Thirty-six buyer roles and what each one is measured on
Thirty-six people who buy merchandise for a reason, with the argument that moves each of them.
Thirty-six buyer roles are described here, from the chief procurement officer down to the office manager who orders the coffee for the team. Each page states what the role is measured on, where the budget comes from, what the usual objection is and what evidence settles it.
The chief financial officer wants the cost per unit and how it amortises across the year, not a catalogue. The chief sustainability officer wants the certificate and its scope. The marketing director wants a date that will not move. The general counsel wants the contract terms, and reads the data processing agreement before the price.
Reading the page for the person who will sign is usually faster than reading the whole programme brief again. It also shortens the meeting, because the objection you expected is the one already written down.
Thirty-six roles
One page per role, with the budget, the objection and the document that settles it.
- Brand manager
- Chief financial officer
- Chief data officer
- Chief experience officer
- Chief information officer
- Chief people officer
- Chief procurement officer
- Chief product officer
- Chief revenue officer
- Chief supply chain officer
- Chief sustainability officer
- Corporate counsel
- Creative director
- Director of customer experience
- Director of events
- Engineering manager
- Event marketing lead
- Founder and chief executive
- General counsel
- General manager
- Head of customer success
- Head of design
- Head of revenue operations
- HR and people operations
- Internal communications lead
- Marketing director
- Office manager
- Procurement officer
- Vice president of communications
- Vice president of corporate social responsibility
- Vice president of digital
- Vice president of finance
- Vice president of marketing
- Vice president of product
- Vice president of sales
- Vice president of strategy
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know which page to read?
Look up the role that will sign the purchase order, then the one who owns the budget.
Are these real people?
They are composite roles built from what buyers tell us, and each page says so.
Can we use them in an internal meeting?
Yes. They are published for that purpose and are free to circulate.
Tell us who the decision maker is
Send the role, the budget holder and the deadline. We reply with the pages that matter for that combination and the objections to expect.