Buying Center-Analyse auf der Basis von Vertriebsinformationen

Purchasing decisions in industrial goods markets are generally not made by individuals, but by multiple personnel in buying centers. The analysis and forecasting of these decisions are correspondingly complex. This is not so much a question of methodological aspects, but above all of generating the data material necessary for the analysis. Using the example of decision-making processes in the construction industry, Jörg Brinkmann examines the extent to which the problem of data generation can be solved if the company's own sales staff are interviewed instead of the customers. Building on the considerations of principal-agent theory, he uses a comparison of direct and indirect, conjointanalytical measurement methods to show which approaches are particularly suitable in the context of sales surveys. In addition, he analyzes the extent to which personal characteristics of sales employees.