Reference no: EM132212012
The Decision Making Unit is made up of influencers, gatekeepers, deciders, users and buyers. Because of the complexity of companies every company has its own decision-making unit. Meaning that the company has a certain group of people, which make decisions. Kotler (2009) describes five main roles that are fulfilled in decision-making units.
The different roles are:
Deciders: the decider makes the actual purchase decision. Typically, deciders do not have or need formal authority but have sufficient weight within the buying team to decide if a service/product will be purchased.
Buyers: the buyer (also called: purchasing manager) selects the suppliers and manages the buying process such that the necessary products are acquired.
Influencers: the influencer contributes to the formulation and determination of the specifications of the product or service. The influencer evaluates and recommends which potential supplier satisfies the specific needs of the organization.
Users: the user(s) are the persons that actually use the product or service. Users are not always involved in the buying process, but have a critical role in the feedback and evaluation process of the performance of the good that has been purchased.
Gatekeepers: the gatekeeper(s) control(s) the flow of information in to and out of the company and buying center/team.
Required:
Put yourself in the role of a salesperson trying to sell equipment to a large company. Pick four roles in the buying center and talk about some of the challenges you may face and how you may over come them. Write 500 words.