Organizational Purchasing Analysis for Sales Management

Abstract

The research reported in this paper investigates how the relative importance of rational buying criteria changes under different “uncertainty buying situations. A sample of eighty organizational buyers was used to test an overall proposition that the degree of perceived risk (uncertainty) existing in a buying situation affects the weight a purchaser places on each of the buying criteria: price, quality, technical service, delivery lead time, and delivery reliability. The purpose of the study was to generate a comprehensive picture of the relationship between uncertainty and the relative importance of purchasing criteria, and then use this knowledge to develop a basis for segmenting the industrial market. Suggestions are made for using the uncertainty buying situations in developing sales management strategies.