Without doubt, the troubled world economy has had a significant impact on buyer behavior. Heightened scrutiny and lengthy decision cycles are changing the effectiveness of different marketing and sales tactics. The key to success lies in understanding changing buyer behavior at each stage of the sales cycle and using that knowledge to craft the right marketing programs and vehicles to deliver better results.

ITSMA, in partnership with Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC), conducted the 2009 version of its acclaimed How Customers Choose research across three continents. Specifically, the study  answers questions such as:

• How has the current economic situation impacted the way customers make buying decisions?
• What are the best ways to introduce new ideas and new approaches to customers?
• When customers have a need, how and where do they look for potential alternatives?
• When creating a short list of providers, what sources of information do they use?
• What is the most important criteria used to select solution providers?
• Which customer relationship programs do customers perceive as providing the most value?

Study Methodology

In Summer 2009, ITSMA surveyed, via phone, 355 business and IT executives from companies that purchase business or technology solutions for individual contracts over $500,000. These respondents represented larger enterprises, ranging from $200 million to $20 billion or more in annual revenue from five different countries: US, UK, France, Germany, and Brazil. They also represented a variety of vertical markets, including:

• Communications
• Financial services
• Manufacturing
• Public sector
• Healthcare
• Energy/Utilities
• Retail/Distribution
• Business services

Respondent Characteristics

Respondents were screened to ensure that their job titles were director or above. They were also
screened to ensure their involvement in the purchase of business and technology solutions.

Role in Purchase Decision Process

Source: ITSMA and PAC, How Customers Choose Study,
2009

Geographic Distribution

Source: ITSMA and PAC, How Customers Choose Study, 2009

Job Title

Source: ITSMA and PAC, How Customers Choose Study, 2009

Job Role

Source: ITSMA and PAC, How Customers Choose Study, 2009

Verticals Represented

Source: ITSMA and PAC, How Customers Choose Study, 2009

Annual
Revenue of Organizations Represented

Source: ITSMA and PAC, How Customers Choose Study, 2009

Special Offer

$1,495 for the complete study (The complete study consists of three documents – 3 Region Roll-up: US, UK, France, Germany, and Brazil; plus separate EU data only and US data only, detailed reports)

$795 for Europe data only (UK, France, Germany)

$795 for United States data only

Download the datasheet (including order form) PDF (488KB)

Download an Abbreviated Summary of this How Customers Choose Study!