INTRODUCTION Buying roles brings together all those member who become involved in the buying process for a particular product or service. The group includes the actual users of the product or service, those who make the buying decision, those who influence the buying decision, those who do the actual buying and those who control buying information.
INITIATOR INFLUENCER DECIDER BUYER USER GATEKEEPER
INITIATOR A person who first suggests the idea of buying the particular product or service.
Consider the selection of a family automobile INITIATOR Teenage kids have suggested buying a new car
INFLUENCER People who influence the buying decision. They often help define specific action and also provide information for evaluating alternatives.
INFLUENCER A friend or relatives advice the family on the kind of car to buy
DECIDER A person who decides on any component of a buying decision; whether to buy, what to buy, how to buy, or where to buy
DECIDER Husband and wife have definite desire regarding the car’s size and interior
BUYER The person who makes the actual purchase
BUYER The husband make the financial offer
USER A person who consumes or uses the product or service.
USER As a family everyone is going to use the car
GATEKEEPER People who have the power to prevent sellers or information from reaching members of the buying center. The gatekeeper controls the information.