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This is a brief report of an interview completed for my Business to Business Marketing
class with Dr. Mathisen. I had to interview a business customer and discuss the buying
process for a product and buying center roles within the company and who plays them. I
then analyzed the interview and formulated this report.
Respondent’s Background
I very much enjoyed my interview with this intelligent, understated and courteous gentleman,
Dan Smith. His attitude was genuinely winning and engaging. He is Manager of National
Accounts Distribution for a company called Saint-Gobain. He has been working with Saint-
Gobain for 5 years, working his way up to a manager role. Previously, Dan was a National Sales
Manager for Sovella, a company that designs and manufactures ergonomic industrial furniture.
Why this Respondent was Chosen
I personally know Dan because he is a close family friend of mine and was already aware of his
successful business position. But, I wanted to interview Dan most importantly because of the
company he works for. Saint-Gobain is a 65 billion dollar company, the world’s largest
manufacturer of abrasive grains creating products that service markets from Aerospace to
automotive collision repair. The company purchases over 10,000 products annually, but for this
interview, Dan talked to me about one brand product that is regularly purchased within his
department.
Goals for the Interview
I had very specific goals in mind when I approached this interview. First, I wanted to learn more
about the process of buying a product and what exactly are the end reasons for continuing that
process. Some questions I had included: Why is the product important? What does this product
bring to the future of the company? How is that product purchased on a regular basis? Secondly,
I wanted to gain more knowledge on the buying center and how that is organized in a company
so large and international. I think Sales is an interesting career path and wanted to develop a
deeper understanding of what this product example will do in comparison to every other product
purchased within this company. Additionally, I wanted to expose my classmates to this particular
industry that is not specifically mentioned in our textbook.
Summarization of the Interview
Dan and I met at Starbucks on Saturday, January 30th in Woodstock. As soon as we sat down
with our drinks, we immediately got started. Of all 10,000 products being routinely purchased
within Saint-Gobain, here is what Dan explained in detail of Mothers Compounds & Polishes:
This product is distributed from a company called Mothers. It is an automotive finishing and
detailing product. Now, within Saint-Gobain there are a number of roles within its buying center;
there is a purchasing manager who makes the final decision, a buyer who is responsible for the
contracts, and a buyer specialist who controls the flow of information through the buying
process. Every Monday, the buyer specialist will order the product through email to the Mothers
Corporation. Mothers has been one of Saint-Gobain’s loyal partners for 3 years now, so they are

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pretty dedicated with getting their order sent to them within 30 days. Mothers Compounds &
Polishes is a very important product to Dan and the rest of his staff. It allows them to provide a
complete solution to their distributors, including the automotive paint industry. Together, Saint-
Gobain sponsors products like this to many organizations such as the Stewart-Haas Racing team
of NASCAR. At the end of the interview Dan gave some words of advice that he stands by:
“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”
Impact on My View of Module Two
Going into this interview I expected Dan to give me highlights and answer my questions very
straightforward. I expected this thinking he had other important things to do! However, the
interview completely diminished any uncertainty I had beforehand. His answers were well
thought, thorough, but easy to understand. Not only did he answer my questions in a timely
manner, but his answers were also insightful and fun to hear about. All in all, I was very pleased
with the outcome of the interview.
Conclusion
Overall I think the interview was very successful. I learned more about his career path, and I was
able to explore possibilities in the field of Sales and Marketing. I found a great deal of
commonalities between his perspective on the assigned topic and the class readings. I hope my
research enlightened my classmates on a career path they had not considered before, in addition
to providing them with more information on the buying process and buying center roles.