Six Roles in the Buying Center

A buying center can easily be defined as any members of an organization responsible for finalizing a major purchase decision. In a business setting, these major purchases may require input from all different departments such as finance, accounting, purchasing, information technology management, and senior management. The buying center is typically made up of six roles that include: initiators, users, gatekeepers, influencers, deciders, and buyers. Hospitals and the stock market are both examples of different business that use buying centers to make major purchases. The buying center works together to make the best decision possible, but members of the buying center are not limited to just one certain role in the buying center. Depending on the size of the buying center and the complexity of the purchase, a participant may assume one, a few, or all six roles.
In the buying process, the buying center’s initiator begins the process by recognizing that the organization needs to make a purchase. Production employees and sales managers are examples of initiators. For instance, a production employee may notify a supervisor if a piece of equipment is broken and slowing down the production line. In this case, the production employee is the first one who recognized that the organization or firm needed to purchase a new piece of equipment in order to get things running smoothly again. The initiator may or may not have an influence on the purchase design, depending on the type of purchase and the initiator’s position in the organization. When it comes to marketing, the initiator needs to be aware of improved products that may be offered in their field of work.
The member of the buying center who actually needs and uses the product is the user. The role of the user varies in the buying center but an example of a user would include a receptionist who uses the phone daily. The receptionist may tell the administrative assistant about difficulties with a phone she is using daily