in consumer purchase decision-making process have three stages; awareness, trial, and repeat

buying. It is perhaps more accurate to describe this process as being typical of most consumer
purchases. For industrial purchases, the buying process can be more complex and involve more
stages. The need for the purchase invariably starts from within the buyers organi!ation as some
kind of problem or need. The remaining "buy stages gradually unfold, sometimes over a period
of weeks or even months. This process is clearly very different from walking into a shop and
saying, "Ill have one of those, please, paying, and walking out. #hat makes the industrial
purchase decision more complex is the fact that there is rarely $ust one person involved.
%ecause of the technological, production, financial, safety and &uality ramifications of buying a
new piece of plant or machinery, for example, a number of people have to be satisfied that the
correct buying decision is being made.
Recommended support text:
Kotle, P., and Keller, K.L., (2009), A Framework for Marketing Management, 4
th
ed.,
Pearson Education.
'seful texts to complements the core text are(
)ravens, *. #., and +iercy, ,., -.//01, Strategic Marketing, 2
th
ed., 3c4raw-5ill.
5ooley, 4., +iercy, ,., and ,icoulaud, %., -.//21, Marketing Strategy and Competitive
Positioning, 6
th
ed., +rentice 5all.
#ilson, 7. 3. 8., and 4illigan, )., -.//91, Strategic Marketing Management, :
rd
ed., ;lsevier
%utterworth-5einemann.
*oyle, +., and 8tern, +., -.//01, Marketing Management and Strategy, 6
th
ed., +rentice 5all.
If you have a particular interest in specific aspects of marketing(
Services marketing:
+almer, <., -.//=1, Principles of Services Marketing, 6
th
ed., 3c4raw-5ill.
>ovelock, )., ?andermerwe, 8., and >ewis, %., -@AAA1, Services Marketing: A European
Perspective, +rentice 5all.
Not-for-profit, voluntary or public-sector:
8argeant, <., -.//9, Marketing Management for Nonprofit !rganisations, .
nd
ed., Bxford
'niversity +ress.
E-business:
4ay, 7., )harlesworth, <., and ;sen, 7., -.//=1, !nline Marketing " a Customer-#ed Approac$,
Bxford 'niversity +ress.
%usiness-to-business marketing:
Fill, )., and Fill, C.;., -.//=1, %usiness to %usiness Marketing: &elations$ips, Systems and
Communications, +rentice 5all
#right, 7., -.//61, %usiness-to-%usiness Marketing: A Step-by Step 'uide, +rentice 5all.
Definition and domain of customer service in business-to-business
markets
Traditionally, the principal strategies for prospering in industrial markets
have focussed on ascertaining business customers product requirements,
producing high-quality products to meet those requirements, and marketing
the products at competitive prices. Research and writings in the field of
business-to-business marketing have also been dominated by a product
focus. However, recent and ongoing changes in the business environment
most notably escalating competition, increasing globali!ation of markets,
and more demanding customers are making it difficult to compete
effectively on the basis of traditional marketing mi" variables alone. This
reality is perhaps the primary impetus for the increasing attention that
relationship marketing has been receiving from both practitioners and
researchers. #nd, given that long-term customer retention is a key aim of
relationship marketing, the focus is now shifting from merely selling to
customers to serving them effectively.
$efore e"amining the domain and scope of customer service in business-tobusiness
markets, it is worth noting that the terms %service& 'singular( and