BUYER PERCEPTIONS OF THE PURCHASE PROCESS AND ITS EFFECT ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Industrial customer satisfaction is usually considered to be based upo n the product's performance relative to expectations for those who par ticipated in the purchase. Managers are concerned about customer satis faction because of its expected effects on future purchases and word-o f-mouth. This article presents the results of a study of customer sati sfaction with both the product and the process by which it was chosen. Findings indicate that traditional perspectives concerning the effect s of product satisfaction should be reconsidered. Implications for mar keting managers include matching the selling process to the buying pro cess in order to manage process satisfaction, a factor found to be rel ated to future purchase participation.