Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CHAPTER 7
BUSINESS MARKETS AND BUYING BEHAVIOR
Resource Location
Key Terms IRM, p. 1
Side-by-Side Comparison of the Major Topics and Learning IRM, p. 2
Objectives
What’s New in This Chapter IRM, p. 2
Purpose and Perspective IRM, p. 3
Lecture Outline IRM, p. 4
Discussion Starters IRM, p. 14
Class Exercises IRM, p. 16
Chapter Quiz IRM, p. 19
Semester Project IRM, p. 20
Answers to Issues for Discussion and Review IRM, p. 21
Answers to Developing Your Marketing Plan IRM, p. 24
Comments on Video Case 7 IRM, p. 25
PowerPoint Slides Instructor’s website
KEY TERMS
B2B e-commerce sites institutional markets reciprocity
North American Industry joint demand reseller markets
Classification System (NAICS)
business (organizational) modified rebuy purchase sole sourcing
buying behavior
buying center multiple sourcing straight rebuy purchase
derived demand new-task purchase value analysis
government markets producer markets vendor analysis
inelastic demand product specifications
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
This chapter first describes the major types of business markets, including producer, reseller, government,
and institutional markets. Next, the major characteristics of business customers and transactions with
those customers are described. The chapter also examines the attributes of business customers and some
of their primary concerns in making purchase decisions, business buying methods, and the major types of
business purchases. Then, attributes of demand for business products are discussed. It also covers the
business (organizational) buying decision process. The major participants in business buying decision
processes are analyzed through an examination of the buying center. The stages of the business buying
decision process and the factors that affect that process are examined. Finally, the chapter discusses
industrial classification systems and their usefulness to business marketers in planning marketing
strategies.
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. Business Markets
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
A. Marketers have access to a considerable amount of information about potential business customers
through government and industry publications and websites.
1. Marketers use this information to identify potential business customers and to estimate their
purchase potential.
2. In the United States, marketers historically relied on the Standard Industrial Classification
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
(SIC) system, which the federal government developed to classify selected economic
characteristics of industrial, commercial, financial, and service organizations.
3. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is a single industry
classification system used by the United States, Canada, and Mexico to generate comparable
statistics among the three North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners.
a. The NAICS classification is based on production activities. NAICS is similar to the
International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) system used in Europe and
many other parts of the world.
(1) NAICS divides industrial activities into 20 sectors.
(2) NAICS is more comprehensive and up-to-date, and it provides considerably
more information about service industries and high-tech products.
b. A business marketer can identify and locate potential customers in specific groups by
using state directories or commercial industrial directories.
c. A more expedient, although more expensive, approach is to use a commercial data
service.
d. To estimate the purchase potential of business customers or groups of customers, a
marketer must find a relationship between the size of potential customers’ purchases
and a variable available in industrial classification data, such as the number of
employees.
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
c.Because reciprocity influences purchasing agents to deal only with certain suppliers, it
can lower morale among agents and lead to less than optimal purchases.
B. Attributes of Business Customers
1. Business customers also differ from consumers in their purchasing behavior because they are
generally better informed about the products they purchase.
a. They typically demand detailed information about a product’s functional features and
technical specifications to ensure that it meets their needs.
2. Most purchasing agents seek the psychological satisfaction that comes with organizational
advancement and financial rewards.
a. Agents who consistently exhibit rational business buying behavior are likely to attain
these personal goals because they help the organization achieve its objectives.
3. Today, many suppliers and their customers build and maintain mutually beneficial
relationships, sometimes called partnerships.
C. Primary Concerns of Business Customers
1. When making purchasing decisions, business customers take into account a variety of
factors; their chief considerations are:
a. Among their chief concerns are price, product quality, service, and supplier
relationships.
2. Price is an essential consideration for business customers because it influences operating
costs and costs of goods sold, which in turn affect the selling price, profit margin, and
ultimately the organization’s ability to compete.
a. When purchasing major equipment, a business customer views price as the amount of
investment necessary to obtain a certain level of return or savings on business
operations.
3. Most business customers try to maintain a specific level of quality in the products they buy.
a. To achieve this goal, most firms establish standards (usually stated as a percentage of
defects allowed) for these products and buy them on the basis of a set of expressed
characteristics.
(1) These standards, commonly called product specifications, are written
statements describing a product’s necessary characteristics, standards of quality,
and other information essential to identifying the best supplier for the needed
product.
b. A customer evaluates the quality of the products being considered to determine
whether they meet specifications.
c. If a product fails to meet specifications or malfunctions for the ultimate consumer, the
customer may switch to a different supplier.
d. Business customers are also likely to be cautious about buying products that exceed
minimum required specifications because they often cost more than is necessary,
which drives up the cost of goods and services.
e. Because their purchases tend to be large and may be complicated, business buyers
value service.
f. Services offered by suppliers directly and indirectly influence customers’ costs, sales,
and profits.
(1) Typical services business customers desire from suppliers are market
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
d.
Some business purchases are based on negotiated contracts.
(1) In these instances, buyers describe exactly what they need and ask sellers to
submit bids; they then negotiate with the suppliers that submit the most
attractive bids.
(2) This approach is generally used for very large or expensive purchases, such as
with commercial vehicles.
(3) This is frequently how the federal government conducts business.
(4) In some cases, a buyer and seller might negotiate a contract that specifies a base
price and provides for the payment of additional costs and fees.
(a) These contracts are most commonly used for one-time projects such as
buildings, capital equipment, and special projects.
E. Types of Business Purchases
1. Most business purchases are one of three types—new-task, straight rebuy, or modified rebuy.
a. For a new-task purchase, an organization makes an initial purchase of an item to be
used to perform a new job or solve a new problem.
(1) A new-task purchase may require development of product and vendor
specifications and procedures for future product purchases.
(2) To make the initial purchase, the business buyer usually needs to acquire a lot
of information.
(3) New-task purchases are important to suppliers because they can result in a long-
term buying relationship if customers are satisfied.
2. A straight rebuy purchase occurs when buyers purchase the same products routinely under
approximately the same terms of sale.
a. Buyers require little information for routine purchase decisions and tend to use
familiar suppliers that have provided satisfactory products in the past.
b. These marketers may set up automated systems to make reordering easy and
convenient for business buyers.
c. A supplier may even monitor the business buyer’s inventories and communicate to the
buyer what should be ordered and when.
3. For a modified rebuy purchase, a new-task purchase is altered after two or three orders, or
requirements associated with a straight rebuy purchase are modified.
a. A business buyer might seek faster delivery, lower prices, or a different quality level
of product specifications.
b. A modified rebuy situation may cause regular suppliers to compete to keep the
account.
F. Demand for Business Products
1. Derived Demand
a. Because business customers, especially producers, buy products for direct or indirect
use in the production of goods and services to satisfy consumers’ needs, the demand
for business products derives from the demand for consumer products; it is therefore
called derived demand.
(1) The derived nature of demand is usually multilevel in that business marketers at
different levels are affected by a change in consumer demand for a product.
2. Inelastic Demand
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
a. With inelastic demand, a price increase or decrease does not significantly alter
demand for a business product.
(1) A product has inelastic demand when the buyer is not sensitive to price or when
there are no ready substitutes.
(2) Because many business products are more specialized than consumer products,
buyers will continue to make purchases even as the price goes up.
(3) Because some business products contain many different parts, price increases
that affect only one or two parts may yield only a slightly higher per-unit
production cost.
(4) Inelasticity of demand in the business market applies at the industry level, while
demand for an individual firm’s products may fluctuate.
3. Joint Demand
a. Joint demand occurs when two or more items are used in combination to produce a
product.
(1) Understanding the effects of joint demand is particularly important for a
marketer that sells multiple jointly demanded items.
(2) Such a marketer realizes that when a customer purchases one of the jointly
demanded items, an opportunity exists to sell related products.
4. Fluctuating Demand
a. Because the demand for business products is derived from consumer demand, it is
subject to dramatic fluctuations.
(1) In general, when consumer products are in high demand, producers buy large
quantities of raw materials and components to ensure that they can meet long-
run production requirements.
(2) Conversely, a decline in demand for certain consumer goods reduces demand
for business products used to produce those goods.
(3) Sometimes, price changes lead to surprising temporary changes in demand.
(4) Fluctuations in demand can be substantial in industries in which prices change
frequently.
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
(a) Sole sourcing has historically been discouraged except in the cases where
a product is only available from one company.
(b) While still not common, more organizations now choose sole sourcing,
partly because the arrangement means better communications between
buyer and supplier, stability and higher profits for suppliers, and often
lower prices for buyers.
(c) However, multiple sourcing remains preferable for most firms because it
lessens the possibility of disruption caused by strikes, shortages, or
bankruptcies.
e. Fifth stage—members of the buying center evaluate the supplier’s and product’s
performance by comparing it with specifications.
(1) The supplier’s performance is also evaluated at this stage.
F. The business buying decision process is used in its entirety primarily for new-task purchases.
1. Several stages, but not necessarily all, are used for modified rebuy and straight rebuy
situations.
G. Influences on the Business Buying Decision Process
1. The four major factors that influence business buying decisions are environmental,
organizational, interpersonal, and individual (Figure 7.2).
a. Environmental factors include competitive and economic factors, political forces, legal
and regulatory factors, technological changes, and sociocultural issues.
(1) Changes in one or more environmental forces, such as new government
regulations or increased competition, can create opportunities and threats that
affect purchasing decisions.
b. Organizational factors that influence the buying decision process include the
company’s objectives, purchasing policies, resources, and the size and composition of
its buying center.
(1) An organization may also have certain buying policies to which buying center
participants must conform that limit buying decisions.
c. Interpersonal factors are the relationships among people within the buying center.
(1) Trust and clear communication ensure that all parties are satisfied with the
outcome, however interpersonal dynamics and varying communication abilities
within the buying center may complicate processes.
d. Individual factors are the personal characteristics of participants in the buying center,
such as age, personality, education level, and tenure and position in the organization.
(1) To be effective, marketers must know customers well enough to be aware of
these individual factors and their potential effects on purchase decisions.
(2) Promotion targeted to individuals in the buying center can influence individual
decision making as well.
A. Whereas in the past, an organization seeking a type of product might contact product suppliers,
speak with someone on the sales force, and request a catalog or brochure, business customers
today first turn to the Internet to search for information and find sources.
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
1.
In many cases, business buyers’ needs and wants have been shaped by their experiences as
consumers shopping at sites such as Amazon.com, LandsEnd.com, and Walmart.com.
B. Organizational buyers often begin searching for a product after recognizing a need or problem.
1. The Internet allows buyers to research potential solutions, read blogs, view webinars and
YouTube videos, examine specifications, chat with peers about their experiences, and even
find reviews of potential products long before beginning a formal buying process.
C. For most firms, online marketing efforts make the buying process far more efficient because it
saves time and reduces costs.
D. Organizations can often make purchases directly from a firm’s website.
1. Organizations can also purchase supplies from a retailer’s website.
E. Increasingly, businesses are turning to B2B e-commerce sites, which serve as online marketplaces
where buyers and sellers from around the world can exchange information, goods, services, ideas,
and payments.
1. Variously known as trading exchanges, B2B exchanges, and ehubs, B2B e-commerce sites
may be independent or private.
a. Independent sites act as a neutral third party and charge a fee for providing a trading
forum.
b. Private B2B exchanges connect member firms, which typically share supply chains or
complex customers, through a secure system that permits all the organizations to share
significant information as well as facilitate exchanges.
F. Businesses may also turn to online auctions, such as uBid and TradeOut, to find products.
1. A seller posts an item to an online auction, and potential buyers bid against each other on the
item; the highest bidder wins the right to buy the item.
2. In a reverse auction, a buyer invites businesses to bid to supply the specified good or service
in competition with each other; the lowest bidder wins the right to sell the product.
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
DISCUSSION STARTERS
Many large corporations encourage supplier diversity by reaching out to businesses that are small or
owned by veterans, women, or members of minority groups. Although small businesses that meet
“supplier diversity” qualifications don’t automatically receive orders—they must compete, just like every
other supplier—such programs help them get a foot in the door.
Can “diversity” cover too many or too few suppliers? At Kroger, the supermarket company, diversity
suppliers must be at least 51 percent owned by a U.S. citizen who is Hispanic, African American, Asian-
Indian, Asian-Pacific, Native American, female, gay or lesbian, bisexual, transgender, a military veteran,
or a disabled military veteran. Suppliers must also be certified by a recognized group such as the National
Minority Supplier Development Council or the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. For Dell, the
computer company, diversity extends to small businesses owned by socially or economically
disadvantaged people and to small businesses located in underutilized business zones, as designated by
the U.S. Small Business Association.
ASK: Are these programs going too far or not far enough in providing potential opportunities for
suppliers? Should diversity extend to businesses owned by teens, seniors, families, and first-time
entrepreneurs?
Discussion Starter 2: The Products You Depend on from the Firms You Have Never Heard of
ASK: Have you ever thought about where the products you consume come from?
Many of us will purchase a loaf of bread or a candy bar and never think about how it was made or the
origination of the ingredients. Yet, each product we purchase contains a variety of input goods. Cargill
supplies product ingredients that are common in processed foods you consume every day. It is perhaps the
largest company you may have never heard of.
http://www.cargill.com/
Cargill is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of food, agricultural, financial, and industrial
goods and services. Cargill’s products include the following:
1. Animal Nutrition & Feed
2. Agricultural Commodity Trading & Processing
3. Energy, Transportation & Metals
4. Farmer Services
5. Financial & Risk Management
6. Food & Beverage Ingredients
7. Foodservice
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
8. Industrial/Bio Industrial
9. Personal Care
10. Pharmaceutical
11. Salt
Governments, being extremely large institutions, require a wide variety of goods and services.
Governments must purchase everything from food and clothing, to aircraft parts, to education and training
services. All of these products must be purchased and distributed to the various government agencies and
entities. The purchasing power of a government agency may be greatly increased through cooperative
purchasing agreements. These agreements may include local entities, agencies, or other buying groups
determined by the government. Organizations like U.S. Communities (http://www.uscommunities.org/)
help facilitate those agreements.
In this chapter we examined the world of business-to-business marketing and learned that all types of
organizations engage in marketing, even if they do not directly market to consumers. In this exercise we
will look at how universities acquire goods and services to deliver their product to the marketplace.
Step 1: Visit http://www.dartmouth.edu/~control/departments/procurement/
Step 2: Click on the Category/Buyer Listing link on the website. Are you surprised by any of the items on
the list?
Step 3: If your organization wanted to market to universities, what recommendations would you make?
Step 4: Increasingly, sustainability is a challenge on campuses. How do you think Dartmouth addresses
sustainability through its purchasing practices? You might want to have students check out Dartmouth’s
sustainability page at dartmouth.edu/life-community/sustainability.
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
CLASS EXERCISES
The objective of this class exercise is to show students that business buying behavior has many
similarities to consumer buying behavior.
Prompt for Students: Although business buying behavior might seem quite different from your buying
behavior, the two are more similar than you may think. As you answer the following questions, think
about how similar or dissimilar the business buying process is to your own.
1. When you buy a new shirt, hair dryer, MP3 player, television, or car, which of the following criteria
is important to you?
Quality Service
Product information Repair services
Product availability Credit
On-time delivery Price
2. Give examples of products that you buy (or may buy) based on:
Description Inspection
Sampling Negotiation
3. Match the business purchase situation with the consumer goods buying situation. How or why are
they related?
New-task purchase Limited decision making
Modified rebuy Routine decision making
Straight rebuy Extended decision making
4. How is the buying center of a business similar to the following purchasing roles that family members
play?
Users Influencers
Buyers Deciders
Gatekeepers
Answers:
1. If you ask enough students, you will eventually have all of these criteria listed. Although businesses
are more likely to develop formal written specifications about these concerns, final consumers also
find these to be important concerns for nearly any high-involvement product category.
2. Examples might include the following:
• Description—mail-order products (clothing, personal computers)
• Inspection—car, furniture, house, or any used item
• Sampling—grocery food items, mail samples, ice cream
• Negotiation—one-time projects such as commercial vehicles, buildings, capital equipment,
and special projects
3. The situations roughly match as follows:
• New-task purchase—extended decision making
• Modified rebuy—limited decision making
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
The purpose of this exercise is to allow students to demonstrate their understanding of different
purchasing methods. Each product is typically purchased by the following methods:
Business purchases can be made by several methods, including description, inspection, sampling, and
negotiation. Which method is most often used for each of the following products?
Question Answer
1. Grain Sampling
2. Used vehicles Inspection
3. Office space Inspection, negotiation
4. Oranges Description, sampling
5. Bulldozer Negotiation
6. Computer and printer Inspection
7. Office furniture Inspection
8. Pens and pencils Description
9. Eggs Description
10. Assembly line equipment Inspection, negotiation
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
might also be a major consideration, but probably trails quality in importance. Bombardier does
emphasize the low operating costs of its products.
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
CHAPTER QUIZ
2. Abbott’s Office Supplies buys furniture and filing cabinets from Craine Furniture. Craine buys
paper, pens, and folders from Abbott’s. The two firms are engaged in __________.
a. cross-selling
b. tying agreements
c. producer marketing
d. reciprocity
e. competitive bidding
3. If a business owner buys parts by specifying the quantity, grade, and other attributes, which buying
method is he or she using?
a. Description
b. Sampling
c. Negotiation
d. Ordering
e. Inspection
4. Administrative assistants that control the flow of information to other people in the organization
often play the __________ role in the buying center.
a. gatekeeper
b. user
c. influencer
d. buyer
e. controller
5. An online marketplace where buyers and sellers can exchange information, gods, services, ideas, and
payments is known as a(n) __________.
a. B2B e-commerce site
b. online auction
c. reseller market
d. buying center
e. exchange
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
SEMESTER PROJECT
Chapter 7 explains that different types of organizations market to each other. Business-to-business
marketing offers a wealth of career opportunities to marketing students. In this exercise, explore the
opportunities within this field.
Step 1: A frequent position within B2B marketing is purchasing manager. In this step, research the
position of purchasing manager. What types of firms hire purchasing managers?
Step 2: Many students do not consider the U.S. Government as a source for marketing positions, yet both
the Federal and State governments hire marketers. In this step, explore opportunities in the U.S.
Government. Visit http://www.usajobs.gov/.
Step 3: Write a brief description about the position of purchasing manager. Describe the training you
would need to become a purchasing manager. Also, list three potential job sources for purchasing
managers.
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
1. Identify, describe, and give examples of the four major types of business markets.
2. Why might business customers generally be considered more rational in their purchasing
behavior than ultimate consumers?
Business customers usually seek and obtain more information about the product before purchasing
than do ultimate consumers. They may give special attention to information about the product’s
functional features, specifications, and technical attributes. Most business customers seek
advancement within the organization and greater financial and psychological rewards. Business
buyers attain personal goals by performing the purchasing function in a way which helps their
organization achieve its objectives.
A business customer’s primary considerations when making purchasing decisions fall within the
areas of price, product quality, service, and supplier relationships. Price influences operating costs
and costs of goods sold, which affect the selling price and profit margin. Quality level is maintained
by purchasing a product which meets a set of delineated characteristics called specifications.
Products which exceed specifications may cost more without providing an offsetting benefit. A
supplier’s service to business customers influences these customers’ costs, sales, and profits. Some
of the most commonly desired services include market information, maintaining an inventory, on-
time delivery, repair services, and replacement parts. Open communication channels are also
important. Finally, business customers are concerned about the costs of developing and maintaining
relationships with their suppliers.
4. List several characteristics that differentiate transactions involving business customers from
consumer transactions.
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
Business-customer transactions differ from consumer transactions in several ways. Orders tend to be
larger, there are longer negotiation periods, reciprocity sometimes plays a role in the process, and
business customers tend to be more informed about the products they purchase.
6. Why do buyers involved in straight rebuy purchases require less information than those
making new-task purchases?
The straight rebuy purchase is a routine procedure. The specifications and terms are set and all major
problems are resolved. Conversely, a new-task purchase requires the business to develop product
specifications, vendor specifications, and procedures for future purchases before an initial purchase.
7. How does demand for business products differ from consumer demand?
Demand for business products differs from consumer demand in that it is derived, inelastic, joint, or
fluctuating.
The major components or roles of a buying center are users, influencers, buyers, deciders, and
gatekeepers. One person may perform several of these roles.
9. Identify the stages of the business buying decision process. How is this decision process used
when making straight rebuys?
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Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
10. How do environmental, business, interpersonal, and individual factors affect business
purchases?
The influence of the environmental, business, interpersonal, and individual factors varies depending
on different factors such as different buying situations; the type of product being purchased; and
whether the purchase is new-task, modified rebuy, or straight rebuy.
11. What function does an industrial classification system help marketers perform?
12. How has the Internet facilitated the organizational buying process?
Whereas in the past, an organization seeking a type of product might contact product suppliers, speak
with someone on the sales force, and request a catalog or brochure, business customers today first
turn to the Internet to search for information and find sources. The Internet has become a major
channel in organizational buying. The Internet allows buyers to research potential solutions through
its vast resources, and interactions with a sales representative now may occur much later in the
process than in the past. Increasingly, business are turning to B2B e-commerce sites, which serve as
online marketplaces where buyers and sellers around the world can exchange information, goods,
services, ideas, or payments.
© 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license
distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom
use.
24
Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
1. What are the primary concerns of business customers? Could any of these concerns be
addressed with the strengths of your company?
Marketing to business customers involves the same groups and the same purposes, but there are
some key differences. A company that markets to another company must understand how its product
will affect other firms in the marketing channel, such as resellers and other manufacturers. Business
products can also be technically complex, and the market often consists of sophisticated buyers.
Because the business market consists of relatively smaller customer populations, a segment of the
market could be as small as a few customers. The first question also asks students if any of these
concerns can be addressed with strengths of their companies. Students’ responses will vary on this
question.
2. Determine the type of business purchase your customer will likely be using when purchasing
your product. How would this impact the level of information required by the business when
moving through the buying decision process?
3. Discuss the different types of demand that the business customer will experience when
purchasing your product.
Students’ answers will vary based on the products they select. Students can refer to Figure 7.1 when
seeking to answer this question.
© 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license
distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom
use.
25
Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
Summary
This case discusses Apple’s introduction of its mobile payment Apple Pay and how it depends on a large
network of retailers, restaurants, and other businesses agreeing to accept its mobile payments.
McDonald’s and Walgreen’s were among the first businesses to sign up. They recognized that more and
more of their customers are paying using mobile devices and believe Apple Pay will be convenient for
their customers. Several thousand businesses have signed on with Apple Pay. However, not every retailer
is signing on. Some businesses do not like how much consumer information Apple shares with
participating merchants. Others are locked into agreements with other mobile payment services or do not
want to upgrade to new checkout technology. Apple Pay is also facing competition from rivals such as
Samsung and Google.
2. Which of the four categories of business markets is Apple Pay best suited for, and why?
Apple Pay is best suited for reseller markets, which are intermediaries that resell finished goods.
Specifically, retailers (including restaurants and gas stations) whose customers are consumers are the
market that Apple Pay is pursuing. These businesses want to satisfy their customers by making
payments both convenient and speedy. Institutional markets do not generally emphasize speed and
convenience in payments for services or donations. However, charitable groups and educational
institutions may be prospects for Apple Pay, because they want to encourage convenient donations
(charity) or speed purchase transactions (school book stores and cafés). Government markets are not
as well suited to Apple Pay. Although they do accept payments, speed and convenience aren’t usually
the top criteria for determining which payment methods to offer citizens. Finally, producer markets
usually sell to other businesses, which means the consumer-oriented Apple Pay isn’t appropriate for
their customers’ needs.
3. Which environmental influences on the decision process seem to have been most important to
McDonald’s when it decided to honor Apple Pay?
McDonald’s took competitive factors into account when deciding to honor Apple Pay. It wants to
make transactions as fast and easy as possible so customers in a hurry don’t switch to
competitors. Being among the first businesses to accept Apple Pay could also be considered a
competitive advantage, at least for a time. Economic factors were clearly important, with the
© 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license
distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom
use.
26
Chapter 7: Business Markets and Buying Behavior
McDonald’s executive mentioning the sheer size of the market as a “clear and compelling
business opportunity.” Another economic factor was that Apple Pay transactions will cost
McDonald’s a few pennies more to process than cash transactions. Still, the company realized
that the profit potential in speedy checkout outweighs the transaction cost. Sociocultural issues
(such as the prevalence of iPhone users in the U.S. market) and technological changes (the ease
and speed of mobile payments) were both involved in this decision.
© 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license
distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom
use.
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der sich riesig zu belustigen schien und dabei ein ungemein
komisches Gesicht schnitt.
Die Augen in dem runzligen, sonst stets verbissenen
Mopsgesicht waren verschwindend klein geworden und erschienen
nur mehr als zwei schmale Striche. Den ganzen magern Körper des
Herrn Rat schüttelte es vor Lachen, und sein Kopf wackelte
ununterbrochen hin und her wie der Perpendikel einer alten Uhr. Die
Zigarre behielt er fest zwischen den Zähnen eingeklemmt und lachte
in einem fort.
Es war ein erlösendes, befreiendes Lachen, das sich nun allen
mitteilte. Einem nach dem andern. Sie wußten nicht, worüber sie im
Grunde lachten. Sogar Patscheider lachte mit und schließlich auch
der Doktor Rapp.
„Warum wir jetzt eigentlich lachen, wissen wir zwar alle selber
nit!“ äußerte sich der Patscheider über eine Weile und hielt sein Glas
dem Rat Leonhard entgegen, um mit ihm anzustoßen.
„Wohl ... i schon ... i weiß es schon!“ meinte der alte Herr
vergnügt. „I lach’ über Ihnen, Herr Patscheider. Grad’ über Ihnen!“
sagte er und nickte dem Kaufmann stillvergnügt zu.
„Über mich?“ tat der Patscheider verwundert. „Ja ...“
„Ja, über Ihnen, weil Sie so viel vergeßlich sind!“ Der alte Herr
hob jetzt seinen Zeigefinger und sagte in eindringlichem, väterlichem
Ton: „I mein’, Herr Patscheider, es sind doch immer S i e derjenige,
der davonlauft bei einem Streit, nit der Doktor Rapp. Aber jetzt täten
Sie den Spieß umkehren. Jetzt wär’s e r auf einmal, der vor Ihnen die
Flucht ergreift. Sie sind schon einer! A ganz a G’scheiter!“ Und
neuerdings bekam der alte Herr einen Lachanfall. „Sie sind schon
der Richtige, Sie! Aber so ist’s alleweil im Leben. Da schiebt man’s
alleweil den andern in die Schuh’, was man nit gern zugibt.“
Patscheider mußte nun selber herzlich mitlachen. Er hatte heute
entschieden seinen guten Tag und nahm nichts übel, was ihm der
alte Herr unter die Nase rieb.
„Recht haben’s, Herr Rat, ganz recht!“ bestätigte er zustimmend.
„Und jetzt, Sophie, bringst mir noch a Halbe Wein, weil wir so fein
beisammen sind!“ sagte er vergnügt und zwinkerte dem Mädchen
vertraulich zu.
„I bin nit per Du mit Ihnen!“ gab die Sophie schnippisch zurück.
„Macht nix. Was nit ist, kann noch werden!“ sagte der
Patscheider. Er nahm heute einmal gar nichts krumm ...
Am Heimweg raffte der Apotheker Tiefenbrunner seinen ganzen
Mut zusammen und erklärte seiner Frau mit aller Entschiedenheit,
daß er mit oder ohne ihre Einwilligung den Felix „auf die Kunst“
studieren lassen werde. „Denn,“ sagte er, „i hab’ heut’ abend
g’sehen, der Felix hat bei allen Herrn einen Stein im Brett. Und es
könnt’ mich nur unbeliebt machen, wenn wir ihm das Geld zur
Malerei nicht hergeben täten. Deswegen ist’s g’scheiter, wir fügen
uns. Gelt, Alte?“
Die „Alte“ nickte und gab völlig kleinlaut ihre Zustimmung. Sie
hatte im Laufe des Abends noch manches böse Wort der Damen mit
anhören müssen und fühlte sich ganz klein und nachgiebig.
Da war die Frau Patscheider, die ihr gehörig zugeredet hatte und
ihr erklärte, daß ein Künstler viel was Gescheiteres sei als wie ein
Beamter.
Der Zorn der Frau Patscheider über ihren Gatten war bald
verraucht. Sie war, als dieser durch sein energisches
Dazwischentreten den Doktor Rapp zum Dableiben bewog,
ordentlich stolz auf ihren Mann und verzieh ihm in diesem
Augenblick alles. Er war doch ein großer Mann, dachte sie; da durfte
man nicht so kleinlich sein. Und da sie zu bemerken glaubte, daß ihr
Mann ein Interesse an dem Felix Altwirth nahm, so hielt sie es für
ihre Pflicht, nun ihrerseits die Apothekerin tüchtig zu bearbeiten.
In allen Tonarten schilderte sie Frau Therese Tiefenbrunner das
Künstlerleben. Wie schön das sei, und wie viel Geld das trage. Alles,
was sie je darüber gehört und gelesen hatte, erzählte sie der
Apothekerin. Und jede von den Damen brachte einen neuen Grund,
warum der Felix ein Künstler werden müsse. Schließlich wurde es
der Apothekerin ganz schwummrig im Kopf. Sie sagte zu allem Ja
und Amen und sehnte sich dabei, nach Hause zu kommen und ihre
Ruhe zu haben.
Jetzt am Heimweg begann auch noch ihr Mann davon zu
sprechen, und das in so kategorischer Weise, wie er es nie zuvor
getan hatte.
Frau Therese Tiefenbrunner war im Grunde ihres Herzens gut.
Und ihr ganzer Widerstand gegen den Künstlerberuf ihres Neffen
ging von dem einen ehrlichen Beweggrund aus, daß sie ihm eine
gesicherte Existenz verschaffen wollte. Es war nicht Bösartigkeit,
daß sie sich widersetzte, sondern Verständnislosigkeit. Sie hielt die
Kunst für eine höchst unnotwendige und überflüssige Sache im
Leben. Für etwas, wo man dabei verhungern konnte, wenn man
wollte. Und trotz allem Zureden der Damen hatte sie keine andere
Meinung bekommen.
Als sie jetzt ihrem Mann ihre Einwilligung gab, tat sie es mit
innerem Widerstreben und handelte gegen ihre Überzeugung. Aber
sie sah, daß es wirklich der ernste Wille und Vorsatz ihres Gatten
war, und sie wollte den Frieden zwischen ihm und ihr erhalten. Sie
beschloß jedoch, noch ernstlich mit dem Felix zu reden und ihm
alles vor Augen zu stellen.
Nach ihrer Meinung hätte er als absolvierter Jurist ganz andere
Aussichten haben können. Und wenn ihn das Jus schon nicht freute,
so hätte er ja Pharmazie studieren können, um bei ihrem Mann ins
Geschäft zu treten ...
Der Apotheker Simon Tiefenbrunner verkündete es gleich am
nächsten Morgen persönlich seinem Neffen, daß er und seine Frau
ihm seinen Wunsch erfüllen wollten. Er könne nach München auf die
Akademie gehen.
München! Ein neues Leben tat sich vor den Augen des jungen
Mannes auf. Ein freies, schönes Land, ein Traumland von Glück,
Ruhm, Arbeit und Erfolg.
München! ... Felix Altwirth war so gerührt, daß er schnurstracks
zu seiner Tante lief, um ihr zu danken. Im Überschwang seiner
Gefühle vergaß er, wie viele bittere Stunden ihm diese Frau schon
bereitet hatte. Er vergaß die bösen Reden, die sie ihm gegeben, und
war so begeistert, daß er ihr sogar die Hand küßte, was er noch nie
getan hatte.
Aber auch Frau Therese vergaß vollständig, daß sie ihm noch
gute Ermahnungen und Lehren hatte erteilen wollen. Seine kindliche
Freude rührte sie. Sie verstand diese Freude zwar nicht, aber
trotzdem gefiel sie ihr ...
Mit leichtem Herzen nahm Felix Altwirth Abschied von seiner
Heimat. Nicht einmal der Abschied von Sophie fiel ihm schwer. Er
war voll Hoffnung und Zuversicht und voll Vertrauen auf seine
Zukunft. Dort in der Stadt der Künstler würde auch er sein Glück
erringen. Ein großes, seliges und dauerhaftes Glück.
Achtes Kapitel.