Columbia Industries Who Are the Key Members

Columbia Industries

Who are the key members of the buying center at Columbia industries, and who will most likely have the most influence on the purchase decision?

Jacques Debre, Stewart West, and Sandra Ogrosky are the key members of the buying center at Columbia Industries. Mr. West will likely have the most influence on the decision because he met directly with the salesman and he has the most in-depth knowledge of the various products that were demonstrated.

Describe the important "needs" Columbia Industries has as they undertake the process to purchase seven new lift trucks.

Columbia Industries needs to find a reliable lift truck because of the high maintenance costs and downtime they are experiencing with their current lift trucks. The union needs to be satisfied that the trucks are safe and the workers are concerned with maneuverability of the new lift trucks due to the narrow aisles in the warehouse.

What type of buying decision is this, and what impact does that have on how the forklifts should be marketed?

This is likely a new task buying decision because the company probably does not purchase this type of equipment on a regular basis and it has been maintaining the existing equipment in lieu of buying new lift trucks. In addition, the company is considering changing suppliers of its lift trucks because of maintenance costs and parts delivery issues.

The new task buying has an impact on the marketing because business buyers, like Columbia Industries, are more knowledgeable about the equipment they are buying and often need more time and stricter purchasing requirements such as detailed proposals and equipment demonstrations. Information is very important to the business buyer and the lift trucks should be marketed in a comprehensive manner identifying the participants who will be involved in the buying decision and providing the information specific to all those involved in the buying process.

4. What roles are being played by each member of the buying center for this product?

The employees are the users, the plant engineer Sandra Ogrosky and the company's truck lift mechanic are the influencers, Stewart West is the buyer, and Mr. Debre is the decider and the purchasing agent is the gatekeeper.

5. Which forklift company did the best job of identifying the key member of the buying center and developing appropriate approaches for dealing with their concerns?

The Caterpillar company did the best job of identifying the key members of the buying center because he was present during the demonstration of the equipment and in doing so he was able to learn who was involved in the decision making process.