Influence Strategies in Organizational Buying: The Importance of Connections to the Right People in the Right Places

• Published in: Journal of business-to-business marketing 1992-06, Vol.1 (1), p.63-98
• Main Author: Bristor, Julia M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1051-712X; 1547-0628
• DOI: 10.1300/J033v01n01_04

This research investigated a model of individual influence in organizational buying decisions that is based on social network concepts. The model hypothesizes that buying center members' decision specific influence can be explained by their personal network of relationships through which they can access needed resources, and by gatekeeping and/or advocacy behaviors. Network data were collected from members of four buying centers and analyzed using Partial Least Squares causal modeling technique. The results suggest that influential buying center members do engage in advocacy and gatekeeping behaviors. Further, they suggest that being centrally and widely connected throughout the organization enables a buying center member to access needed resources for effective influence attempts, such as support and information. Finally, they provide further evidence of the efficacy of structural explanations for business-to-business marketing problems.