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If pricing is vague or contracts feel rigid, the conversation shifts from maybe to “let’s think about this more.” Legal and compliance roles surface late in the journey to review risk, privacy, and contract terms. To win B2B deals, you must know who’s in the buying group and what drives each person toward a purchase decision. As B2B solutions grow more complex—and the risks of getting them wrong grow more visible—stakeholders from across the business now take part in purchase decisions. Each member brings a unique perspective based on their role, priorities, and risks—often coming from different departments with different goals.

Each of these entities – buying groups, purchasing cooperatives, and GPOs – has its own unique purpose and structure. Learn how Siemens, Zendesk, and Palo Alto Networks transformed their revenue strategies by moving from outdated MQL models to a buying group approach. Read our B2B Revenue Waterfall e-book to find step-by-step guidance for identifying, engaging, and winning opportunities based on how buyers actually buy. Best-in-class organizations measure buying group engagement, segmenting in-pipeline deals by the buying group members present or absent and executing programs to help sales win the engagement of the buying group. They can then supply these programs to revenue development and sales as needed, or even automatically, to help complete buying groups and accelerate deals. No longer is it just sales’ job to engage these groups and help them move through the pipeline — marketing can as well, by building programs to help attract and engage absent buying group members.

Together, they can bargain for better discounts and services. GPOs or buying groups may sound familiar to you, but what exactly are they and how can they help your business? By leveraging the collective purchasing power, accessing supplier relationships, and utilizing data-driven insights, operators can optimize their procurement processes and achieve significant cost savings. Buying groups are typically more informal and offer members more control, while GPOs are formal entities with specialized industry focus and centralized procurement management.

  • Buying groups are typically more informal and offer members more control, while GPOs are formal entities with specialized industry focus and centralized procurement management.
  • Federal agencies previously offered “safety zones” that gave buying groups a rough sense of when they’d avoid scrutiny.
  • For marketers and sales teams, this shift requires a new approach—specifically, a buying group sales strategy that focuses on stakeholder engagement.
  • Engaging with group leaders or representatives can provide valuable insights into the collective mindset, allowing for more effective communication and marketing strategies.
  • For instance, healthcare providers may form a buying group to negotiate better rates for medical supplies, ensuring they can provide quality care without straining their budgets.

David Scott, MGX's chief strategy and safety officer, will serve on the joint venture's board of directors and security committee, according to TikTok's blog post announcing the joint venture. Oracle, which currently works with TikTok on data security, is expected to remain its "trusted security partner" tasked with safeguarding "sensitive US user data," Chew wrote in a December memo to staffers. Kenneth Glueck, an EVP at Oracle who advises the company's CEO, will join the board of directors. "The safeguards provided by the joint venture will also cover CapCut, and Lemon8, and a portfolio of other apps and websites in the US," the company said in its January announcement. While the company did not provide a valuation for the joint venture in its announcement, the Trump administration said in September that the entity was worth around $14 billion. The new TikTok US joint venture said it's appointing a seven-person board of directors, which will include TikTok CEO Shou Chew, as well as representatives from investors like Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX.

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buying group

Buyers do not move through these stages in a straight line – they frequently loop back as new information surfaces or stakeholder priorities shift, which is why Gartner describes the journey as non-linear and simultaneous rather than sequential. Book a call today to see how Growth Method can support your growth marketing efforts. We help companies implement a systematic approach to grow leads and revenue. The B2B buying journey is a complex, multi-stakeholder, largely self-directed process that rewards marketers who invest in content, self-serve tools, and long-form trust-building. The most effective teams tend to adopt one model as their primary reference point – often Gartner in a B2B context – and draw on others when they reveal gaps or add nuance.

The innovative solutions you can leverage in your hospitality business How a GPO benefits small and mid-size restaurants, hotels and resorts How GPOs enhance food safety and support regulatory compliance 3 ways strategic procurement can transform cost pressure into an advantage Mitigate risk and become more resilient to supply chain disruptions

buying group

Members keep their operational independence and choose which contracts to use. The buying group handles the contract administration, vendor vetting, and periodic renegotiation. A buying group is a collective of independent businesses that pool their purchasing volume to negotiate better prices from suppliers.

Content must be buying group credible and discoverable in environments increasingly dominated by AI-driven search tools. Technology decision-makers, especially those embedded in business units, are particularly likely to rely on trials to evaluate how solutions will work in real-world conditions. When they do, the buying group doubles in size compared with purchases that do not include such features. Forrester’s data shows that buying groups are larger than in prior years. When asked what primarily triggers engagement with providers, respondents more often cited interactions with industry experts than information from AI tools. In the 2025 survey, generative AI tools were the single most cited meaningful interaction type for researching purchases.

You wouldn’t be able to use a different vendor if there were severe limitations about which suppliers you could utilize. A buying group is suitable for you if you own a small, independent firm. Group purchasing organizations (GPOs) or group purchasing collectives are terms used to describe buying groups that specialize in group purchasing What are group purchasing organizations (GPOs), sometimes known as buying groups, and are they worth it?

Effective Use of AI-Based Personalization in Your ABM Strategy

Marketers must remain patient and proactive, providing relevant insights and nurturing all members to keep the buying group moving toward a decision. IT cares about integration and security, finance focuses on costs and ROI, and executives value strategic impact. Companies that understand how buying groups form can engage them strategically. This collaborative approach reduces risk and ensures everyone's priorities are considered. Companies involve stakeholders from IT, finance, operations, and management to ensure solutions meet technical, financial, and strategic requirements. Usually, this is a C-level executive or department head who ensures the choice aligns with business goals and strategic priorities.

buying group

Use tools like org chart mapping software or revenue intelligence platforms that aggregate data from email interactions, meeting attendance, and content engagement to reveal hidden buying group participants. Typical enterprise buying groups include 8-12 members across functions, each bringing distinct evaluation criteria and concerns that vendors must address to win deals. A cybersecurity company implements ABM campaigns targeting Fortune 1000 accounts.

Do buying groups and group purchasing organizations have membership fees?

Discuss the findings about the level of contact and concerns of the stakeholders. Information and resources that will be useful and provided at the start of the process will not only reduce delays but also make the group evaluate the solution with confidence. Once you know each stakeholder, you will be able to create the marketing strategies that will be most suitable for them in terms of their needs and priorities. Find out the members who make decisions, those who have influence, the users of the product, and those who support it. Finally, measuring engagement across a buying group is difficult. Marketing teams must balance messaging so that every stakeholder understands how the solution addresses their unique concerns without causing confusion or misalignment.

Utilizing market research and data analysis is crucial in identifying potential buying groups. It allows for targeted marketing efforts and tailored offerings that resonate with specific audiences. Online marketplaces and social media have facilitated the growth of virtual buying groups, where individuals can join forces regardless of geographical limitations. Furthermore, the rise of digital platforms has transformed the landscape of buying groups, making it easier for members to connect, share information, and coordinate purchases. For instance, healthcare providers may form a buying group to negotiate better rates for medical supplies, ensuring they can provide quality care without straining their budgets.

Supplement with insights from webinar Q&As or peer review sites where buyers voice solution concerns and roadblocks in their own words. Your job here is to make the pain of doing nothing impossible to ignore—and the benefits of taking steps toward a solution crystal clear. This targeted content not only supports your champions but also reduces anxiety by providing them the material they need, helping the buying group move confidently toward a “yes.” At this stage, your job is to reduce perceived risk and equip champions to win internal support.

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