What Is a C-Suite in Marketing?

Purchasing Cycle

Members of the C-suite are involved in general purchasing decisions at a late stage in the purchasing cycle; their role is different in technical or strategically-important purchases. In the initial stages of the purchasing cycle, other employees are responsible for identifying requirements, sourcing information, evaluating suitable products and identifying and shortlisting potential suppliers. Members of the C-suite do not get involved in detailed product evaluation; however, they would be involved in evaluating suppliers and would make decisions on the most appropriate way to finance a purchase.

To ensure that members of the C-suite have the information they need to make decisions about suppliers, marketing teams communicate corporate information. Their objective is to convince the C-suite that the company has the resources, capability and financial stability to produce quality products and to provide a reliable supply service.

For technical purchases, members of the C-suite, including the Chief Information Officer and Chief Technical Officer, may be involved at an earlier stage in the purchasing cycle, particularly if the purchase involves new or emerging technologies. Marketing teams aim to convince technical members of the C-suite of the importance of the technology by providing high-level discussion papers that set out the background and benefits. They may also invite C-suite members to seminars or briefing meetings to provide background information.

Marketing teams communicate with members of the C-suite when they want to position their products as strategically important. For example, a company that is marketing machine tools might communicate cost-saving benefits to the Chief Financial Officer. They would communicate benefits, such as the ability to manufacture higher quality products and to achieve market leadership to the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. Communications with the Chief Operating Officer would focus on productivity and manufacturing efficiency benefits.