Business-to-business marketing: organizational buying behaviour, relationships and networks 151
(1965) clearly showed how different sources of
information are used at each stage in the
adoption process (see Table 7.1). Thus, advertis-
ing in trade journals would appear to be the
most efficient method of gaining awareness for
a product, but salespeople are more efficient in
generating interest. The research also demon-
strated a decreasing reliance on external sour-
ces as people become increasingly aware of the
product.
Evaluation
Hill and Hillier (1977) suggested that evalu-
ation may consist of two main stages: first,
selecting companies to tender and, second,
making the final selection of product and
supplier. Weigand (1968) also proposed a two-
step evaluation process: the identification of an
approved list of suppliers from which the
purchasing agent is at liberty to select on the
basis of price, delivery and a variety of other
negotiable factors, followed by the selection
decision.
Evaluation must obviously be made
against some predetermined criteria, often
relating to both product and supplier. Green et
al. (1968) scaled a number of product and
supplier attributes or characteristics, and
obtained the rankings on a Thurstonian scale
shown in Table 7.2.
These findings were borne out by Cun-
ningham and White (1974), who suggested that
certain attributes were essential if a supplier
was to be even considered, but that other
factors would decide which supplier was ulti-
mately selected. The former they termed qual-
ifying factors and the latter determining factors.
They also found that a favourable reputation
for delivery, reliability and service were impor-
tant prerequisites for increasing the chance of
being seriously considered as a potential sup-
plier. The strongest determinant of a buyer’s
patronage decision is his/her past experience,
which itself relates to the buyer’s perception of
the supplier’s reputation.
Particular product or supplier attributes
and their relative importance will obviously
vary according to the product and the buying
situation. Previous research into product and
supplier evaluation seems to indicate that
evaluation is a two-step process where prod-
ucts and suppliers are measured against some
kind of preconceived set of criteria.Table 7.2 Importance of different criteria in evaluating products
Performance characteristic (ranked in order of preference) Scaling valueQuality/price ratio 3.61
Delivery reliability 2.91
Technical ability and knowledge 1.95
Information and market services 1.86
General reputation 1.65
Geographic location 1.63
Technical 1.61
Extent of previous contact 1.44
Importance of client (reciprocity) 0.61
Extent of personal benefits supplied to buyer –Source: Green et al.(1968).