The B2B purchase process is a team game — as every B2B salesperson and every B2B marketer knows .
The buying committee is an entrenched reality in B2B purchase decisions. CEB research indicates that the average buying committee has 5.4 members, and 80 percent of salespeople say that number is only growing.
What does this reality of the buying committe mean for the marketing team? For one thing, marketers need to ensure that their company’s message reaches various departments — from finance to human resources to information technology — across the entire organization. This reality also raises questions:
- What internal departments are most important to reach?
- Does the influence wielded by these departments vary by industry?
Recent research by LinkedIn set out to answer these questions. In our own research with 6,000 buyers, marketers and salespeople around the globe — research that is summarized in this SlideShare deck, “Which Departments Wield the Most Influence Over Purchase Decisions in Your Industry" — LinkedIn found that the following departments were the most influential over the typical B2B buying decision:
- Information Technology (32%)
- Finance (31%)
- Business Development (26%)
- Accounting (23%)
- Operations (22%)
- Administrative (21%)
We also found that the average number of departments influencing the buying decision differed by industry. For instance, the services industry had an average of 3.3 departments that influenced the typical purchase decision. In manufacturing, the average was 4.6 departments wielding influence over the purchase decision.
The departments that wielded influence also varied from industry to industry. In services, for instance, the top departments influencing the purchase process are:
In manufacturing, the top departments influencing the purchase process are:
In the SlideShare deck, we analyze 22 verticals and share the internal departments that wield the most influence over the typical buying decision. Download the SlideShare deck, "Which Departments Wield the Most Influence Over Purchase Decisions in Your Industry," to see what departments in your industry you need to be persuading with your marketing messages.
Which Departments Wield the Most Influence Over Buying Decisions in Your Industry?
For a deep dive into LinkedIn's complete research on how the buyer's journey has changed and how the relationship between buyers, marketers and salespeople has changed along with it, download the report, "Rethink the B2B Buyer's Journey," today!
