Multiple roles in purchasing:

The same person can play more than one role. For example, a secretary can be a user, an influencer, and a gatekeeper if the purchase is about a word-processing equipment. On the other hand, there could be several users of the same product.

The size and composition of the central buying office depend on the requirements of various business organisations. The requirements will depend on the cost of the product, the complexity of the decision, plus the stage of the buying process.

Sales representatives usually waste time by talking to the wrong people in business buying. This happens because of many people involved in the buying process, differences among companies and other factors. The decision makers are usually busy people. It is not easy to reach them. This means that selling activities in the organisation must be organisationally co-ordinated. The business marketer's activities should be matched with the buying needs of the purchasing organisation.