to buy
one particular product brand or label
over another

8-24