Recognizing the importance of certain people and the roles they play in impacting your business is very important. Below, you will find six major classes of people and how they can affect your business. When you understand this, relating to them will be much easier and produce productive results.
The Initiator- this person recognizes the need to buy a certain product or service to solve a problem. This is the person that makes contact. This individual could have been sent just to make enquiries and might not necessarily follow through with the purchase. Being able to charm and convince the initiator is always a good idea, the initiator can present you in good light to the decision-maker
The Influencer – this individual influences others to go ahead with the buying process. This is your unpaid marketer. A business always needs people that would advocate on Its behalf and encourage others into buying. Having someone that refers others to you consistently and talks about your business is very important, asides from helping to increase sales and awareness, it validates your business.
The Decider- this is the person responsible for approving the decision to buy along with details of the purchase. He has the purchasing power and he is the one that goes ahead to instruct the buyer to buy. This is one person you need to have a good relationship with and seek out if possible.
The Buyer- this is the person who handles the actual purchase. The one you come in contact with.
The User- this is ultimately the person who uses the products. This is the individual that will give the review and express satisfaction or otherwise.
The Gatekeeper-this is the individual that controls information or access or both. He is in between you and some of the role players.
The purchasing processes are intertwined, one role leads to the other and that is to emphasize how important each role is.
Kindly note, that an individual can assume more than one role in the purchase process. The strategy of successfully connecting with the right people means finding the decision-maker of the company patronizing you. This will save you a lot of time and give you better results.
