The Considered Purchase

One thing differentiating business to business marketing from consumer marketing is a product's price tag. B to b purchases, like machine tools or enterprise software, usually start in the six-figure range. This is why the average b to b sale involves seven decision makers.

Companies do not make six-figure purchases on a whim. Depending on company size, everyone from the end-user to the CEO weighs in on the decision. This is why b to b marketers call them "considered purchases."

Consumer goods are a bit cheaper and less risky to buy. A mentor of mine says it best. ”If you buy the wrong tube of toothpaste, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. If you make the wrong considered purchase, you can lose your job.”

And while the price tag might require different marketing approaches, one thing is universal across marketing. Price almost always weighs heavily in the decision.

Right now in the consumer arena, cheaper store-brand products are challenging consumer brands. According to Fortune's recent article, Brand Killers:

"An almost imperceptible tectonic shift has been reshaping the world of brands. Retailers—once the lowly peddlers of brands that were made and marketed by big, important manufacturers—are now behaving like full-fledged marketers."

It will be interesting to see how the consumer packaged good manufacturers respond.