Stages in the Business Buying Process

The business buying-decision process includes eight stages called buyphases, as identified by Patrick J. Robinson and his associates, in the buygrid framework (see Table 5.2).⁵³ In modified-rebuy or straight-rebuy situations, some stages are compressed or bypassed. For example, the buyer normally has a favorite supplier or a ranked list of suppliers and can skip the search and proposal solicitation stages. Here are some important considerations in each of the eight stages.

Problem Recognition

The buying process begins when someone in the company recognizes a problem or need that can be met by acquiring a good or service. The recognition can be triggered by internal or external stimuli. The internal stimulus might be a decision to develop a new product that requires new equipment and materials or a machine that requires new parts. Externally, the buyer may get new ideas at a trade show, see an ad, receive an e-mail, read a blog, or receive a call from a sales representative who offers a better product or a lower price. Business marketers can stimulate problem recognition by direct marketing in many different ways.

TABLE 5.2 Buygrid Framework: Major Stages (Buyphases) of the Industrial Buying Process in Relation to Major Buying Situations (Buyclasses)

Source: Adapted from Patrick J. Johnson, Charles W. Farris, and Yoram Wind, industrial Buying and Creative Marketing (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1967), p. 14.